With its endless mountain views, hiking options, adventure activities and plenty of gorgeous picnic spots, Interlaken really is a solo traveler’s dream destination.
Not only are there a ton of things to do in Interlaken itself, but with its perfectly positioned location, it is just the excellent base for exploring other picturesque places in Switzerland’s Jungfrau and Bernese Oberland regions.
You might be surprised to know that even though Interlaken has a population of only about 5,000 people, it’s the largest town in the Jungfrau area. So you can imagine how tiny and peaceful the other places are because, YES my friend! the other villages are way, way smaller 😀
Without further ado, here are the 4 most wonderful day trips to take from Interlaken.
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Spiez
Just outside the Jungfrau area, in the Bernese Oberland region is the magnificent town of Spiez. Located right on the coast of the enormous lake Thun, this place is unimaginable to miss.
If you are heading to Interlaken from Bern or Thun, hop off the train at Spiez and give yourself at least a few hours to walk around.
Funnily, I only got here by chance. The direct train from Bern to Interlaken wasn’t running when I was visiting so I had to change at Spiez. As I walked out of the station I could only see the main road. I immediately thought there wasn’t anything exciting about this place until I crossed the main road and saw these views.
This absolutely left me speechless.
I couldn’t resist so I headed down to the harbor. Once you get to the lake, you’ll see a beautiful view of mount Niesen which according to a lovely local lady that I met, is arguably the best mountain in Switzerland. Take it with a pinch of salt, or not, but if you have the time, go up to the 2,362 meters of Niesen mountain and find out for yourself.
Spiez is the perfect place to just have a drink, relax by the lake and just admire the views.
But make sure to walk around town first before heading down to the harbor. The views are so incredible and so many that they change the second you shift your angle.
The one thing that really sets Spiez apart from the other places I visited in Switzerland, was that it was actually full of life.
Kids were running around in their sports gear, rushing to get to classes. Couples were strolling along the marina, others were filling up the cafes and restaurants. Unlike any other tiny place I’ve been to in Switzerland, this town felt buzzing and happy!
Here is a list of the main things you can do in Spiez:
Climb Niesen Mountain
Or
Take the funicular from Mülenen right to the summit
First, you’ll need to get to Mülenen though but it’s easy, just hop on bus number 66 or 210. Check here to see the most up to date funicular price.
Visit Spiez Castle
Lying directly on the shore of Lake Thun, this 1,000 year-old castle is the most iconic building in Spiez. If you’re curious you can go up to the castle tower where you can get majestic views over Niesen mountain, the lake and the castle ground comprising of a fairy Romanesque church and a beautiful flower park.
Entrance fee: Adults 10 CHF. Opening hours available here .
Explore Oberhofen
Just across the lake is the picturesque village of Oberhofen. Like most villages in the region, it is so tiny that you probably won’t need more than a couple of hours to walk about everywhere but for the views, it’s totally worth it.
Take a boat tour on Lake Thun
Unless you take a boat tour to Oberhofen, you’ll totally miss out on my favorite part of the trip to Spiez, i.e. getting on a boat and indulging on the views from the lake into the shore.
If you’re heading towards Interlaken, you can even take a boat directly to Interlaken West. Depending on which boat you take, it can take about an hour but for the relaxation and the views, it’s totally worth it!
Grindelwald
As I was heading to Grindelwald I really didn’t know what to expect.
I had seen photos of the place but they somehow didn’t quite give me a real feel for the village. So when I got there, I was surprised!
You must have seen photos from Switzerland with tall snow-capped mountains, green fields from top to bottom and cute wooden chalets nestled in the middle of the valley, with no roads or crowds around.
This is exactly what Grindelwald looks and feels like!
When I got to the station, I headed down towards the meadows. I wanted to get to the heart of Grindelwald and see the views from the bottom of the valley.
It was a pretty hot April day and unlike Spiez, Grindelwald was quite.
So quite that once I headed down the valley I only saw a couple of people and these little guys (in the photo below) who were grazing in the middle of their gated home.
I felt like if I wanted to do anything wild, now was the time because there’s literally no one who could see me 😀 .
Being able to enjoy this place just on my own was incredible.
It felt like the perfect place to run away from everything and everyone. All that I could hear was the buzzing of the flies and the water hitting against the river banks.
But if you’re lucky to visit after the second half of May (or in the winter), you can get your fair share of adrenaline as you slide down Europe’s longest 15km toboggan ride, from Faulhorn via Bussalp to Grindelwald, aka the Big Pintenfritz.
Here’s my quick list of the best things to do in Grindelwald
Get on the gondola to mount Schwarzhorn
Or
Hike up to the First Cliff Walk
The First Cliff Walk is a viewing platform on the so-called First summit trail which is the place you can get on the trail to Distelboden. This trail would eventually lead you to the Schwarzhorn summit if you decide to hike all the way to the top. The hike to the First takes about 3 hours but if you think that’s the adventurous part, you’re wrong 😀
Why?
Well, let’s just say that the First Cliff walk terrace hangs some 45 meters out into the void. The rest, you can imagine 😀
Get your blood pumping by going on the First Flyer
If you’re hoping to get your adrenaline up like crazy, you’ll love this one! The First Flyer is an 800-meter long zip-line that gets you flying at 84 km/h at 50 meters above the Alpine meadows from First to Schreckfeld. It definitely is something you’ll remember for a long time but as with everything in Switzerland, it comes at a pretty steep price.
For more information and pricing check here.
