My memories and more
There was something about Interlaken that grabbed me on that very first visit. Perhaps the carefree, happy holiday feeling combined with the promise of adventure in the mountains ahead.
My first visit to the Jungfrau region was a repping day trip from Lucerne. The train rattled into Interlaken, and I stepped out into the tourist capital of Switzerland. The town resembled a giant souvenir shop full of holidaymakers stuffing shopping bags full of Swiss pen knives, fondue sets, wooden cows and yodelling furry marmots. But that’s just a by-product of the real reason for visiting Interlaken – the location. The Jungfrau region is packed full of holiday highlights.
The town boasts a riverside setting between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz (hence the name – between lakes – Interlaken). It sits at the foot of the valley, leading to my perfect vision of a mountain playground with endless kilometres of spectacular alpine trails in summer and skiing in winter. It’s also the gateway to the alpine villages of Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren, as well as the waterfall-strewn Lauterbrunnen Valley, the renowned North Face of the Eiger and the James Bond-famed Schilthorn. Not to mention the most famous tourist sight in Switzerland, the Jungfraujoch.
Holiday highlights & contrasts of Interlaken
On that first day trip to Interlaken, a ray of sunshine lit up the distant Jungfraujoch observatory for a few seconds as the clouds parted. Through a gap in the valley, it sat perched on a lofty glacial shelf 3,500 m high, worlds away from the busy town where I stood surrounded by tourists tucking into ice cream sundaes.
Interlaken is full of such contrasts. The unfortunate concrete tower known as the Metropole Hotel is an eyesore. But the view from the top spans a grassy meadow where families picnic in sight of the Jungfrau, the lakes sparkling on either side. A shady riverside pathway leads to the almost rural old town in one direction and the casino in the other. Tranquil paddle steamers glide out onto the lakes for lazy cruising while, up above, daredevil paragliders twirl in the sky like a riotous kaleidoscope of colourful butterflies.
There was something about Interlaken that grabbed me on that very first visit. Perhaps the carefree, happy holiday feeling combined with the promise of adventure in the mountains ahead. The unique blend of holiday highlights offered by the Jungfrau region draws me back again and again. Its beauty never ceases to surprise me, bringing me out in goosebumps when I’m again face-to-face with the mountains I love. I know for a fact that I can’t do it justice in words; I only encourage you to go there and feel it for yourself.
Holiday highlights of the Jungfrau region
Traffic-free alpine villages
Wengen and Mürren sit like ornamental model villages, each on a shelf on either side of the Lauterbrunnen valley. Ancient wooden chalets and gabled hotels sit amongst rolling meadows while meandering pathways lead to small churches with striking steeples.
Lauterbrunnen Valley
A geographer’s dream and an artist’s inspiration. The steep rocky sides of this U-shaped glacial valley are alive with no less than 72 waterfalls. Faint wisps of mist rise from the spray towards mezzanines of meadows while dark forests sweep towards the Jungfrau and icy crest of the Silberhorn.
Grindelwald
The imposing north face of the Eiger looms above the busy village, luring all who dare to scale its sides. Many more arrive to hike, bike, stroll, shop, or simply holiday in its vicinity. Accessed by gondola, the First area of Grindelwald is now known as the Top of Adventure. There’s a variety of adrenaline-fueled zip-line-style gliders, three-wheel mountain carts and Trottibike scooters, not to mention a vertigo-inducing suspended Cliff Walk.
Every summer, Grindelwald hosts the Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB. Read about my experience running the Trail Surprise here and the E35 here.
Skiing in the Jungfrau Region
The Jungfrau region is steeped in skiing history. While Mürren claims to be the birthplace of downhill skiing, Wengen plays annual host to the Lauberhorn World Cup (the longest downhill in the world). The resorts of Grindelwald, Wengen, and Mürren combine to offer 211 km of scenic pistes. When the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau sparkle in fresh snow on a blue sky day, it’s a winter backdrop you must see to believe.
Read more about winter in the Jungfrau Region here.
Hiking in the Jungfrau region
The whole Jungfrau region is a hiker’s paradise. Wherever you stay, you can access walking trails for all abilities. It’s worth considering investing in the Jungfrau Travel Pass, which covers all mountain lifts in the region (excluding Eigergletscher – Jungfraujoch).
Read more in my related posts below –
Top 5 easy hikes in the Jungfrau region here.
Hiking the classic Schynige Platte to First route here.
Hiking the Niederhorn Ridge above Lake Thun here.
Jungfrau Travel Pass here.
Mountain excursions in the Jungfrau region
Mountain-top holiday highlights for non-hikers and non-skiers are plentiful. Cable cars, gondolas, funiculars, and mountain trains whisk everyone to the summits to share the mountain views, cosy mountain restaurants, and sunbathed terraces. Head to Schynige Platte for a colourful display of alpine flowers and free alphorn concerts, or lunch in the Bond movie backdrop of the Schilthorn revolving restaurant.
Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe
Having visited this world-famous glacial paradise several times as a rep, I can confirm it really does deserve to be listed as a standalone highlight. Whether it’s a must-do for you depends on your holiday priorities and if you’ve ever visited anywhere like this before. If not, it’s likely worth the high cost of joining the crowds flocking to the top.
Read more about the Top of Europe here.
Lake cruising in the Jungfrau region
Lake Thun sits to the west of Interlaken and Lake Brienz to the east. Both lakes are beautiful for a day cruise. Highlights include the historic town of Thun with its turreted castle, the woodcarving village of Brienz and the thundering Giessbach waterfalls (Lake Brienz). On both lakes, holders of the Swiss Pass and Jungfrau Travel Pass can cruise around free of charge.
Read more about the Swiss Pass and Jungfrau Travel Pass here.
A few of my favourite things
Below are a few of my personal holiday highlights in the Jungfrau region.
The train journey from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen
As the train rounds a particular corner of the track, whole carriages of noisy tourists fall silent. I’ve heard audible gasps as the Jungfrau and Silberhorn appear through the windows. No photograph can prepare you.
Hiking from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg
As we turn a corner in the relentlessly steep, wide gravel track, even though I’ve been waiting for this moment, I stop dead in my tracks. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are standing there, and they’re even more magnificent than I remembered. At this close distance, they feel alive; as the meltwater gushes within the glaciers, it sounds like they’re breathing. This is the soundtrack to our summer holiday: distant roaring mountains, cowbells clanging, and our footsteps crunching higher and higher. After stopping for a rhubarb strudel at Wengernalp, look out for the ‘honesty fridge’, an actual freestanding vertical fridge perched in the middle of the mountains, full of locally produced Swiss cheese.
The hike to Kleine Scheidegg is just one of my favourite trails in the area. I’ll share many more in future blogs.
Ballenberg, Swiss Open-Air Museum
I can wander around Ballenberg for hours. In my own world, I daydream that my name’s Heidi, and I live in centuries-old Switzerland. This is the closest you’ll get to time travel, and it’s just 3 km from Lake Brienz. The historic buildings have been transported from all corners of Switzerland. Meticulously reconstructed in forest clearings, they’ve been brought back to life as working farms, kitchens, workshops, crafts and gardens. You definitely need to allow a full day out for this one.
Swiss National Day, 1st August
The Swiss National Day Parade through the town is a holiday highlight to remember. The walking display of the best of Switzerland is packed with colourful marching bands, while local groups in traditional dress bounce giant clanging cowbells on their knees, followed by St Bernard dogs, alphorn players and grotesque masked figures that look like giant horned bears.
Guest grumbles
During my two summers as a holiday rep in Interlaken, complaints were few and far between. My holidaymakers were mostly so enamoured by the holiday highlights of the Jungfrau region that they would overlook the touristy parts and put up with the odd day of rain.
It’s too touristy
There’s no escaping the fact that Interlaken is the tourist capital of Switzerland. There are a lot of souvenir shops. There are even more watch shops. And for every traditional Swiss restaurant, half a dozen international restaurants cater for the wide range of nationalities that flock here. If you prefer to avoid the crowds and buying a watch is not a priority, avoid staying in the centre of Interlaken. See my Where to Stay post for more information.
It’s raining!
Well-dressed hikers can enjoy atmospheric lower-level hiking trails and compensate for poor visibility with refreshment stops in cosy huts. Other bad weather options include the train to Bern to stroll the mediaeval, covered promenades full of shops and restaurants. Or the train to Lucerne and a day at the Swiss Museum of Transport.
Gluten-free gems in the Jungfrau region
Ristorante Città Vecchia, Interlaken – Located in the picturesque old town of Interlaken, Unterseen, this is our favourite spot for a gluten-free pizza.
Restaurant Stadthaus, Interlaken – Right across from the Ristorante Città Vecchia, not only do they mark allergens on the menu, but my husband can follow his huge plate of rösti with gluten-free apple fritters.
The Aarburg Hotel & Cafe, Interlaken – Another gem located away from the busiest part of town, this little riverside cafe normally has a delicious gluten-free homemade cake of the day and gluten-free bread available.
Bistro Pistache, Interlaken – A charmingly rustic al fresco cafe between Interlaken Ost train station and the boat pier. They are well informed about gluten-free here, have gluten-free bread available to make up sandwiches and are happy to advise on the gluten-free ice cream flavours.
Hotel Oberland, Lauterbrunnen – We were so surprised to see GF markings on the menu that we treated ourselves to a spontaneous three-course lunch a few years ago.
Read more about our experiences travelling gluten-free in Switzerland here.
Further information on the Jungfrau region
Read my post about winter in the Jungfrau Region here.