Things to Do in Interlaken in 1 Day, 5 Must-See Places

The tourist capital of the Bernese Alps is chosen by many travelers, as it has a wide range of activities and tourist sites to visit. So today we want to tell you things to do in Interlaken in 1 day.

Interlaken is located approximately one hour from Bern, the capital of Switzerland. And as its name suggests, it is situated between two lakes; Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.

The crystal-clear emerald-colored waters of the lakes, together with the beautiful infrastructure of the city, form one of the typical postcards of Switzerland.

The city of Interlaken has something for everyone. From outdoor sports, to shopping, cultural and entertainment activities.

If you are planning your trip to Switzerland and you don’t know things to do in Interlaken in 1 day, start writing, because below we will share with you a travel itinerary with the best places to visit in the city.

🔝 If you are going to visit Interlaken, you will probably be interested in our article where we will tell you things to do in Switzerland in 4 days.

Things to do in Interlaken in 1 day City tour and map

As we anticipated, below we will tell you what to do in Interlaken and its surroundings in 1 day.

But first you should know that 24 hours may not be enough time to visit all the sites that this beautiful city has to offer.

Therefore, we recommend that you consider the idea of extending your stay, or choose the 3 activities that most appeal to you to make your tour at your leisure and without having to be in a hurry.

Now we leave you with our list of the best places to visit in Interlaken.

1. Admiring the incredible views from Harder Kulm
2. Enjoying a walk in Höhematte
3. Ascend Schynige Platte
4. Boat trip on Lake Brienz
5. Visiting Jungfraujoch, the summit of Europe

🔝 If you are going to visit Switzerland, you will surely be interested to know. things to do in Zurich in 3 days.

Things to do in Interlaken. The 5 places you should not miss

Now that we have shared with you our suggested itinerary to visit Interlaken in 1 day, we are going to tell you every detail about the 5 places you should not miss if you visit the tourist capital of the Bernese Alps.

1) Admiring the incredible views from Harder Kulm

The Harder Kulm is a viewpoint located at 1,322 meters above sea level. It is located in the Bernese Overberland region and offers one of the best panoramic views of Interlaken and Untersee.

You can access this viewpoint by walking for two and a half hours or you can take a funicular from the town of Interlaken, which takes about 8 minutes.

You can even combine these two ways and take the funicular up and then walk down.

From the heights you will be able to appreciate the peaks of the Jungfrau, the Mönch and the Eiger and you will cross 7 bridges and a tunnel. So, if you’re on a budget, I recommend taking at least one funicular ride.

Once you are at the Harder Kulm viewpoint, a few minutes walk from the funicular station, you can find a restaurant with a terrace where you can enjoy a hot drink or a good meal.

At the top, you will also find the Zwei-see-steg, a suspended observation deck offering beautiful views. Not suitable for people with vertigo, as it is a platform that protrudes from the ground and is very high.

Right next to the platform is the path in the forest that leads to the city.

You can choose to walk back, or you can go deeper into the forest to enjoy nature.

Whether walking or by funicular, climbing the Harder Kulm is one of the best things to do in Interlaken.

📌⚠️ This activity is recommended when the day is clear, as the clouds do not let you appreciate the landscape well. On the other hand, keep in mind that on days when it is very crowded you may have to wait a long time to get on the funicular.

📷 Book a one-way or round-trip ticket for the Funicular to the Harder Kulm lookout here.

2) Enjoying a walk in Höhematte

We continue our tour of the best places to visit in Interlaken with Hohematte, a must stop.

Hohematte is a park located in the heart of Interlaken. It has large expanses of grassland from where you can get excellent views of the Alps.

There are also small rest areas with benches to sit on, colorful flowers, stores, restaurants and even shows. In the distance, the Jungfrau mountain can be seen, impassive.

For the adventurous, it is also possible to enjoy a paragliding ride, since this is where those who dare to practice this sport land.

If you go in winter, you will also find an ice skating rink.

Although it is a very busy place for tourists, the space is quite large, so you can enjoy nature and spend a moment of relaxation and rest.

📷 Are you up for some adventure tourism in Interlaken? In addition to the Paragliding flight 20-minute flight over the Swiss Alps, with instructor and safety equipment, you have to do: canyoning (rappel), Bungee Jumping, Parachute Jumping, Rafting and Tandem Rafting. See all the adventure tourism options here.

3) Climbing Schynige Platte

Third on our list of must-see places to see in Interlaken in 1 day is Schynige Platte, a mountain ridge located in the Bernese Alps.

In order to get there, you will have to take the old cog railway from Wilderswil.

It will take about 50 minutes and will give you an enchanting panoramic view of the Alps and the blue waters of Lake Brienz.

At the end of the cogwheel train ride, you will find yourself at the Schynige Platte station, at an altitude of 2,076 meters.

