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Interlaken with Kids

Interlaken is a flat resort town on the strip of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and its real function for a family is as the rail junction for the Jungfrau region above it. Almost every mountain excursion in the Bernese Oberland — Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald First, Schynige Platte, Harder Kulm, the Lauterbrunnen waterfalls — departs from Interlaken Ost station or from a valley train that leaves it, which means whole days can be spent moving children between trains, funiculars and cable cars without a car or a long walk. The trade-offs are real: the town itself has little for children beyond a central meadow and a bus ride to the lake shores, prices sit at the top of the Swiss range, and the headline trip up to Jungfraujoch costs more than a night's accommodation and shows nothing at all on a cloudy day.

Best for ages
3+
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Best months
Jun–Sep
Daily budget
€390

Mid-range, family of four

Why Interlaken works with children

  • Every excursion starts at the door

    Interlaken Ost is the junction for Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and the Jungfrau railways, with trains roughly every half hour.

  • Waterfalls and cliff walks within 30 minutes

    The Lauterbrunnen valley has dozens of falls, including glacial ones reached by a lift inside the rock.

  • Mountain stations built for short visits

    Top stations carry terraces, viewing platforms and playgrounds, so young children get the view without a hike.

  • A fallback for every forecast

    When the summits are clouded in, the gorges, the lake boats and the valley floor still work.

Where to stay

Best areas in Interlaken for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly a first visit and the easiest connections versus being closest to the lifts.

  • Interlaken town (Höheweg and Interlaken Ost)

    Best for a first visit and the easiest connections

    Flat ground between the two stations, the widest choice of larger hotel rooms in the region, supermarkets, and the shortest morning to any mountain railway.

  • Lauterbrunnen

    Best for waterfalls and a cheaper valley base

    Valley floor beneath vertical cliffs, with the train up to Wengen and the cable car up to Mürren leaving from the village. More apartments and fewer hotels than Interlaken.

  • Wengen or Mürren

    Best for families who want a car-free village

    Reached only by train or cable car, with no through traffic, so children can move around the village freely. Luggage has to come up with you and the last services down run early in the evening.

  • Grindelwald

    Best for being closest to the lifts

    Base of the First gondola and the Eiger Express, which cuts the morning to the high mountains considerably. Also the busiest village in the region in July and August.

Family hotel picks in Interlaken

  • Interlaken — family rooms between the two stations
    Interlaken town (Höheweg / Interlaken Ost)Mid-range

    Interlaken — family rooms between the two stations

    Interlaken has the region's widest supply of rooms that actually sleep four or five, on flat ground, within a few minutes of the station where every mountain railway begins. With young children that shortens each morning by half an hour in both directions.

    • Walking distance to Interlaken Ost and the Jungfrau railways
    • Flat streets and a central meadow for running around
    • Supermarkets and a wide price range of restaurants nearby
    • Visitor card with local buses included by most properties

    Fitting a family in

    Look for rooms sold as family, quad or triple-with-extra-bed, and for the small number of properties with connecting doors. Confirm the stated maximum occupancy rather than assuming a sofa bed exists.

    Watch out. The main avenue carries constant coach traffic in summer and rooms facing it are noisy. Interlaken also has no lake frontage of its own — both shores are a bus ride away — and it is the most expensive place in the valley to eat.

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  • Lauterbrunnen valley — apartment beneath the cliffs
    Lauterbrunnen / Wengen / MürrenMid-range

    Lauterbrunnen valley — apartment beneath the cliffs

    Self-catering in the valley cuts the two biggest costs of a Jungfrau week — food and the fare in from Interlaken — and puts the waterfalls, the Wengen train and the Mürren cable car on the doorstep rather than half an hour away.

    • Kitchen, which matters more here than almost anywhere in Europe
    • Waterfalls and the valley path directly outside
    • Train and cable-car connections up to the car-free villages
    • Noticeably cheaper than equivalent space in Interlaken

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom valley apartments are the standard family unit and usually sleep four to six, often with a sofa bed in the living room. Chalet apartments above Lauterbrunnen sleep more but involve stairs and a slope.

    Watch out. Choosing Wengen or Mürren means no road access at all: suitcases travel by train or cable car and then by hand, and the last services down the mountain run early in the evening. Valley properties also lose the sun early because of the cliffs on both sides.

