[All photos and opinions are my own unless stated otherwise. All links in this post are non-affiliated. All prices were correct at time of writing. Prices may vary at time of reading.]

After leaving Austria during my Interrail trip last summer, I headed to Switzerland on what was probably the most scenic train ride I've ever been on. I spent most of the time on the train gaping out of the window at the beautiful mountains and countryside outside. Three trains and eight hours later we started to pass a beautiful lake, Thunersee - I had finally made it to Interlaken. I had an incredible 4 days in Interlaken, so I've decided to write about the things I did whilst I was there, which I definitely recommend you do too!

Watching the mountains whilst on the train from Austria to Switzerland

1. Lake Thun and Weissenau Castle ruins

For those of you that don't know, Interlaken is located in between two lakes - Thunersee and Brienzersee. The first thing I did after arriving in Interlaken was walk to Thunersee, which is on the west side of Interlaken. This was a beautiful scenic walk along the River Aare and takes you past the ruins of Weissenau Castle, which was built in the 13th century (I didn't know this castle existed at the time but discovered it along my route). Whilst the route I took to Thunersee ended on a small island at the end of the lake, it was lovely to watch the sunset over the lake with lots of birds around.

Walking along the River Aare to Thunersee

2. Skydiving

One of the biggest highlights of my trip was skydiving over the Swiss Alps - an experience I'll never forget! Whilst this wasn't the cheapest of excursions, it was definitely worth it! I was collected from my hostel and driven to a tiny airfield where we were briefed and kitted up. The trip involved a 15 minute flight up to 4,000m where we then jumped out of the plane to freefall for about 45 seconds before the parachutes came out. From there we got to appreciate the mountains from above. I chose to use Skydive Switzerland, with prices starting at 395 CHF, and I honestly can't recommend them enough! My trip began at 8am and it's recommended to skydive earlier in the day as the weather tends to be more reliable; however, there are other times available later in the day if that suits you better.

Jumping out of the plane at 4,000m. Photo by Skydive Switzerland.

Admiring the view of the Swiss Alps whilst skydiving. Photo by Skydive Switzerland.

3. Hike up Harder Kulm

Located near the Interlaken Ost train station, Harder Kulm is a viewpoint at an elevation of 1,321m. At the top, you can overlook the whole of Interlaken as well as both lakes. I chose to walk up after my skydiving trip and personally found it quite steep and tiring in some places but I like to think of it as good exercise (try not to be disheartened by the insanely fit Swiss people who will inevitably run past you as you slowly die walking up...). The top of Harder Kulm itself is very busy with people taking pictures but if you hike up you'll reach some lower viewpoints with similar views and way less people. After reaching the top I had a small break to eat and take some photos before walking back down via a slightly different route. The entire route is very scenic and involves walking on paths surrounded by trees or meadows. It took me about 2 hours to hike up and about 1.5 hours to hike back down. If walking isn't for you then you can take the funicular up to the top, with prices starting at 16 CHF.

Overlooking Interlaken and Thunersee from one of the less well-known viewpoints whilst hiking up to Harder Kulm

4. Walk to Lake Brienz

After skydiving and hiking up Harder Kulm, I decided that I still had to release some of the adrenaline from skydiving, so I walked to Brienzersee on the east side of Interlaken. This walk wasn't quite as scenic as the walk to Thunersee, but it still took me along the river past some nice villages. Once I reached Brienzersee, I walked up to a nice view point surrounded by trees overlooking the lake. The paths to either of the lakes are very peaceful and its a nice way to quickly get away from the crowds in the centre of Interlaken.

A small village located next to the river whilst walking to Brienzersee

5. Hike from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen

Prepare for a big day of hiking in the Swiss Alps! When in Interlaken, there's no way you can miss out on the chance to do some proper hiking. This walk from Grindelwald takes you all the way to Lauterbrunnen via Kleine Scheidegg, Eigergletscher and Wengen. To start the hike you'll need to take the train from Interlaken to Grindelwald. This hike took me about 8 hours in total with lots of stops for taking photos and I was pretty exhausted afterwards. If you're not up for an eight hour hike then it's possible to reach all of the main points via train. However you decide to get there, the views are incredible and shouldn't be missed! I'll include some evidence below but I hope to do a more in-depth post about this hike in the near future with more photos.

Looking back towards Grindelwald

6. LAKE OESCHINEN

The walk to this lake was, without a doubt, one of my favourites! I got the 6am train from Interlaken Ost to Kandersteg. From here I walked to Oeschinensee, which took about 1.5 hours. This is a really scenic hike that takes you along a stream, through woods and past multiple waterfalls. Once you reach the lake you can follow the footpath round to the other side of the lake or even hike further into the mountains to another lake. I personally opted to stay at Oeschinensee. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to walk around the entirety of the lake without specialist equipment but it's still definitely worth walking to the opposite side of the lake to see it from a different perspective. I arrived early, so had the lake mostly to myself for the first hour but as I was leaving it started to get quite busy. Despite this, the lake is absolutely beautiful with multiple waterfalls and glaciers towering over it on either side. It's also possible to swim or canoe in the lake if you'd like. Once again, there's a cable car up to the lake if you don't want to walk, with prices starting at 20 CHF.

Walking towards Oeschinensee

Lake Oeschinen in the Swiss Alps

WHERE TO STAY

Switzerland is known for being an expensive country, so I highly recommend staying in a hostel if you're trying to save money. That said, the hostel I stayed in was twice as expensive as all the other hostels I used in other European countries. I chose to stay in the Backpacker's Villa Sonnenhof, which is located close to the station and town centre. All in all, it was one of my favourite hostels I have stayed in. Despite its high price of at least 43 CHF a night, it included free breakfast, laundry (which is rare for a hostel), coffee and a bus pass to some of the nearby villages. It also had a shared kitchen, so cooking cheap meals isn't a problem here. I was even lucky enough to be upgraded from a 7-bed dorm to a 4-bed dorm for no apparent reason. Oh, and the views from some of the rooms are pretty sweet!

The view from my hostel room

WHEN TO VISIT

As with my Salzburg blog, I would recommend visiting early to mid-September when the tourist season is starting to die down to benefit from reduced crowds and decent weather. I visited in late August and the town centre was absolutely packed. That said, once you start exploring the mountains, the crowds tend to thin out, especially when you're hiking.

Sunset by the canal

Obviously, there's a whole load of other activities that you can do in and around Interlaken and this list is just based on what I did during the 4 days I was there.

All in all, I had a blast in Interlaken and would definitely recommend giving it a visit if you love the great outdoors - it's definitely worth the money! I only wish I had more time to explore the rest of this beautiful country.