Best Things to do on a Day Trip to Interlaken, Switzerland
Should you plan a day trip to Interlaken, Switzerland? The answer is ABSOLUTELY.
When we visited Zurich, Switzerland — we took a day trip from Zurich to Interlaken. We got to Interlaken from Zurich by taking a train, it took about 2.5 hours and we were able to book a roundtrip ticket which made the day trip easy. We easily bought these tickets at the Zurich Hauptbahnhof also known as Zurich HB train station.
Harder Kulm
Go see the top of Interlaken at Harder Kulm. You get views of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. There are a couple of ways to get to Harder Kulm, you can get there by hiking or you can take a funicular.
We booked a ticket to take the funicular to the top which was an awesome experience all on its own, I would’ve booked the ticket just for the ride because it was that beautiful. If taking the funicular, you will have a small walk up to get the best view at Harder Kulm but it’s not far. We booked our ticket in person but you can book it ahead of time online, here’s a good place to do that.
The price to get to Harder Kulm is about USD 18 for the round trip ride on the funicular if thats’ the option you choose (if so, get the front seat if can)!
Once you get to the top, there is a restaurant where you can get food and a look point as well. I personally could not think of a better place to sit and have a drink, it was the perfect afternoon trip. I can imagine it would be even better at sunset. This was one of my favorite things we did in Switzerland, so certainly one of the best things to do in Interlaken!
You can take a quick walk from the Interlaken-Ost railway station to the station to book your ticket for Harder Kulm.
2. Lay in Park Höhematte, have a picnic
If you are looking for free things to do in Interlaken (because let’s face it, Switzerland is expensive) there is a beautiful park right by the city that has great views of the Swiss Alps. We laid in the park for a long time and just soaked in all the views and watched the paragliders land. There are constantly people falling from the skies in Interlaken (see below), so it really is a great place to sit and watch the excitement of people when they land.
I also think it would be a great place to have a picnic and enjoy the beautiful mountain range view. Plus, food in Switzerland is very expensive so if you stop at a store to have your picnic you could even save some money on a meal but still have a pretty epic view!
3. Adrenaline Activities
Switzerland is one of the greatest destinations for adrenaline junkies and there are so many options. I honestly wish that we would have spent more than just a day in Interlaken to be able to experience more than we did.
Some of the things to do include: tons of paragliding, skydiving, white water rafting, canyoning, bungee jumping, canyon swings, and more. Depending on the season there are different activities, so you should look up what is available when you go.
When I was there, there were TONS of paragliders — it seems to be the most popular activity to do. I personally went tandem skydiving from a helicopter with Skydive Interlaken, you can read more about my skydiving adventure here! It was easily one of the top experiences of my entire life. I cannot imagine skydiving in a more beautiful place. Basically, if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush — book a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland.
4. Hiking Trails
I actually didn’t do any of the hiking trails while I was in Interlaken because we just took a day trip from Zurich. I spent the morning going skydiving instead-but someone in our group who was not interested in going skydiving went on a hike instead. She was able to go on a beautiful hike and get nice views of the mountain range.
There are several trails, including Harder Kulm, but make sure you research the difficulty of the trails before you decide what to go on because Interlaken has some pretty intense hiking trails that can be pretty dangerous if you’re not prepared ahead of time. However, I did not get the chance to also do this so I don’t have much advice on the best trails but I do know they look beautiful and my friend loved her morning hiking so it is something to look into if you’re heading to Interlaken!
Interlaken is a stunning place full of adrenaline junkies and nature lovers. It’s a great way to get a break from the city. The views here are epic and not many places can beat the beauty.
