In the European autumn, I had a few days exploring Interlaken in Switzerland. The town is located between two lakes at the foot of the Swiss Alps. It is extremely popular for adrenaline sports such as skydiving. In this blog, I’ll give you an idea of what you should do if you don’t want to jump out of a plane…
Where to stay
I stayed at The Happy Inn Lodge. This was a sweet, small hostel above a pub that was close to the Interlaken West train station (about a 5 minute walk). It cost me £100 for 3 nights in a 6-bed female-only dorm.
Please note that as with most hostels, there are mixed and female-only dorms BUT the bathroom facilities, which are shared, are mixed. There are no kitchen facilities due to the pub below serving food, but, you can use their kettle and microwave if you need to. Also, there are no laundry facilities at this hostel.
As with Basel and Geneva accommodation, hostels/hotels in Interlaken give their guests and Interlaken card which allows free transport on the trains and discounts to a number of activities in the area (you get a list with the card of what’s discounted or not).
5 Things to do in Interlaken
#1 Visit Jungfrau
Marketed as the top of Europe, you must visit Jungfraujoch. Catch the train from Interlaken Ost to Grindlewald Terminal and then get the Eiger Express cable car up the mountain. The views from the cable car alone are stunning – you start off travelling over the green fields and trees and as you get higher up, the snow cover begins (of course there is more snow cover during autumn/winter). From the cable car station, you’ll get the Jungfraubahn – the highest railway in Europe at 3454m above sea level – through the centre of the mountain to Jungfraujoch (so exciting).
There is a lot to do at Jungfraujoch. I started off my visit with going to the Sphinx Observatory (3571m above sea level). The Sphinx is a working Climate Science Research centre and sits above the Aletsch Glacier – the longest glacier in The Alps at 23km in length. You can go outside here and admire the surrounding mountains and glacier – but be prepared it will be cold, in November it was -10°C with wind chill and I managed about 30 minutes outside in that temperature.
When you leave the observatory platform, you’ll walk through the story of Jungfraujoch. It tells you of how the railway was designed and built, and how it is an important research station and tourist destination. There is also a tribute to those who have died working on the railway – sadly, the most recent of which was a young man in 2019.
You can then carry on through into the ice palace (but I opted for lunch at this point and returned to the ice palace afterwards). The ice palace is awesome! There are numerous ice sculptures designed by artists throughout the palace and they are all incredible and so detailed. Be aware that as this is ice, it is slippery (think walking on an ice rink and there are railings to hold onto) so if you aren’t too steady on your feet, you may want to give it a miss.
Finally, you can visit The Plateau. This is another outside (chilly) viewpoint at 3475m above sea level. I imagine the view is great but when I went, the snow and clouds rolled in and I couldn’t even see the snowplough operating less than 20m away from me (don’t worry, I could hear it and every now and then, I could see it’s lights). You’ll then either want to warm up with a hot drink at the café and admire the views a little longer (from the warmth inside) or head back down to Grindelwald and Interlaken.
This is a full day trip. Jungfraujoch is well laid out and there are maps to guide you around. It can be quite busy – I arrived at about 10:30am and by the time I had lunch at 12:30pm, the café was almost full. I left at about 3:30pm. The whole day trip, including the complete return journey on the trains and cable cars from Interlaken Ost to Jungfraujoch, will cost around €200.
Please note:
If visiting Jungfraujoch, you are going to a maximum of 3571m above sea level and therefore are vulnerable to altitude sickness. NOTE - I AM NOT A DOCTOR but symptoms can include but are not limited to headache, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea (see full information from NHS UK here). I suffered from a minor headache and a little bit of nausea when I was walking around but this subsided as soon as I descended the mountain.
Also, as you are in The Alps and up a mountain, dress appropriately! Do not be that person wearing a short dress, ankle boots and cropped cardigan… in -10°C… while it’s snowing – yes, I did actually see someone wearing this and they had no other clothing with them, not even a bag… what some people will do for the “perfect” social media shot!
#2 Visit Harder Kulm
If visiting Jungfraujoch didn’t satisfy your appetite for the mountains, you must visit Harder Kulm. From Interlaken Ost, catch the funicular up to the Harder Kulm viewpoint – the top of Interlaken. I was not the only person whose jaw dropped to the floor when we reached the station at the top of the mountain!
From the funicular station, you walk along the path to the viewpoint which is 1323m above Interlaken. The views from up here are breathtaking! You can see lakes and mountains as far as the eye can see. Just stunning! There is a sign next to the viewing platform detailing the surrounding mountains (including Jungfrau, Jungfraujoch and Eiger) and their heights. If you are afraid of heights, standing on the actual viewing platform may not be your thing. There is a café and a gift shop at Harder Kulm so you can sit, eat, drink, and enjoy the wonderful views before returning to ground level.
The return funicular ticket costs €38 (cheaper if you have an Interlaken card) and takes about 10 minutes to travel up (or down) the mountain. The funicular runs every 15 minutes or so. I spent about an hour up at the viewpoint taking photos and admiring the amazing landscape!
#3 Eat a proper Swiss Fondue
If you love cheese, you have got to have a real Swiss Fondue! Most places either do individual or sharing fondues with a mixture of bread, meats and other nibbles. I had my fondue at the pub below my hostel – it cost €20 for the individual fondue which was served with bread – stunning! It’s making my mouth water just writing about it!!
#4 Visit the lakes
Interlaken is sandwiched between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. You can visit both and take ferries to various small villages. The most popular stops are the towns of Thun and Brienz (of course), Giessbach to visit the waterfall (on Lake Brienz), and Spiez (on Lake Thun).
#5 Visit neighbouring towns
As well as getting the ferry to the towns and villages on the lakes, you can also get the train to the towns/villages in the mountains. From Interlaken, you can easily jump on the train to Grindelwald (as already mentioned en route to Jungfrau, plenty of mountain funiculars to go on and walking/hiking trails if that’s your thing) or Lauterbrunnen and Murren (great waterfalls so I hear).
Interlaken was a great stop – probably one of my favourite stops! There is so much to do and the views of the mountains and lakes will take your breath away. I spent 2 full days in Interlaken and it was not enough time, I could have spent at least another couple of days there at least – I guess there’s always next time!
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