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Interlaken

Europe : Central Europe : Switzerland : Bernese Highlands : Interlaken Jump to: navigation, search Contents

* Get in   * Get around * See * Do   * Buy * Eat * Drink * Sleep * Internet & Hotspots * Cope * Get out

Interlaken [1] is a small city in the Bernese Highlands Region of central Switzerland. Located between two Alpine Lakes (Brienz and Thun), Interlaken is a popular base camp for outdoor sports and travel in the surrounding Bernese Oberland Alps. Interlaken itself is a superb holiday destination. [edit] Get in

Trains arrive frequently from Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Berne and Luzern. Connection at Spiez provides access to canton Valais and to Italy via Lotschberg and Simplon tunnels.

There are two stations: Interlaken Ost (east) and Interlaken West, the latter is closer to the city centre. Most trains stop at both stations, except for trains to Luzern and the trains to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald which stop only at Ost station.

- By car, follow Autoroute A8 (former N8) into the city center.

* Mysterytours, http://www.mysterytours.net http://www.taxi-taxi.info provide transfer & tours to/from all destination and airports in Switzerland and surrounding countries * -autovermietung- car, bus, van, minibus rental. http://www.interlaken.in

By Bus. Bus2alps http://www.bus2alps.com operates direct private bus's from Florence, Rome, Paris and Munich to Interlaken. Timetables do vary but are busiest in February and March to cater for winter sport activities. Travel and accommodation packages are available and small and big groups are catered for. [edit] Get around

Interlaken is small enough to get around on foot or bikes. Taxis are available from either train station and most hotels. With the guest card from your hotel, you can travel around Interlaken for free (it also gives discounts to local tourist attractions). [edit][add listing] See

* The Hoheweg is Interlaken's main street which runs between Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost Railway Stations. On this street you will find souvenir shops. Have a look at the 150-year old Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel and don't miss the beautiful view of the famous snow-covered Jungfrau mountain from "Höhematte".

* Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn is a glaciated UNESCO World Heritage Site above Interlaken in the Bernese Alps.

[edit][add listing] Do

All year round: Shopping in Interlaken's souvenir shops.

In summer:

* Walks: Take a walk along the shores of lake of Thun (Thunersee) or lake of Brienz (Brienzersee). A nice, ~2h walk goes from West train station to "Neuhaus". It takes you along the Aare river and through the small but popular nature reserve Neuhaus at the lake of Thun. From Neuhaus you can take a bus or boat back to Interlaken. * Hiking: There are plenty of great hikes in the Interlaken area. Popular near-by hikes include Harder mountain (mountain train 5 min. from Interlaken Ost station) and Schynige Platte (mountain train from Wilderswil). * Adventure sports: A whole bunch of adrenaline sports are offered through Interlaken guide groups including paragliding, hang gliding, bungee jumping, canyoning, river rafting, rock climbing, etc. Outdoor Interlakenis located on the main street in Matten. You can arrange all your adventure sport needs there. * Swimming: You can swim both in the lake of Brienz and Thun. The water in the lake of Thun is generally warmer (~20°C in july/august). A popular swimming area with showers, changing rooms, a restaurant, etc. is in Neuhaus. A real insider-tipp is the beautiful "Burgseeli" in Ringgenberg-Goldswil. Burgseeli is a nature reserve, where water temperatures can reach up to 27°C and you can swim among ducks and water lilies. The natural lido offers a non-swimmers pool, paddling pool, children´s playground, restaurant, changing rooms, showers, etc. * Sailing: Lake of Thun is quite popular for sailing. You can rent sail boats and book classes in Neuhaus. * Biking:Take an awesome mountainbike ride around the lake of Brienz( 4 hours) and visit the giessbach waterfalls on the way. Alternatively, visit Lauterbrunnen by bike (~2 hours one-way)and look inside the Trümmelbach-Waterfalls (Trümmelbachfälle). * scenic trips: Enjoy the beauty of the bernese oberland. All rentals you need to get arond at http://www.funrental.ch Self guided tours to the galcier village Grindelwald the waterfall valley Lauterbrunnen. Longest and most sunny village Beatenberg down to the lake Thun. Old castle in Spiez and waterfalls at Giessbach on lake Brienz. Up to the mountain resort Axalp with the best view points over Interlaken. * Skydive the swiss alps in Interlaken: Funrental Interlaken is the place to get all your information about a helicopter or plane jump! Also pay your ticket there for your selectet jump( plane or helicopter) 14000 feet 45 sec freefall both available. Dont forget to buy your video!!!

