Safest Neighbourhoods in Interlaken (and Areas to Avoid)
Surrounding area — the Jungfrau region from valley to summit
- Höheweg — the main strip between Interlaken Ost and West, running along the Höhematte park where paragliders land. Hotels, watch shops, the casino, most restaurants. The whole town is walkable in 20 minutes end to end.
- Interlaken Ost vs West stations — Ost is the gateway to Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and Jungfraujoch (most travellers want this side). West is the gateway to Bern, the Lake Thun boats and the Beatenberg paragliding launch. Both are SBB-staffed with luggage storage.
- Lauterbrunnen — the waterfall valley 20 minutes south by train, walled by 72 named waterfalls including the 297 m Staubbach Falls. The launch point for Wengen, Mürren, and the Schilthorn cable car at Stechelberg.
- Wengen and Mürren — car-free alpine villages perched above the Lauterbrunnen cliffs. Wengen sits at 1,274 m on the east side (cog railway from Lauterbrunnen); Mürren sits at 1,638 m on the west side (Stechelberg-Schilthornbahn cable car). Both are calmer overnight bases than Interlaken if you're staying 3+ nights.
- Grindelwald — the Jungfrau base village at 1,034 m, drivable from Interlaken in 30 minutes. The new Eiger Express tricable gondola (opened 2020) cut the time to Jungfraujoch by 47 minutes and made the round trip a comfortable day from Interlaken.
- Jungfraujoch "Top of Europe" — 3,454 m, the highest railway station in Europe, accessed via Kleine Scheidegg (cog railway from Wengen) or Eigergletscher (Eiger Express from Grindelwald Terminal). CHF 240 return; the Ice Palace, the Sphinx observatory, and a snow field. Altitude sickness affects ~10-20% of unacclimatised visitors.
- Schynige Platte — widely held the best Alps panorama in the region, reached by the historic 1893 cog railway from Wilderswil. The Panoramaweg ridge walk (90 min loop) frames the entire Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau face. Cheaper than Jungfraujoch, often clearer, far less crowded.
- Lake Brienz and Lake Thun — the two glacial lakes flanking the town. BLS lake boats run scheduled service all summer; the Giessbach Falls (Lake Brienz) and Spiez Castle (Lake Thun) are the classic stops.
- Beatenberg balcony — the south-facing terrace village above Lake Thun, paragliding launch with Skywings and Paragliding Interlaken, reached by funicular from Beatenbucht. Land 20 minutes later on the Höhematte.
FAQ
- What's the biggest scam to avoid in Interlaken?
- There isn't really a scam scene — Interlaken is a tightly regulated Swiss adventure village. The closest things to traps: third-party Jungfraujoch packages that mark up the CHF 250 direct railway ticket without adding value, paragliding operators undercutting the FSVL-certified Skywings/Paragliding Interlaken/Hangloose trio (the cheap quote is the warning sign), and Glacier Express upcharges when a standard SBB train gives you the same scenery. Pay in CHF rather than at euro rates. Most importantly, confirm any adventure-sports operator carries operator insurance and your travel insurance explicitly covers paragliding/canyoning/skiing — most defaults don't.
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