Interlaken and Grindelwald in 3 Days
Updated: Sep 8
🤩 My reflection
This part of Switzerland was the one I loved the most! I cannot define myself as a big nature person, but it was honestly amazing. I don’t know how to describe the serene green views; it was kind of like a scene from the Heidi cartoon (no wonder her village is in Switzerland!). Everything looked so peaceful and beautiful, especially with the mountains in the background. I also never thought that I would enjoy hiking and being in the mountains this much. Though I only walked for about three hours, so maybe it can still be called walking rather than hiking😊 I would definitely recommend visiting Grindelwald and Interlaken. Even if you’re not a big nature person like me, I think it’s impossible not to enjoy the views and the peaceful atmosphere.
✍🏻 Itinerary
Day 1: Interlaken
Morning:
Harder Kulm - A viewpoint above Interlaken, reached by funicular, with views over Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and the surrounding mountains. There’s also a restaurant at the top, and when we visited, people were playing a local Swiss instrument, which was really interesting.
Afternoon (city visit)
Aare River - I definitely recommend walking from the Harder Kulm exit along the river towards Unterseen. The views are gorgeous, with people picnicking by the lake, swimming in the water...
Unterseen Old Town – A small historic town right next to Interlaken, with Marktplatz as its main square. It was rather late and everything was closed when we were there, but it was still cute.
Höheweg - The main street with hotels, shops and restaurants.
Höhematte Park - The big open park in the centre, famous for its Jungfrau views and paragliders landing here. If there are no paragliders, though, there isn’t much to see.
Interlaken Monastery & Castle - Historic former monastery complex in the centre of town.
Japanese Garden - A very tiny Japanese-style garden next to the monastery.
Things to do around Interlaken by car
St. Beatus Caves - A unique cave system above Lake Thun, with underground passages and waterfalls. It is said to have inspired Tolkien’s Rivendell, although the Lord of the Rings movies were not filmed here.
Lake Thun & the lakeside villages - A deep blue lake surrounded by mountains, with small villages, lakeside promenades and viewpoints along the shore.
Lake Brienz & Brienz - A turquoise lake surrounded by mountains, with Brienz being a small lakeside village known for its traditional wooden houses.
Outdoor activities - Interlaken is also a great place for activities like paragliding, kayaking and canyoning if you’re looking for something more active.
Day 2: Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald
We got our car in Interlaken and drove to Lauterbrunnen, which takes around 20–30 minutes.
First Stop: Lauterbrunnen
Staubbach Falls - One of the most famous waterfalls in Switzerland, dropping around 300 metres from the cliffs above Lauterbrunnen. It’s really nice to look at from the village and makes the whole valley feel very special. But honestly, I don’t think it’s worth waiting in line to walk up to it. The line was quite long, and you can’t even properly get behind the waterfall once you’re up there.
Coffee break in the town
Second Stop: Grindelwald
Firstbahn - The gondola that takes you from Grindelwald village up to First, a mountain area with several activities and viewpoints. You can do things like the First Cliff Walk and First Flyer here. We bought our tickets earlier, but it didn’t really benefit us, as people were buying tickets from the machines there and getting into the same line anyway.
Pfingstegg - A mountain area just above Grindelwald with different activities. We mainly went for the Toboggan Run, a mountain sled ride where you sit in a small sled and slide down a metal track. It was rather slower than I expected, but still fun. Since going up is not cheap, I’m not sure if it’s worth the price, but we had fun.
Evening: Fondue dinner at Hotel Belvedere Grindelwald - Book in advance. It has a very aesthetic vibe and is a nice activity but quite expensive, with basically just fondue, potatoes and bread. The gondola windows are small, so there aren’t big views from inside, although the hotel terrace has a gorgeous view.
Day 3: Hiking and Top of Europe
Hiking – We had never done any proper hiking in our lives, but we thought, “When in Switzerland…” so we decided to give it a try and picked a relatively easy route.
Männlichen Cable Car - We took the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Männlichen.
Royal Walk - We did the short Royal Walk at the top of Männlichen, which has nice views over the surrounding mountains.
Panaroma Trail - Our plan was to continue with the Panorama Trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, which takes around 2–3 hours. Unfortunately, the trail was still closed when we visited. We had checked the advertised opening date but didn’t check the actual trail conditions before going, so this is definitely something to check in advance.
If closed, try alternative routes.
Holenstein → Brandegg - Since we couldn’t do the Panorama Trail, we went down to Holenstein and decided to do Trail No. 32 from Holenstein to Brandegg instead. It took us around 1.5–2 hours. We were also a bit short on time because we had a fixed time for our Jungfraujoch ticket, so this worked better for us. (Otherwise we were going to do No 31).
Brandegg → Kleine Scheidegg - From Brandegg, we took the train to Kleine Scheidegg and continued towards Jungfraujoch.
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe - From Kleine Scheidegg, we took the Jungfrau Railway up to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 metres. There are quite a few things to see and do up there:
Alpine Sensation
Sphinx Observatory – The main viewing platform overlooking the surrounding Alps.
Ice Palace – An ice tunnel with ice sculptures inside the glacier.
Glacier Plateau – The outdoor viewpoint where you can actually step outside into the snow.
Snow Fun Park – Seasonal activities in the snow.
Aletsch Glacier – You can see the Aletsch Glacier from the outdoor viewpoints.
Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven (shop)
Dining & Shopping
Jungfrau Eiger Walk - On the way back, we got off from train at Eigergletscher and walked from there to Kleine Scheidegg. This was another beautiful walk, and it was nice to finish the day with some walking instead of taking the train all the way down.
💡 Check the trail conditions before you go: We learned this the hard way! Some mountain trails can still be closed even when the official opening date has arrived, depending on snow and conditions. Check the current trail status before planning your route.
Evening: If you’re staying at Hotel Belvedere Grindelwald like we did, make sure to leave some time to enjoy the hotel. We chilled on the terrace with the gorgeous mountain views and tried the spa. The outdoor hot pool was honestly amazing after a long day of walking.
Bonus: GoldenPass Express Train to Montreux
Once you’re done in Interlaken and want to continue into Montreux and Lake Geneva region, the GoldenPass Express is a nice option to make the journey part of the experience. It runs directly from Interlaken to Montreux, so you can enjoy some scenic views along the way without changing trains. We have mixed feelings about it though. Some parts were indeed super nice, but a lot of the journey was simply fields, greenery and trees. You can get similar scenery on other trains as well, so I wouldn’t say the GoldenPass Express is a must-do solely for the views. But if you’re already travelling this route, it’s still a nice way to make the journey more enjoyable.
📢 Essential tips
What's the best time to visit Interlaken or Grindelwald?
I’d say May to September is the best time if you want to enjoy the mountains, hiking trails and outdoor activities. We visited at the end of May, and the weather was really nice, although some higher-altitude hiking trails were still closed because of snow. So if hiking is a big part of your plan, I’d probably go a little later.
How to get around in Interlaken?
Interlaken is small and very easy to explore on foot. Most of the main sights are within walking distance, and there are also buses if you don’t feel like walking. For places further away, like Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald, you can easily take the train or rent a car. But if you want to explore nearby places and do activities around the area, having a car can be really useful.
How to get around in Grindelwald?
Grindelwald is also pretty small, so you can walk around the village easily. For the mountain attractions, you’ll need to use the cable cars or trains, depending on where you’re going.
How many days do I need in Interlaken?
If you’re mainly visiting the city centre and Harder Kulm, like we did, 1 day is enough. But if you also want to explore nearby places and do activities around Lake Thun, Lake Brienz or Lauterbrunnen, I’d extend it to 2 days.
How many days do I need in Grindelwald?
We spent 2 days in Grindelwald, which was enough for us to see the main sights and do a few activities. I’d recommend 2–3 days, but it really depends on what you want to do. If you’re planning to do more hiking and explore different mountain areas, you can easily spend longer here.
How many hours do I need in Lauterbrunnen?
If you just want to see the village and Staubbach Falls, 2–3 hours should be enough. We stopped for coffee, explored the village and visited the waterfall before continuing to Grindelwald. If you want to do one of the longer hikes or visit more waterfalls, you’ll obviously need more time.
Where to go next?
If you’re doing our route in reverse, you can go from Interlaken to Montreux with the GoldenPass Express, which is a nice way to continue the trip. Otherwise, Bern is around 1 hour away, while Lucerne is around 1.5 hours and Basel or Zurich are around 2 hours by train. So you have quite a few good options depending on where you want to go next.
What are the famous train routes in Switzerland?
GoldenPass Express – Runs between Interlaken and Montreux and takes around 3 hours 15 minutes. It passes through the beautiful countryside and is one of the most popular scenic train routes in Switzerland.
GoldenPass Belle Époque – A nostalgic Belle Époque style train running between Montreux and Zweisimmen, taking around 2 hours.
GoldenPass Panoramic – Runs between Montreux and Zweisimmen with large panoramic windows.
Bernina Express – Runs between St. Moritz and Tirano (Italy), taking around 4 hours. It crosses the famous Landwasser Viaduct and Bernina Pass and is one of the most scenic train journeys in Switzerland.
Glacier Express – Runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz and takes around 8 hours. It crosses the Swiss Alps and is often called one of the most famous scenic train journeys in the world.
Do I need a visa to visit Switzerland?
Switzerland is not part of the European Union, but it is part of the Schengen Area. This means that if you already have a valid Schengen visa, you should be able to use it to enter Switzerland. Always double check your individual case though, as visa requirements can vary depending on your nationality and circumstances.
What is the currency in Switzerland?
The currency is Swiss Franc (CHF). Switzerland is not part of the EU, so they don't use the euro. You can pay by card almost everywhere.
🔗 All travel links
Accommodation:
Accommodation in Interlaken (very central and clean hotel) - You can book here
Accommodation in Grindelwald (one of the fanciest hotels in the town) - You can book here
Activities:
Harder Kulm tickets - You can buy here
Grindelwald First tickets - You can buy here
Jungfraujoch tickets - You can buy here
Gondola fondue dinner - You can reserve here
Hiking trails and status - You can check from here
Car Rental:
Car booking from Interlaken (we booked from Europcar) - You can book here
Travel Discount Cards:
If you’re taking lots of trains (like InterCity or GoldenPass Express) and booking several attractions (like the Chocolate Train, Jungfraujoch, Harder Kulm and First), it can sometimes be more advantageous to buy a discount card. The cards are not cheap, but considering how expensive these attractions are, they can pay off. We bought the Half Fare Card and paid half price for all the attractions I mentioned. - You can book here
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