Interlaken

Sandwiched into an alpine valley between the two glistening mountain lakes of Thun and Brienz, Interlaken sits in the foothills of the Bernese Oberland. The city is surrounded by the snowy mantles of Harder Kulm, the Eiger and the Jungfrau – arguably Europe’s most beautiful mountain – and makes the perfect base for discovering the awesome natural beauty of the Swiss Alps.
Interlaken is a hotspot for adventures in the high Alps, ski vacations and hiking, with a network of cable cars and chair lifts leading up to more than 200 km (120 miles) of winter ski slopes and scenic hiking trails. In summer tour boats ply the lakes but today the city is primarily famous as a center for extreme sports – think crazy canyoning, abseiling down thunderous waterfalls or paragliding among the snow-capped peaks. 
Thanks to its recent reinvention as a base for hard-core sports, this charming city of cuckoo clocks and cow bells is developing an edgy new scene, with stylish clubs, bars and restaurants springing up all the time. However, it’s still easy to find traditional eateries serving up vast bubbling fondues accompanied by yodeling and performances on the alpenhorn.   
Funiculars head up Harder Kulm to take in vistas of Interlaken from the precipitous Two Lakes Bridge and a 19th-century cogwheel train wheezes up to Schynige Platte for summer walking and cycling routes. And one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys begins in Interlaken, winds up through alpine foothills to Grindelwald and proceeds to Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe. Here at Europe’s highest railway station (3,454 m or 11,330 ft), there are unforgettable panoramas over the Aletsch Glacier as well as the chance to walk through the glacier itself in the subterranean Ice Palace.

Practical Info

Interlaken is 90 minutes from Zurich airport. The Harder Kulm funicular runs mid-April until the end of October, and the single fare is CHF15. Single tickets on the Schynige Platte cogwheel railway are CHF37.40, and it is runs from June to mid-October. The Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe train runs daily 7.15am–5.15pm and a single ticket costs CHF108. All attractions at Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe are open daily 10am–5pm; free admission is included in the price of the train ticket.