You might have heard of Interlaken, that little town perched between two pristine alpine lakes, surrounded by the famous Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, home to Europe’s highest railway and the centre of adventure travel in Europe.
It is indeed as impressive as it sounds, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Read on to discover what all the fuzz about this little town is really about.
Interlaken, located between the lake of Thun & Brienz
Few people know that Interlaken literally means ‘ between lakes’ in Swiss German. Indeed the elders did a good job naming the town after its location between the lake of Thun and the lake of Brienz. Each of the lakes has its distinctive character.
The lake of Brienz is the one that feeds directly of the mountain glacier water and is therefore quite a bit colder than the lake of Thun. It is home to the amazing village of Iseltwalt (top 12 cutest villages in Switzerland 2017), the impressive Giessbach waterfall and its fairytale hotel and the woodcarving village of Spiez. All are just a short boat ride away from the Interlaken East boat terminal.
Leaving from the Interlaken West ferry terminal you can explore the lake of Thun. It is flanked by the impressive Beatus Caves (Beatushöhle) and waterfalls, the cute town of Spiez, the world famous Oberhofen castle and the city of Thun, whose old town is worth a visit in its own right.
Interlaken, the gateway to the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau mountains
From its location between the lakes Interlaken is also surrounded by some of the Alps highest and most famous mountains. The Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau mountain form the holy trinity of Alpine mountains and each of them can be seen directly from the adventure hostel. Matter of fact is that we are the only hostel in the region that has a view of the Eiger, Mönch and the Jungfrau. Views are impressive all year round, but especially around sunset time the three gorgeous peaks light up in a mesmerizing red glow.
Visiting the Jungfrau Joch, Top of Europe
Around the corner form the adventure hostel you can hop onto the train that brings you to the Jungfrau ‘Top of Europe’. The insanely scenic train ride starts at 500m above sea level and brings you all the way up to the highest train station in Europe at 3500m. Exiting the Jungfrau top of Europe station feels like entering a white fairytale land full of snow, ice, glaciers and most of all amazing views all around. The longest glacier in Europe, the Aletch geltscher, awaits you and invites for sledging and playing in the snow. You can even descend into the glacier’s ice caves that are host to amazing sculptures carved straight into the glacial ice.
Interlaken is the Adventure travel capital of Europe
On top of all these abundantly scenic sights Interlaken also has a thrill-seeking and adventure side. The amount of adventure activities on offer are dazzling….
Paragliding the skies...
You can soar the skies while paragliding, hang gliding or skydiving with the former being by far the most popular. It is for good reason that Interlaken is often named the paragliding capital of the world. Soaring the Interlaken skies is a must-do on your adventure travel bucketlist as it gives you a unique bird eye’s view of the town, the azure blue lakes and the world famous snowcapped mountains Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau…..all in one of the best views you will ever have!
Water thrills...
Engage in water adventures like canyoning, white water rafting, jet boating, standup paddle boarding (SUP), kayaking, wakeboarding, wake suring, kitesurfing, boating and clealy also just swimming and chilling on one of the many beaches.
Adrenaline rushes...
Get an thrill-seeking adrenaline rush while bungee jumping (Europe’s highest from a cable car), jump down a narrow canyon swinging on a rope or slide down one of Europe’s longest ziplines the First Flyer or do the fabled cliff walk!
This is just a small selection of some of the adventures there are to be had in amazing Interlaken.
The adventure hostel Interlaken is logically the epicentre of all these Interlaken activities and explorations. The adventure hostel Interlaken is located just a stone throw away from the Interlaken West train station making for an excellent basis while you go out explore and have the adventures of a lifetime.