In winter:

* Ski/Snowboard: Interlaken has good access to several skiing/snowboarding areas. The largest of them is the "Jungrau winter sport region" which includes Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen,Grindelwald First and Mürren-Schilthorn. A day-pass costs sFr. 57.-/46.-/29.- (adults/youth/children). Beatenberg-Niederhorn and Habkern are two smaller, family-friendly ski areas with easy lifts and slopes for beginners. A day-pass is ~35.-/17.- (adults/children). If you need to rent equipment that can be easily arranged at the SwissRentaSport shop. * Sledging: The best but also most challenging sledging is from the Faulhorn to Grindelwald. Take the First gondola cableway from Grindelwald and prepare for a beautiful but challenging, 2h-2 1/2h uphill hike to the Faulhorn. Enjoy the amazing view of the Alps from the Faulhorn peak before you sledge down to Grindelwald for 15km (!) on the longest sledging run in Europe. Alternatively, several sledging runs are accessible by bus/train: Bussalp-Grindelwald (8km), Eiger Run in Grindelwald (3km), Niederhorn-Beatenberg (7km), Suhlwald-Isenfluh and Habkern (4km). * Night sledding: There is a company who makes night sledding trips every night. The cost is € 62 and includes a swiss cheese fondue dinner in a restaurant at the end of the sled run. There are no "fitness requirements" and bookings are necessary in advance. * Cross-country skiing: A beautiful and sunny cross-country area is in Aeschiried near Spiez (~1h by train/bus) where you have a great view on the lake of Thun. Good cross-country trails are also in Habkern/Lombach and Beatenberg. * Ice-skating: An indoor ice-rink is in Matten by Interlaken. * Swimming/Wellness: The Bödelibad in Interlaken offers an indoor pool with a 25m swimming pool and a childrens pool. There is also a very nice wellness facility with sauna, steam bath, whirlpool and more. * Scenic trips: Enjoy the beauty of the bernese oberland. Self guided tours to the glacier village Grindelwald the waterfall valley Lauterbrunnen. Longest and most sunny village Beatenberg down to the lake Thun. Get your rentals at http://www.Funrental.ch Old castle in Spiez and waterfalls at Giessbach on lake Brienz. Up to the mountainresort Axalp with the best view points over Interlaken. * Skydive the swiss alps in Interlaken: Funrental Interlaken is the place to get all your information about a helicopter or plane jump! Also pay your ticket there for your selectet jump( plane or helicopter) 14000 feet 45 sec freefall both available. Dont forget to buy your video!!!

[edit][add listing] Buy

Interlaken has the highest concentration of souvenir shops in Switzerland.

* Swiss Army Knives:

Interlaken is a good place to buy Swiss Army Knives. One of the best shops is the "Swiss Knife Center" (Höheweg 125) as it stocks the full range of Victorinox and Wenger Swiss Army Knives. Other knife shops in Interlaken are "The Collector", "Bühler Chalet Shop", "Royal St Georges Gift Shop", "Gallerie Metropole", and "Balmers Hostel Shop".

REMEMBER TO PACK YOUR SWISS ARMY KNIVES IN HOLD LUGGAGE.

* Watches: Interlaken has two main watch and jewellery shops:"Bucherer" and "Kirchhofer" which stock all the big traditional Swiss brands (Tag Heuer, Omega, IWC, Rolex). Alternatively, most souvenir shops sell some inexpensive Swiss made watches like Swiss Military and Swatch.

* Chocolate: You best buy Swiss chocolate at the Coop supermarket (one is just by the Ost trainstation) where you have a very good choice of Lindt and Cailler chocolates, Toblerones, etc. to much lower prices than you'd pay in the souvenir shops.

* Other souvenirs: Other items to purchase in Interlaken's souvenir shops are: Leather Wallets and Purses, Cow bells, Swiss embroideries, cuckoo clocks, some inexpensive Swiss made watches (like Swiss Military or Swatch), Switzerland T-shirts, sweatshirts, backpacks, etc.

If you may be wanting to purchase a Swiss Woodcarving, go to Brienz (about 30 minutes on train from Interlaken Ost), which is the centre for Swiss woodcarving. [edit][add listing] Eat

Bebbis Restaurant (Bahnhofstrasse), [2]. A popular but touristy place for traditional swiss dishes including fondue and raclette. It´s opposite Interlaken West train station. Chinese people can enjoy branch in Nanjing/CHINA to test/refresh memories.

McDonalds Restaurant (Bahnhofstr.) and Hooters (Höhenweg) are always packed with backpackers and young people.

Interlaken's Best Kept Secret (not any more!) is My Little Thai, Huptstrasse, Matten located next to Balmer's. Fantastic Thai food at very good prices keeps this little gem packed all day and night. Reservation's are highly recommended for evening eating and take away is available.

El Azteca [3] is an authentic Mexican food restaurant owned and operated by a gentleman who migrated from Mexico around 1984. Located on the street level of Hotel Blume in a street mall on the west side of town (Jungfraustr.), it is small, and very friendly. The staff will go above and beyond to help you celebrate birthdays and other events. Groups up to 25, and a bar that can seat about 10 more. Prices are quite high if you're used to paying for Mexican food in the USA, but considering everything is imported, it is understandable. All the best Mexican beers, and top notch Mexican cuisine. Open 17.30 - 23.30. [edit][add listing] Drink

For a small Swiss town, Interlaken has quite the nightlife options, including Switzerland's one and only Hooters Bar & Restaurant. Most of these bars serve the seasonal tide of tourists, but off the main road, many more mellow local venues can be found. Try the Brasserie 17 (Rosenstr. 17) which has a nice summer terrace,good beer and snacks and sometimes live music.