There you will see a typical Swiss restaurant with a beautiful terrace where you can sit and have a drink and a snack while enjoying the scenery of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.

At the foot of the railroad tracks, you will find a charming alpine botanical garden with more than 600 varieties of flowers, including the famous“Alpine Violet” or“Snow Flower” with its beautiful violet color.

If you like walking, you can also take a stroll along its circular paths where you will find a variety of flowers and panoramic views of the Thun and Brienz lakes.

📷 Buy here your round-trip ticket to visit Schynige Platte by cogwheel train from Wilderswill (Interlaken).

4) Boat ride on Lake Brienz

Before going to the outskirts of the city to visit Jungfraujoch, we have one last activity to do in Interlaken; take a boat ride on the blue waters of Lake Brienz.

As mentioned in the introduction to this article, Lake Brienz is one of the two lakes surrounding the town of Interlaken.

Navigating this lake will give you the chance to enjoy a unique view of green mountains that contrast with the turquoise color of the water.

In addition, during the walk you can visit the Giessbach Falls, spectacular waterfalls that fall directly into the lake.

The boat can be taken from Interlaken or Brienz and will make several stops along the way.

You can buy a ticket that allows you to get on and off the boat as many times as you want for a whole day. This is ideal to get to know every corner surrounding Lake Brienz.

The ticket is quite cheap if you consider Swiss prices, so if you can afford it, this is definitely one of the best things to do in Interlaken.

Book your boat trip on the lakes of Interlaken. You have these options:
📷 Boat trip on Lake Brienz (children from 6 to 16 years have a significant discount and children under 6 years travel free of charge).
📷 Boat trip on the lakes Thun and Brienz (sailing on the two lakes and the same discounts. Option to have lunch on the boat for an additional fee).

5) Visit Jungfraujoch, the summit of Europe.

Jungfraujoch is the highest railway station in Europe and that is why it is known as“The Top of Europe“.

This train station is located at 3,454 meters above sea level, just below the summit of the Jungfrau massif.

Jungfraujoch was built in 1912 and from there a rack railway runs through the Swiss Alps passing through incredible landscapes and crossing through stone tunnels.

Although this station is not located inside the city, it is undoubtedly one of the most interesting places to see near Interlaken.

In order to get to Jungfraujoch you can hire an excursion or do it on your own by taking two trains and a funicular.

In case you want to go on your own, you will have to go to Interlaken Ost station and from there take a train to Grindelwald. This section lasts approximately half an hour.

Once in Grindelwald, you will have to take a 20-minute cable car ride to Eigergletscher and from there make the last stretch by train to Jungfraujoch station (another 30 minutes).

🔝 Thinking about visit the Alps? Check out our article on the best Swiss Alps tours.

Things to do in Jungfraujoch

As already mentioned, Jungfraujoch is one of the most interesting places to see near Interlaken, not only for the beautiful views that can be obtained during the journey to the station, but also for the various activities that can be performed in the place.

Some of its main attractions are the Ice Palace, the Sphinx observatory, the Plateau viewpoint and the Aletsch Glacier.

But without a doubt, the attraction that catches the attention of most tourists is the hike to the Mönch refuge.

It lasts two hours in total (round trip) and from the top of the mountain you can get incredible panoramic views.

🔝 You can also go to Jungfraujoch from Lucerne. If you want to visit this city, here we tell you about things to do in Lucerne in 1 day.

How to visit Jungfraujoch?

You have several options to visit the Summit of Europe.

1. Buy the Jungrau Travel Pass: is a pass that allows you to travel freely between the main cities of the region, such as: Grindelwald, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken, Unterseen and Wengen. It also includes the funicular to Harder Kulm and the train to Schynige Platte. Super complete and a great option if you are going to tour the area!
2. Book an excursion to Jungfraujoch: including transportation, English speaking guide, tickets for the rack railway and the Eiger Express cable car, as well as access to Alpine Sensation, Sphinx observatory, Plateau viewpoint and Ice Palace.
3. Round-trip rack railway ticket plus entrance fees to attractions: do you want to do it all on your own without a guide? Book here your ticket for the one-way rack railway from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch and back, plus tickets to the Jungfraujoch attractions mentioned above.

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Useful travel information for Interlaken

Where to stay in Interlaken?

As the city is small, hotels are concentrated in the downtown area and around the Aare River.

• Metropole Swiss Quality Hotel: a striking accommodation with large windows overlooking the mountains and a panoramic restaurant located on the 18th floor.
• Hotel Central Continental: located in a historic building on the banks of the river. Elegant decoration and a very complete breakfast buffet.

🏨 Find here the best hotels in Interlaken.

Buy your travel insurance and travel safe!

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Now we finish with this article where we tell you things to do in Interlaken in 1 day.

We hope that all this information has been of great help to you and that you can plan your itinerary to visit Interlaken and its surroundings.