Interlaken & the Jungfrau Region travel info

Eight in the morning at Interlaken Ost. People in hiking boots queue by the red mountain train, and someone checks a summit webcam on their phone and grins: it's clear up there today. Every day here starts with the weather. Sun means the mountains; cloud means the lakes.

Interlaken is a small town squeezed between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. You can walk from Ost station to West station in 25 minutes and that's the town done. But get on a train and in 30–40 minutes you're in Grindelwald under the north face of the Eiger, or in the Lauterbrunnen valley with waterfalls pouring off every cliff, and the Jungfraujoch at 3,454 m is under an hour and forty minutes away. An Interlaken trip is really a trip up and down this whole valley system by train and cable car.

Most visitors fly into Zurich, then it's just over two hours by train. Prices are high and mountain railway fares higher still, so the pass you choose decides your budget; read the transport section first. From 19 October to 11 December 2026 trains between Interlaken West and Ost are replaced by buses, and from late October into November the mountain lifts take turns closing for maintenance.

Zurich Airport (ZRH)

• SBB train (direct or change at Bern): 2h13–2h25 to Interlaken Ost · Roughly CHF 75–80 one way in 2nd class at full fare (secondary sources; check the SBB app). Free with a Swiss Travel Pass, half price with a Half Fare Card, and fixed-train Saver tickets can be cheaper
• Via Lucerne on the Luzern–Interlaken Express: About 1 hour airport–Lucerne, then 1h48 nonstop-ish to Interlaken Ost · SBB fares per leg (check the app). Free with a Swiss Travel Pass, half price with a Half Fare Card

Geneva Airport (GVA)

• SBB train (change at Bern): About 3h03–3h20 to Interlaken Ost · Check the SBB app (further than from Zurich, so dearer). Free with a Swiss Travel Pass, half price with a Half Fare Card
• Via Montreux on the GoldenPass Express: About 1h10 airport–Montreux, then about 3h16 direct to Interlaken Ost · SBB fares plus a paid GoldenPass Express seat reservation. Fares free with a Swiss Travel Pass; the reservation is extra

• Visa: Visa-free 90/180 days; EES biometrics
• Getting there by air: Fly into Zurich; 2h15 by train
• Time zone: UTC+1 (UTC+2 in summer)
• Currency: Swiss francs; cards fine; pricey
• Paying: Cards fine; always pay in francs
• Power: 230V; Type J sockets, adapter needed
• Language: Swiss German; English widely spoken
• Internet: Check your eSIM covers Switzerland
• Emergencies: 112; police 117; ambulance 144; Rega 1414
• Best time: Mid-June–Sept; winter for skiing