Interlaken
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Interlaken is being overrated by so many travel guides and tourist infos. The swiss couchsurfing crew recommends you to pick another plae thats not invaded by the tourists where you can still do all these things. And because its not invaded by so many tourists, things are cheaper!
Here are some hints:
- Canton of Fribourg:
Charmey (hiking), Schwarzsee (hiking, mountain lake, in winter ski), Murten (lake, boating and sun)
- Canton of .... please add more....
However, in low season Interlaken and it's neighbouring towns of Unterseen, Matten, Wilderswil are quite calm and worth a visit.
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How to get there
Interlaken is connected to major railway-networks and motorways and therefor easy to reach. Cities Basel, Zurich and Lausanne are about two hours away, Switzerlands Capital Berne about one hour.
Train
Trains run directly from Basel to Interlaken (via Berne), approx. every 30 minutes. Trains run between Zurich and Bern approx. every 30 minutes with connections for Interlaken in Bern. A two-hour long scenic train ride over the "Brünig" mountain pass connects Interlaken with Lucerne. Trains run approx. every hour.
Car
Motorway A8 connects Bern with Interlaken (Bern is easy to reach by motorway A1 from Zurich or Geneva/Lausanne). The road from Lucerne to Interlaken is scenic, but rather steep and winding.
How to get around
Bus
Interlaken is fairly small, so most of the neighbourhoods can be covered by foot or bike. However, there is a well-working bus-system, that connects Interlaken with nearby villages like Bönigen, Gsteigwiler, Ringgenberg-Goldswil, Wilderswil, Unterseen, Habkern and Beatenberg. All busses stop at both Interlaken railwaystations.
Train
Interlaken is connectet to many wintersport-resorts by train. Trains leave from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen (30 minutes train ride) and Meiringen (40 minutes train ride). Brienz, the wood-carving-capital of Switzerland, can be reached by train in 20 minutes.
Car
Roads are in good condition but can be slippery in winter. For the more mountainous roads good driving skills are required.
Where to eat
Cheap eats
Lord Sandwich
Lord Sandwich on Rosenstrasse (north of Centralplatz) offers a wide variety of hot and cold sandwiches, soups, salads and pastry to go. Prices for sandwiches range from CHF 4.– to CHF 8.–.
Supermarkets
Coop and Migros are the two biggest supermarkets in Interlaken. Coop is next to Interlaken Ost station, Migros close to Interlaken West. Fresh vegetables an fruit as well as frozen prizza are available there.
Mid range restaurants
Restaurant Anker
Anker on Marktgasse serves some tradidional swiss food, a wide variety od asian dishes, vegetarian cusine and interesting fusion meals. The prices are reasonably cheap, the daily special (with soup or salad and a dessert) costs approx. CHF 30.–, a heavy meat dish up to CHF 40.–.
Pizzeria da Rafmi
A typical italian restaurant on Höheweg in the town center, with pizza and pasta on the menue. A pizza there costs about CHF 20.–.
Restaurant National
Restaurant National on Jungfraustrasse serves traditional steak and fries, chicken-dishes and some pasta. Reasonable prices at lunchtime, the daily special costs about CHF 25.–.
Brasserie 17
At Brasserie 17 you will find typical pub-food at reasonable prices: Hamburgers, hot sandwiches, chips, chickenwings, tapas etc. all at about CHF 15.-. Usually thursdays there is live music.
Top end
Benacus
Well knows for food and wine, Benacus in Unterseen (just across the river from Interlaken) is a trendy, urban restaurant. The meals they serve are always of good quality and often differnt ingredients come in unusual combinations - but it's not cheap: The vegetarian dish of the day is about CHF 30.-, non-vegetarian dishes are usually more expensive. Try out their antipasti/tapas and enjoy a glass of the house wine.
Where to go & what to do
Interlaken is surrounded by a beautiful mountain-scenery, but there are not many things to do in the town itself.
Adventure sports
Several organisations offer a lot of different ways of almost killing yourself, prices vary. Here are some weblinks: Alpin Raft Outdoor Interlaken Balmers Herberge & booking office
Snowsports
The towns of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, both about 30 minutes away from Interlaken, are the main ski-resorts in the area, the hills around the three towns are divided into three sections: First, Männlichen and Schilthorn. A one day ski pass for Schilthorn costs CHF 57.-, one for both First and Männlichen costs CHF 57.-, and a two-day pass for all three sections (trainticket from Interlaken is included in that price) costs CHF 123.-. For further Information check out the Website of the Jungfraubahnen.
Watersports
Since Interlaken lies between two lakes, the options for watersports are almost endless. The lake of Brienz is usually a bit colder than the lake of Thun, however, you can swim in both of them. Rowing mostly takes place on Lake Brienz, whereas Lake Thun offers wakeboarding, windsurfing and kitesurfing in the Neuhaus-area.
Other summer activities
There are endless hiking routes in the greater interlaken area. The Jungfraubahnen take you to most of the hikingtrail-startingpoints.