Hike on the Eiger Trail
If you’re gonna go all the way to Grindelwald, you gotta hike! And what a better trail to get on than the 6km Eiger path. Just get on the train to Eigergletscher and trek for a couple of hours until you reach Alpiglen Station.
Lauterbrunnen
Aah, Lauterbrunnen!
Without a single drop of doubt, this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in my life.
What really makes Lauterbrunnen so out-of-this-planet is the perfect combination of green fields, majestic waterfalls, adorable wooden houses, mindblowing number of tulips and tall rocky cliffs soaring above the valley.
It’s not until I walked around this entire village, that I really appreciated how wonderful it truly is.
There’s only one main street in Lauterbrunnen and if you stroll along it and continue on your journey, that is simply not enough. You need to get lost in between the gorgeous houses and take as many of its narrow up-the-hill alleyways as you can, to really discover what it’s truly like to be in Lauterbrunnen.
The rustling of the river Luetschine passing through the meadows and the crispy sound of the Staubback fall create such a soothing, almost hypnotizing atmosphere, that it leaves you totally transported in your search for the other 71 streams descending from the mountains.
Every path you take, you smell the tulips and the grass freshly moistened by the drops of water flying across the village on a breezy day.
The reality is that until you visit Lauterbrunnen, it’s hard to even imagine what’s like to be at the bottom of a valley of roaring falls and endless meadows.
Mürren
The one place that truly caught me by surprise was Mürren.
Just like Spiez, I had hardly heard of Mürren until I had to go passed it on my way to Schilthorn. At 1,638 meters above sea level, I really didn’t expect to find that in the middle of the mountains, away from any public road, there is a village.
Not only that but the last inhabited village home to 450 people lucky enough to call Mürren their home.
When I got off the train in Mürren, I took a few steps and paused for a few moments.
It sounds crazy and a bit way over the top enthusiastic but I was excited!
I really couldn’t believe that people are living here and a place like this actually existed. It was such a wonderful sunny day and at this altitude, it just felt so nice to just stand here and look at the horizon.
All that I could see were the white mountain tops of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau and dark green forest of pine trees just beneath the village.
For the first time, I really felt what it was truly like to be in the Swiss Alps and the feeling was just incredible.
The fresh air, the smiley skiers rushing for the cable car to get to Schilthorn and slide down, the charming cafes and independent shops waiting for their first customers. It is such a special place that I truly hope you won’t skip when your visit!
The main thing to do in Mürren, of course, is to get to Schilthorn to go skiing, snowboarding, paragliding or just to relax.
Also read: Your Must-read Guide to going up to mount Schilthorn
Bonus: Wengen
Wengen is a fine mixture of Grindelwald’s rocky snow-capped mountains and fancy timber chalets and Lauterbrunnen’s green fields and waterfalls falling down the vertical rocky cliffs.
At an altitude of 1,274m and just 400 meters above Lauterbrunnen, you can reach Wengen after a short 15 min train ride.
Although Interlaken is the unofficial adventure capital of the region, Wengen also offers plenty of opportunities to bring some heart-pounding activities into your trip, such as paragliding, river rafting or canyoning. If you’ve got the time and the budget, you might find yourself spending quite a bit of time in this Alpine village.
How to get to these places
Switzerland is beautiful! No one would disagree. But getting around in any other way but the train is hard. And I mean, really hard.
So the best way to get to all these places is by hopping on the punctual, super comfortable, ultra-fast 😄 Swiss trains.
Buying individual train tickets will eat up your budget real fast though, so I highly recommend getting a Swiss Travel Pass. A 3-day pass costs 225 CHF and I know, that’s madly expensive but believe it or not, it will save you a ton of money.
It basically gives you access to pretty much the entire public transport network in the whole country including a free entry at 500 museums and a decent discount for a number of cable cars.
For more information on the travel pass, check out their website here.
Where to stay
Accommodation in Interlaken can be defined by one single word “expensive”. So unless you’re in for a romantic getaway, you’d be crazy not to book yourself into a nice well-priced dorm.
The standard in Interlaken is high so even dorms are actually pretty good. In fact, I stayed at a lovely place called Alplodge which is a hotel right on the lake, which has a few dorm rooms for solo travelers. I can’t recommend this place enough! For 25 EUR a night I shared a room with a lovely girl and had a view over the lake, no kidding!
But if you’d like a little treat, you can browse through the best places to stay on Booking.com. You if you want something even more special, you can also check out Airbnb.
How much per day to budget
I’m not gonna sugar coat it! You’ll need a minimum daily budget of 50-60CHF. And this is excluding transport because the assumption is that you will pay for it a few days before your trip. For a detailed breakdown of this budget, have a quick read of the Budget section of this post.
I hope I’ve given you inspiration not just for one but five day trips to take from Interlaken. This Alpine region has so much beauty that it’d be crazy for you to get there and not explore it properly. So get out there and be adventurous!
Looking for more articles on Switzerland?
- 8 Best things to do in Interlaken for a guaranteed awesome time
- The Best places to see in Switzerland in 3 days
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Hello. remarkable job. I did not expect this. This is a splendid story. Thanks!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’m so happy you loved the post. I hope I’ve inspired you to visit these places because honestly they’ve been some of the best I’ve discovered this year. The tranquility, charm and pure uniqueness of these villages are just impossible to compare with any other place I’ve been to! Aaargh, Switzerland! It might be expensive but every penny spent there is totally worth it 🙂