Why Interlaken without a car works so well
Interlaken sits at the heart of one of Europe's best public transport networks. Trains run every 30 minutes to most destinations, lake boats connect dozens of villages on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and mountain railways reach Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn, Grindelwald First and many other peaks. For most travellers, a rental car adds cost and parking stress without saving time.
Best car-free day trips from Interlaken
- Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe): Train Interlaken Ost → Lauterbrunnen → Kleine Scheidegg → Jungfraujoch. Fully by rail.
- Lauterbrunnen & Mürren: Train + cable car. Around 1 hour each way.
- Grindelwald First: Train + gondola. About 1 hour each way.
- Schilthorn / Piz Gloria: Train + bus + cable car via Mürren.
- Lake Brienz / Iseltwald / Giessbach Falls: Boat or train along the lake.
- Lake Thun / Spiez / Thun: Boat ride with castle stops.
Tickets and passes
- Single tickets: Best if you only do 1–2 trips.
- Berner Oberland Pass: 3–10 days, free or discounted on most regional transport, mountain railways and boats.
- Swiss Travel Pass: Best if you also travel through other parts of Switzerland.
- Half Fare Card: 50% on most rail tickets — useful for longer stays.
Practical tips
- Trains and boats publish live timetables in the SBB Mobile app.
- Mountain railways start early and end early — check return times before going up.
- Bring offline maps; some valleys have weak mobile coverage.
- Pack layers — temperatures at 3,000 m can be 15–20 °C colder than in Interlaken.