Switzerland · top picks
Best hotels in Interlaken
The highest-rated, best-reviewed places to stay in Interlaken, Switzerland. We surface Expedia properties scoring 8+ out of 10 from real travelers, sorted by review density.
- ✓Only properties scoring 8.0+ in real Interlaken guest reviews
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- ✓Refundable rates labelled per stay — book now, decide later
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What first-timers get wrong in Interlaken
There are two stations and they are not interchangeable: Ost serves every Jungfrau region train and the Lucerne line, West sits nearer most Hoheweg hotels. The Harder Kulm valley station is a separate walk across the Aare bridge from either. Jungfraujoch adds a CHF 10 seat reservation from May to October and refunds nothing when the summit is in cloud.
What's actually worth your time in Interlaken
Interlaken sells access more than sights. Hohematte, the fourteen-hectare meadow townspeople bought in the 1860s specifically to stop it being built on, is where paragliders land all afternoon and it costs nothing to stand and watch. Harder Kulm's funicular and its Two Lakes Bridge platform deliver the Thun-Brienz panorama in ten minutes. Jungfraujoch is the famous ticket and the most weather-dependent money you will spend.
What to eat in Interlaken
Hoheweg menus arrive in six languages and are priced for coach groups. Cross the Aare into Unterseen, where the Untere Gasse and Marktgasse hold the older, cheaper dining rooms serving Bernese platters and Brienz lake fish. Husi Bierhaus does Swiss comfort cooking with local beer. The Migros near Interlaken West is where self-caterers assemble the fondue that hotels charge triple for.
When the weather turns in Interlaken
Bad weather is routine here so the town is built for it: the Kursaal complex, the Bodelibad indoor pool, and the covered shopping strip along Hoheweg. St Beatus Caves above Lake Thun stay dry inside and are reachable by bus or boat. Best of all, cancel Jungfraujoch and take a covered BLS boat across Lake Brienz to Giessbach instead.
What things cost in Interlaken
A Harder Kulm return sits in the high thirties of francs, cut by half for holders of the Bernese Oberland and national rail passes. Tandem paragliding runs CHF 180 to 199 including the landing on Hohematte. Jungfraujoch returns from here land between CHF 230 and 280 before discounts. A main course on Hoheweg is CHF 28 to 40; the same plate in Unterseen is nearer CHF 25.
When to go to Interlaken
| Best months for best-hotels | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| August | 25°C / 77°F | 14 days |
| October | 18°C / 64°F | 14 days |
| September | 21°C / 70°F | 15 days |
The month to avoid is January — around 7°C (45°F) with roughly 15 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: August is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, Rain gear is non-negotiable — expect rain on roughly 14 days, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Interlaken
- Interlaken Ost — Eastern station — gateway to Brienz, Grindelwald, and the Jungfrau trains.
- Interlaken West — Western station + the casino, Höhematte Park, the main hotel strip.
- Unterseen — Old-town side along the Aare — quieter, traditional houses, riverside walks.