Things to Do in Interlaken Ost (East)
Interlaken Ost (East), Interlaken: Alpine adventure starts and ends here. Trains hum through platform gaps. Rucksacks clink against benches. Cold air carries the first sharp bite of pine resin from the slopes above.
Interlaken Ost squats at the eastern hinge of the resort town, its railway station the launch pad for the Jungfrau Railway that climbs to Europe's highest rail terminus at Jungfraujoch. The quarter feels rougher than the polished promenade west: more functional, lived-in, mountain air laced with diesel off the platforms and the sugar hit of fresh pastries from bakeries under the canopy. The lake is right there. Brienzersee's unreal turquoise glimmers at the end of Bahnhofstrasse, and on clear mornings the snow-capped Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau stop you mid-stride. The Harderbahn funicular leaves from just north of the station, shooting up to Harder Kulm and the two-lakes lookout locals rate above the tourist-heavy Jungfraujoch. Side streets keep a low profile: guesthouses, pharmacies, restaurants feeding travellers who stepped off the overnight from Zurich or Bern. Interlaken Ost pulls a more independent crowd than the package core. More languages fly around. Yet you feel less like merchandise. The boat dock for Brienzersee cruises sits a short walk away, threading past benches where Swiss retirees watch the cold green water in mid-morning quiet. Somehow this corner lets the town breathe.
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Top Attractions in Interlaken Ost (East)
Harderbahn Funicular to Harder Kulm
The funicular groans upward through dark forest, popping onto a ridge that stares down at Thunersee and Brienzersee, the twin lakes bracketing Interlaken like parentheses. The Two Lakes Bridge cantilevering over the drop is the shot everyone wants, and it earns every click: impossible blue water against grey-green forest and white peaks looks Photoshopped but is simply real. A golden ibis statue keeps watch with unexpected taste.
Jungfrau Railway Platform
Red cogwheel trains on Track 1 have been clawing toward the Eiger since the early 20th century, and the scene still feels cinematic. Even without a Jungfraujoch ticket, linger on the old wooden platform beneath painted alpine murals. The echoing departure horn is almost music. The cog catching the rack rail sings like a mechanical bell.
Brienzersee Boat Dock
Five minutes from the station the dock sends paddle steamers and sleek ferries onto Brienzersee, arguably the prettier of Interlaken's two lakes, all glacial turquoise hemmed by dark forested walls. The boat to Brienz village slides past waterfall-streaked cliffs, lake spray cooling the rail hub buzz behind you. On still mornings the Bernese Alps double in the mirror-bright water with unsettling precision.
Unterseen Old Town
A ten-minute walk west across the Aare channel lands you in Unterseen, the medieval core most hikers stride past. Cobbled square, 13th-century church tower, crooked timber frames feel older than hotel-lined Höheweg ever will. Geraniums in the boxes look tended daily. Your footsteps echo.
Aare Riverside Walk
The Aare slips between the two lakes through town, and the eastern bank path offers something rare here: escape from tourist throughput. The river glows mineral green, icy even in August. Ducks row the current with comic focus. Early mornings, mist on the water, cowbells drifting down from invisible slopes, spark a quiet, dizzy happiness that's hard to explain later.
Heimwehfluh
Most travelers chase Harder Kulm and skip this modest hill southwest of Interlaken Ost. Their loss, your gain. A funicular lifts you to a quiet terrace and a model railway that makes kids grin wider than they predicted. Spread below, the Höhematte meadow, that broad flat green at the heart of Interlaken, frames the great Bernese peaks in the classic postcard shot. Space is plentiful, so you can breathe it in without jostling.
Where to Eat in Interlaken Ost (East)
Restaurant Metropole
Traditional Swiss
Schuh Restaurant
Historic Swiss café-restaurant
Goldener Anker
Swiss-Italian
Bäckerei near Bahnhof Ost
Swiss bakery
Pizzeria da Carmine
Italian-Swiss
Interlaken Ost (East) After Dark
Buddy's Pub
A long-running pub beside the east station welcomes hikers and paragliders the moment boots hit pavement. Climbing gear drapes the walls; alpine-club stickers form a mosaic. The hum tells you everyone nailed a good day outside.
Johnny's Bar
It has always been there and will outlast us all. Hostel guests swap tales with lifties who return each season. Everyone knows the bartender's name.
Bar at Hotel Interlaken
The hotel opened in the 19th century and the bar still moves at that measured tempo. Soft chairs, a concise local wine list, zero shot crews. You can hear your own sentences.
Getting Around Interlaken Ost (East)
Interlaken Ost is pocket-sized; most of the eastern quarter lies within an easy stroll from the platforms. Harderbahn funicular leaves from the north exit on foot. The lake boat dock is a few minutes east along the promenade. Höheweg, the tourist spine, links Ost to West in fifteen unhurried minutes; a local bus shadows the same line if legs protest. Trains for Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen roll from Track 1 all day, making this the sane springboard for Jungfrau explorations. Flash a Swiss Travel Pass and lake boats plus most mountain railways cost nothing, removing the mental math on every side trip.
Where to Stay in Interlaken Ost (East)
Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel
Luxury, Top tier of Swiss luxury
Hotel Interlaken
Mid-range, Mid-range for Switzerland
Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof
Budget/Hostel, Budget-friendly by Swiss standards
Hotel Aarburg
Budget, Most affordable near east station
Alpenblick Hotel
Mid-range/Boutique, Reasonable value by local standards
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