A Day In Interlaken Switzerland
On my Europe backpacking tour, now I have reached Interlaken, Switzerland. Indeed, it is a beautiful town on a narrow stretch of a valley between the emerald-colored waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Besides, it is a center point for various entertaining mountain activities and daring outdoor activities in Switzerland. Moreover, it has old timber houses and parklands on either side of the Aare River. Generally, many tourists make it a base point to visit the nearby villages of Iseltwald, Lauterbrunnen, and Grindelwald. So, it must be your next destination in the region of the Bernese Alps. Last but not the least, it is ruled by three immense peaks which are Jungfrau, Eiger, and Monch.
How To Get To Interlaken?
There are two main railway stations in the city. These are Interlaken OST and West Railway Stations which are well connected with the other parts of Switzerland. Tourists can get to Interlaken by train, bus, or car from neighboring cities of Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, and Geneva. You can get Trains to all of Switzerland’s major towns at least every hour. Moreover, you can get connections to the international train network too. I reached here from Lucerne by Swiss Train.
Alternatively, we can take the Flix bus to reach there. The Bus operates in many cities of Germany like Erfurt, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Jena, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, and Munich. It will drop you at the stop at the Ost train station.
How did I get to Interlaken from Lucerne?
On my Europe backpacking tour, I get to Interlaken from Lucerne. I reached here by taking an SNCF Swiss Train from Lucerne Bahnhof. It took me around 1.5 hours to reach there from Lucerne. The one-way ticket costs me 30 Euro.
How to Get Around In Interlaken?
Public transportation here has the option of buses, trains, and Boats. Not to mention that all transport means are quite punctual and reliable. Most of the hostels provide you with a guest card on which you can take free travel on buses within Interlaken and nearby villages. I got a discounted ticket on this card for my return train ticket to Lauterbrunnen. This card is also valid to visit Iseltwald from Lauterbrunnen.
Where To Stay In Interlaken?
There are many options for backpackers in Interlaken. I stayed in Interlaken Youth Hostel which is just adjacent to Interlaken Ost Train Station. In addition to this, we have the option to stay in Balmer’s Backpacker Hostel in the city center or Backpacker’s Villa which is also in the center of Ost and West.
How to Spend A Day in Interlaken?
Interlaken is taken as a central point for tourists who want to explore the nearby towns of Iseltwald, Lauterbrunnen, and Grindelwald. While staying in the city center you can enjoy a soft walk from Lake Thun to Lake Brienz. Here are a few activities that are more attractive to you while your stay in the city. You can do most of the activities mentioned here in one day. However, to visit the nearby towns and a couple of mountain excursions need a few extra days.
Lakes of Interlaken
It is a town of two giant lakes. These are Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Most of the city’s activities circled around these two lakes.
Lake Brienz
Lake Brienz is a beautiful lake with an awesome emerald color water on the east side of Interlaken. It is a quite large lake that is about 14 km long, 2.8 km wide, and 260 meters deep. Boating into lake Brienz might be a highlight of your trip. You can take the boat from Interlaken East to Brienz village. There are several stops along the way and you can visit Brienz Village, Iseltwald, or Giessbach Waterfalls on this cruising experience. Cruising on Lake Brienz is covered with the Swiss Pass.
Lake Thun
Lake Thun is on the west side of Lake of Interlaken, which has deep blue color water. Sir, Tarar mentioned this lake on many occasions while writing his famous Novel Gypsi( Perhaps).
Hoheweg street and Park
Hoheweg Street is a long street that connects the two lakes along the Aare river. Also, the Hoheweg promenade is a picturesqou route in Interlaken. Tourists take a pleasant feel while passing through the flowerbeds throughout the street. Hoheweg park is the main point on this street. You can find many paragliders in this park in the evening time. Moreover, most of the city’s tourist attractions are present on this street.
Schloss Interlaken
It takes a small hike and you can enjoy the panoramic view of the city. Hence, most of the city tours include this castle in their itinerary. Whereas you can take the route to castle beside the Hoheweg Park. A couple of beautiful churches can also be visited on the way to Schloss.
Yash Chopra Statue
In front of Hoheweg Park, you can visit the Interlaken Casino and pay your tribute to the Ambassador of the City. The Casino is also known as Casino Kursaal has a large flower clock too. Here you can meet the statue of Yash Chopra Ji. As Yash Chopra produced many films in this beautiful town so, he is given the title of the Ambassador of Interlaken by the Town administration.
Harder Kulm
If you want to see the more prominent and panoramic view of Interlaken then Harder Kulm will be your final destination. You can take a small train ride from Ost train station to the mountain peak of Harder Kulm. While you will go up by 750 vertical meters to reach the top within 10 minutes. Moreover, there is a restaurant at the top and an observation deck with a stunning view on 2 lakes. Although, the ticket price is 32.62EU for this trip, however, you can get a 50% discount with your STP.
Day Trips from Interlaken to nearby Places
Furthermore, you can take many tours from Interlaken to nearby towns and mountain excursions. It includes the visits to
A Day Trip To Lauterbrunnen
While Lauterbrunnen is just 20 minutes ride from the city center and can be reached by car or train. Whereas this village is a quiet little paradise with more or less 72 waterfalls within the valley. Staubbach Waterfall is the center point of the Lauterbrunnen.
Interlaken To Grindelwald
Grindelwald is basically a beautiful valley that falls in the Jungfraujoch region. It is just a 30 minutes driving distance from Interlaken. You can take a train from Ost station to Grindelwald.
Interlaken to Iseltwald
If you are in Interlaken then it will be a great opportunity to visit Iseltwald as a full day or half-day trip. The small village of Iseltwald is mostly visited for the views it provides from its location on the emerald waters of Lake Brienz. You can take bus#103 from the Ost station to visit this landscape village.
Mountain Excursions from Interlaken
Furthermore, you can take many tours from Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen to the nearby mountains on day excursions. Jungfrau and Schilthorn are two main excursions of their type.
What Next to Interlaken
So, after visiting this region, I went to Geneva in the west of Switzerland. Hence after spending a little time there, I went to Nice, France as my next tourist destination.