The two best nightlife spots in town are Balmer's hostel and the Funny Farm, which are located fairly close to each other (both at Hauptstrasse, Matten). Balmers has a decent underground bar and dance club and the Funny Farm has great outdoor chill out areas, including a bonfire. Both hostels have good happy hour specials, and you can kind of bounce back and forth between the two to get your drink for the best price.

Rugenbrau 'lager hell': the local beer and one of the best you'll ever taste as the water in the area is the cleanest in Europe. [edit][add listing] Sleep

Reservations are a must during the busy summer season. Note that not all hotels are open all year round.

* Swiss Inn, General Guisan Straße 23. [4] B&B bordering on family-operated hotel. Excellent location, very quiet part of west Interlaken, 5 minutes walk from anything touristy or otherwise, as well as grocery and Interlaken West train station. Run by JP & Veronica Müller-Lohner, a very friendly and accommodating couple, speak perfect English. Wireless internet available for CHF 5. per day. Room prices are CHF 90-160, apartment prices are CHF 140-200. Breakfast daily for an additional CHF 12 per person. Open all year. * AlpLodge/BackPackers Interlaken, Marktgasse 59. [5]. Reception open from Daily 8:00 AM - 1:00 Am. Young friendly hostel. Staff can help suggest hikes and will book activities. Dorms and private rooms. 24CHF-40CHF (Bar, internet, laundry). * Hotel Toscana, Jungfraustrasse 19.[6]. Reception open Daily from 6:00am until 10:00pm, but you can ask about rooms in the restaurant until midnight. This nice little family-run hotel features a restaurant which seems to be quite a local hangout. The rooms are clean and the staff is friendly and attentive. 170-240 Chf (breakfast included). * Balmer's Herberge youth hostel, Hauptstrasse 23 - 33 CH-3800. [7]. Young friendly hostel. Seems to be the hostel of Interlaken. Offers any and every extreme sport. Dorms, privates, and tents available. Guest kitchen, restaurant, gift shop, coin laundry, and nightly movies. Adheres to city wide noise curfew. Don't go to Interlaken without staying here. Right around the corner is a grocery store for all your cooking needs. * Goldey Swiss Q Hotel, Obere Goldey 85, Interlaken CH-3800. [8]. This is a hotel for the middle-aged traveller. It's rather expensive but offers tremendous service in a wonderful location. The river-side rooms are the best. Highly recommended.

[edit] Internet & Hotspots

Internetcafe Funrental.Hauptstrasse 19 Matten / Interlaken Take Bus no 5 to Hotel Sonne. Walk 1 minute towards Interlaken and you see 3 Flags and lots of funny rental vehicles and also a Thai restaurant next to the street. On 6 high speed computers you can surf ,download, transfer pictures to USB drive, bring your CD or DVD to burn. Hotspot community. Use webcam and headset to connect Skype. Print scan your papers and sent per mail. Watch you favorite Tv channel on the computer. Cheapest and best Internetcafe in Town only sFr.6.- or 4 Euros per hour.Recommended by Lets Go 2007. New Laundry place. Surf while you wash!

McDonalds (150 m from the train station) offers 30 minutes of free WLAN internet access.

* Laundry > 2 Euro with free internet Interlaken, Marktgasse 45 /beside Post [9]. Funny "discount coupon" guy for many choices in Interlaken. Bicycle 10 Euro /day 50 EURO /week & Scooter rental > 20 Euro. & outdoor bookings = always free internet, 15 computers with cd-burner,SKYPE, high speed 8000/00 kbit/s, card readers, headset... shin rameon, yukesan.. jungfrau coupon" Dong Shin" system.

[edit] Cope

* Traveller service, Hauptstrasse 19 Matten. Take bus no 5 to Hotel Sonne and walk back to Interlaken for 1 minute until you see 3 flags of Funrental on the road.

Check yor e-mail while you use the new washing machine and dryer. Enjoy freh and healthy Thai Food. Book all you activities rent bikes scooter quads funcar and motorcycle for the best price and quality in town.

* Internet Laundry, CH 3800 Interlaken Marktgasse 45/ beside Post Laundry for 2 Euro; per load, * Internet 15 minutes free, * Bicycle rental > 10 EURO Day, * Scooter rental > 20 EURO / DAY.

[edit] Get out

Trains up into the Jungfrau region leave from Interlaken East station. Nearby destinations include:

* Gimmelwald * Lauterbrunnen * Grindelwald * Wengen * Murren * Spiez * Thunersee * Brienz