Things to Do at Unterseen Old Town
Complete Guide to Unterseen Old Town in Interlaken
About Unterseen Old Town
What to See & Do
Stadtplatz and the Old Town Core
The square is smaller than you expect—perfect. Timber-frame and rendered-stone buildings circle it, the oldest dating to the early 17th century. The whole thing feels like a stage set—too scenic to be real, yet it is. The church tower at the south end has appeared on so many postcards you'll recognize it before you arrive. Sit on a bench in late morning before the day warms up; the mountains will probably be clear. By early afternoon, clouds gather around the summits. The surrounding streets—Untere Gasse—reward a slow wander. Carved wooden details on doorways. Occasional glimpses of the Aare between buildings.
Stadtkirche (Parish Church)
Skip the postcard shot—step inside. The interior is plain, Calvinist Reformed style: whitewashed walls, dark wooden pews, zero gilded altarpieces. The proportions work. On a summer afternoon it's cool, quiet. The tower dates to 1471. The church was substantially rebuilt in the 17th century after the Reformation stripped out its Catholic furnishings. The bells catch you off-guard if you're lingering in the square at the hour.
Tourismusmuseum der Jungfrauregion
Obere Gasse hides a 17th-century building that quietly outperforms. This small regional museum charts Interlaken valley's transformation into a tourist magnet—English aristocrats "discovered" it in the late 18th century, Victorian hotels exploded, mountain railways conquered Jungfraujoch. Old photographs shine. Hotel registers crackle. Ephemera—luggage labels, menus, early ski gear—shows how radically the place shifted in a hundred years. You'll probably have it to yourself. Entry runs CHF 5-7.
Aare Riverbank Walk
That glacial blue-green? Real. Unterseen sits where the Aare exits Lake Thun—summer light turns the river into liquid glass. Swift water, clear to the stones. The northern bank path links old town to bridges feeding back into central Interlaken. Walk it slowly. Ducks dabble, herons stalk the shallows. Look up: paragliders drift down from Beatenberg ridge, landing in the field nearby. Riverbank sightlines beat the Höheweg every time—no hotels blocking your view.
The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus)
Seventeenth-century timber, stone, and eaves broad enough to shade half the square—Stadtplatz stares straight at it. This is Bernese Oberland DNA: deep overhangs, thick walls, zero fuss. Administration moved out decades ago; the shell stayed perfect. Anchor building. Visual compass. Stop. Count the window axes—tall, narrow, almost arrogant. Carved vines twist around the door like they own the place. Ten minutes here and you will quit noticing; the whole town is built to this pitch.
Practical Information
Opening Hours
The old town never closes—it's a real neighborhood, not a diorama. You can wander the lanes at 3 a.m. if you like. The Tourismusmuseum keeps Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00, May through October; come November through April the doors may shut or the hours shrink—check before you trek over in winter. The Stadtkirche unlocks at dawn and locks after dusk.
Tickets & Pricing
Old town walks cost nothing. The Tourismusmuseum charges CHF 5–7 for adults—students and seniors pay less, kids under 16 walk in free. Flash your Interlaken guest card—most hotels hand them out—and you might skip the fee or shave off a few francs; ask at reception. The church stays open, no ticket required.
Best Time to Visit
Before 9:30am, the Stadtplatz belongs to you. Soft light strikes the church tower. Mountains appear—clear, sharp, yours to claim. The late shift, 4–6pm, works too. Day-trippers vanish. You’ll breathe easier. Midday in July and August still clogs up, even here. Nothing like the main Höheweg crush, but bodies appear. Winter visits? Underrated gold. Fewer people. Frost rims every timber frame. On cold mornings the mountains snap into view—dramatic, sudden, impossible to ignore.
Suggested Duration
Sixty to ninety minutes will swallow the old town whole—Stadtplatz, the main lanes, the riverside path. Add another hour if you're hitting the Tourismusmuseum. Half a day if you're pairing it with coffee, lunch, and a lazy riverside stroll toward Lake Thun.
Getting There
Things to Do Nearby
Less than a kilometre from Stadtplatz, Lake Thun's western end hits you first. Five minutes' walk and you're on the lakeshore, staring straight back at Thun and the Bernese Alps. Link it with Unterseen—no buses, no tickets—and you've burned only a morning.
Fifteen minutes. That's all Unterseen needs to deliver the Jungfrau view across Höhematte meadow. A 19th-century boulevard still links Interlaken West and East—grand, yes, and total chaos at the margins. The tourist machine can feel crushing. Arrive early, catch the mountain light washing the open grass, and you'll understand the fuss. The panorama is exactly what the postcards promised. Mornings with clear skies win every time.
Kids love it. Adults just like the roofs. Right beside the Interlaken fairground, this place tackles ancient mysteries and unexplained phenomena—niche stuff. Even if you don't care, the architecture and gardens are pleasant. Children will get more out of it; adults can still admire the pavilion structures.
The rack railway from Wilderswil—one stop past Interlaken East—hurls you to 1,967m in 45 minutes. Up top you get an Alpine botanical garden and the Thunersee, Brienzersee, and the big summits all at once. Built in 1893, the line is one of those Swiss rides that makes you rethink trains. A return ticket costs CHF 60–70, season depending.
7km west along the Lake Thun shoreline, the St. Beatus limestone caves thunder with underground waterfalls and a 6th-century tale: the saint booted a dragon out of here. Geology backs the drama even if the dragon doesn't. In summer you can sail straight to the entrance from Interlaken West pier—half the fun is the boat ride.