From Interlaken Ost, a train leaves every half hour for Lauterbrunnen (22 minutes) and for Grindelwald (36 minutes). Boats leave from the Interlaken Ost landing, and a short walk away, a funicular climbs the mountain behind the town. Interlaken sits on the strip of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and that's what to use it for: a base with four ways out.
Up: Harder Kulm
Harder Kulm, at 1,322 m (4,337 ft), is Interlaken's own mountain. From the Zwei-Seen-Steg platform beside the panorama restaurant you look down on both lakes and across to the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The Harderbahn funicular gets you there in about 17 minutes from Interlaken Ost, including the walk to the valley station, and runs from April to the end of November.
To walk up instead, the signed mountain trail from Interlaken Ost is 4.1 km (2.5 mi) with 758 m (2,487 ft) of ascent, through the Bleikiwald in many hairpins, some of them very steep. You can walk back the same way or ride the funicular down. Our Harder Kulm guide has the route.
East of Harder Kulm, a path continues along the Hardergrat to the Augstmatthorn. Interlaken Tourism rates that hike difficult, says mountain experience and the right gear are a must, and advises against it after prolonged rain.
South: Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and the Jungfraujoch
The Bernese Oberland Railway splits at Zweilütschinen. One branch goes to Lauterbrunnen (22 minutes), the valley of waterfalls; the other to Grindelwald (36 minutes). For the Jungfraujoch, take the Grindelwald train to Grindelwald Terminal and the Eiger Express up; the whole trip from Interlaken Ost takes about 1 hour 40 minutes.
From either valley, the walks start at the station. The Via Alpina stage from Grindelwald over Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen links both (Via Alpina guide), and the Eiger Trail runs along the foot of the North Face.
Up the other side: Schynige Platte
From Wilderswil, on the line from Interlaken Ost toward Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, a rack railway climbs to Schynige Platte, at 1,967 m (6,453 ft), in about 52 minutes; from Interlaken Ost the whole trip takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. At the top are the Botanical Alpine Garden and the platform at the mountain hotel, looking across to the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau and down to Lake Thun. The railway runs only from late spring to the end of October, so check this year's dates on jungfrau.ch.
Out on the lakes
BLS boats leave Interlaken for both lakes. On Lake Brienz they run from early April to early December; in winter the lake is lowered and there's no service. The boat to Giessbach takes about 1 hour 15 minutes; from the landing there, a funicular climbs to the hotel above the falls. Lake Thun has boats all year, on a reduced timetable in winter. A Swiss GA travelcard and the Half Fare card are both valid on the BLS boats.
Getting there
Trains from Bern take about an hour. During construction works the last stretch, from Interlaken West to Interlaken Ost, can be a replacement bus, so check the SBB timetable for your day. Lake Thun boats leave from Interlaken West; the mountain trains and Lake Brienz boats leave from Interlaken Ost.
The town itself is mostly a place to sleep between trips; the trains and boats are what make it worth staying. Book your room near Interlaken Ost if the mountains are the plan.
Last checked: October 2026