Interlaken in 5 days
Set between two turquoise lakes at 570 metres, Interlaken is the gateway to the Bernese Oberland and the Jungfrau region. In the middle of town, the Höhematte meadow has been kept free of buildings since the 19th century and takes the paragliders drifting down from Beatenberg every day.

The plan, day by day
Day 1
- All day
Jungfraujocha full dayEurope's highest railway station at 3,454 metres, reached by a tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch, with the Sphinx terrace above the Aletsch Glacier.
Day 2
- Morning
Trümmelbach Fallsabout 1 hTen glacier-fed waterfalls inside the mountain, carrying up to 20,000 litres a second in summer, seen from galleries, stairways and walkways.
- Afternoon
Lauterbrunnen and the Staubbach Fallsfree · about 2 hA glacial valley walled by 400-metre cliffs and 72 waterfalls, including the Staubbach, a 297-metre free fall half blown into mist by the wind.
Day 3
- Morning
Schynige Plattehalf a dayA cog railway with wooden carriages, running since 1893, climbs from Wilderswil to 1,967 metres and an alpine garden of about 650 mountain plants.
- Late afternoon
Paragliding over Interlakenabout 1 hA flight of ten to twenty minutes from Beatenberg, above the town squeezed between its two lakes, landing on the Höhematte meadow in the centre.
Day 4
- Morning
Höhematte and Höhewegfree · about 1 hFourteen hectares of meadow in the town centre, bought by citizens and hoteliers to keep it unbuilt, so the view of the Jungfrau stays clear.
- Afternoon
Harder Kulmabout 2 hA funicular opened in 1908 climbs to 1,322 metres in ten minutes, to a platform over the valley facing the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
Day 5
- Morning
Lake Brienz and Iseltwaldfree · half a dayA 14 km lake turned milky turquoise by glacial silt; Iseltwald, on its south shore, has a jetty made famous by a 2019 Korean drama.
Where to sleep in Interlaken
- Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof · €55 a night
- Hotel Alphorn · €140 a night
- Happy Inn Lodge · €100 a night
- Hotel Krebs · €140 a night
- Hotel Artos · €210 a night
- Hotel Chalet Swiss · €170 a night
- Hotel Metropole · €260 a night
- Hotel Stella · €270 a night
- Hey Hotel · €240 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.