Tourist Information about Switzerland

INTERLAKEN isn't much more than its long main street, Höheweg, with a train station at each end. It has little to amuse the trippers passing through on their way to the mountains, save the cafés and hotel bars lining this main drag. The town lies on a neck of land between two of Switzerland's most attractive lakes, and the best way to arrive is by boat.
Interlaken Ost is the terminus of mainline trains and the departure point for branch lines into the mountains; boats also dock here from Brienz, on the Luzern rail line.
Trains from the Bern/Zürich direction pass first through Interlaken West (docking point for boats from Thun), and this station is nearer to the tourist officem which sits beneath the town's tallest building at Höheweg 37 (Mon–Fri 8am–6/6.30pm, Sat 8/9am–noon; July–Sept Sat until 5pm, Sun 10am–noon & 4–6pm; tel 033 826 53 00, www.interlakentourism.ch).

Things to do:
Interlaken is a hub for adventure sports:
Alpin Raft (tel 033 823 41 00, www.alpinraft.ch) is the local leader, with loads of daily activities from skydiving to horse trekking.

Accommodation fills up quickly in the summer and winter high seasons; there are hotel lists and courtesy phones at both stations. The HI hostel is 2km east (bus #1), at Aareweg 21 in Bönigen (tel 033 822 43 53, www.youthhostel.ch; dorms Fr.28, rooms £30–40/$48–64 [€44–58]);
you'd do better joining the backpacker crowd at the excellent SB Balmer's Herberge, fifteen minutes south of town at Hauptstr. 23, Matten (tel 033 822 19 61, www.balmers.com; dorms Fr.22, rooms £20–30/$32–48 [€29–44]).

There are quieter places in town, pick of which is the excellent SB Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof, Alpenstr. 16 (tel 033 826 71 71;
dorms Fr.29, rooms £30–40/$48–64 [€44–58]).

SB Happy Inn, Rosenstr. 17 (tel 033 822 32 25, ;£30–40/$48–64 [€44–58]), is a backup option.

The nearest campsite is Sackgut behind Ost station (tel 033 822 44 34, ; May–Oct).

For budget food, Migros opposite West station has self-service staples (closed Sun); PizPaz on Centralstr. does pizza, pasta and fish dishes (closed Mon);
El Azteca, Jungfraustr. 30, has Mexican set-meals from Fr.14.
Café Runft opposite West station is a tearoom, snackerie and bar open until 3am;

Entertainment: Positiv Einfach, Centralstr. 11, is a hip music bar; and Balmer's hostel has cheap beer.

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