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Things to do in Interlaken with kids

  • Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe
    NatureBook ahead

    Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe

    Interlaken

    A railway tunnelled through the Eiger and Mönch to Europe's highest railway station at roughly 3,450 m, with a glacier plateau, an ice tunnel carved into the ice and viewing terraces. Reached from Interlaken via Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, with several changes each way.

    Ages
    7–17
    Time
    8h
    Adult, from
    €240

    Good to know. The single most expensive ticket of a typical Swiss trip, and it shows nothing in cloud — check the summit webcam before committing. The station sits above 3,400 m, where headaches and breathlessness are common in children; keep the visit short and move slowly. Snow and strong sun at the top even in August.

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  • Grindelwald First
    Adventure

    Grindelwald First

    Interlaken

    A gondola from Grindelwald to a ridge at about 2,170 m, with a walkway bolted to the cliff face, a mountain lake trail and a set of paid descents — a zipline, a rail-guided cart and a scooter route back down to the valley.

    Ages
    5–16
    Time
    5h
    Adult, from
    €75

    Good to know. The gondola fare and the individual descents are priced separately, so the day costs considerably more than the lift ticket alone. The zipline and carts carry height and age minimums, and close in wind or wet weather. The cliff walk has long drops behind glass and railings, which some children dislike.

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  • Trümmelbach Falls
    Nature

    Trümmelbach Falls

    Interlaken

    Ten glacial waterfalls inside the mountain in the Lauterbrunnen valley, draining the ice fields above and reached by a lift built into the rock, then galleries and stairs cut through the gorge.

    Ages
    4–16
    Time
    1h 30m
    Adult, from
    €15

    Good to know. Cold, loud, permanently wet and dark, with slippery steps and narrow tunnels between viewing points — poor for pushchairs and for children who dislike enclosed spaces. Closed over the winter months. One of the few things in the valley that is unaffected by rain.

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Getting around Interlaken

Interlaken has two stations: Ost is the junction for all mountain railways and the Lake Brienz boats, West is closer to the shops and the Lake Thun boats. Accommodation issues a visitor card that covers local buses. The pass question is where money is won or lost. A Swiss Travel Pass covers the valley trains and both lakes' boats outright but gives only a reduction on the Jungfraujoch section, while a regional Jungfrau or Berner Oberland pass covers the area's lifts across consecutive days and is only worth it if you intend to go up on most of them. For a family planning one high excursion and two low days, neither regional pass earns its price.

Interlaken tips for families

  • Money & costs

    Choose one high mountain, not three

    The region sells several summit trips that look interchangeable in a brochure and are priced like separate holidays. One high excursion plus cheaper mid-altitude days — First, Harder Kulm, the Lauterbrunnen falls, a lake boat — gives children more variety than three cable-car rides above the snowline, and costs far less.

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  • When to go

    Keep the summit day flexible

    Book the accommodation first and decide the Jungfraujoch day on the morning the forecast and the webcam agree. Holding a fixed date weeks in advance is how families end up paying the highest price in the country for cloud.

  • Packing

    Plan luggage if you stay above the valley

    Wengen and Mürren have no road access, so suitcases travel by train or cable car and then by hand or hotel trolley. A smaller bag per person works far better than one large case per family, or send the luggage ahead by rail.

Interlaken with kids: common questions

Is Jungfraujoch worth it with children?
On a clear day, for children of about seven and up, it is a genuine one-off: a railway tunnelled through the Eiger to a station at roughly 3,450 m with a glacier outside. In cloud it is an expensive corridor, and for under-fives the altitude and the queues usually outweigh it. Grindelwald First or Schynige Platte deliver mountain scenery at a fraction of the cost.
How many days do families need in Interlaken?
Three to five. Three covers one high excursion, one mid-altitude day and a valley or lake day. Five leaves enough slack to move the summit trip when the weather turns, which is the main reason to stay longer.
Should families stay in Interlaken town or up the valley?
Interlaken town for the widest hotel choice, flat ground and the shortest connections. Lauterbrunnen for lower prices and waterfalls on the doorstep. Wengen or Mürren for a car-free village, at the cost of carrying luggage up and watching the last service down.
What is there to do in Interlaken when it rains?
The Lauterbrunnen glacial falls are inside a mountain and largely unaffected by rain, the lake boats run regardless, and the valley trains still make an outing. What does not work is any summit ticket, which should simply be postponed.

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