After spending two days in Lavaux Wine Region and Montreux Riviera, I headed to Northeast toward Interlaken. Interlaken has the most highlighted places in Switzerland I wanted to visit, and I planned to spend three out of my seven days in Switzerland. In this post I will focuses on detailing places in Interlaken East. These are places that i visited that day.
Table of Contents
About Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Part of Bernese Oberland Region in Swiss Alps. What makes Interlaken special is its location that is flanked between two beautiful lakes. These lakes are Thune lake (Thunersee), and Brienz Lake (Brienzersee). Along the lake are beautiful castle and waterfalls. Now that I have gone to Interlaken, I would definitely redo the experience for another good 7 days. From Interlaken, you can also do a daytrip to a nearby scenic cities such as Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald or up to the mountains such Jungfrau or Harder Kulm.
How to get around in Switzerland
During my 7 days in Switzerland, I used mainly bus and train to move in between cities and funicular to reach mountainous area. I bought the 8-days Swiss Travel Pass that costs CHF 376 (USD 420/IDR 5,900,000) at that time (May 2017). Now, it costs CHF 418 for the 8-days travel pass. Yes, it is very expensive. However, if your itinerary includes moving to cities or even regions, this is the most efficient option to get around in Switzerland. The travel pass gives you unlimited travel on train, bus, and even boat, as well as unlimited travel on panorama trains. It also includes free admission to more than 500 museums and 50% discounts on selected mountain excursions.
Renting a car may another alternative and it can give you flexibility in itinerary. However, it may costs more when you travel alone. It cost about 100-150 CHF per day and it includes basic collision damage. My suggestion, if you travel with a group of 3-4 person, you may want to consider renting a car. However, if you travel alone and on a budget, using public transportation is probably the best option.
Interlaken is a quite small city, so I mainly walk to get around. However, to get to the higher plain such Harder Kulm, there’s railway that can take you up.
Best places you should visit in Interlaken East
1. Harderkulm
At the height of 1322 meters above sea level is the highest view point in Interlaken overseeing Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. It is the Harder kulm Viewpoint.
There is funicular that can take you up for 10 minutes journey from Interlaken Station (Interlaken Harderbahn, the map is below this paragraph). The cost of the funicular ride as per February 2021 is 17 CHF for one way. We don’t need to pay for the entrance fee as the viewpoint is free. For more detail ticket costs of funicular around the Jungfrau area, you can read it here. The important thing to be noted, is that the funicular only operates from April to November. So, you need to check in advance whether the funicular is in operation.
The opening hours of the viewpoint is 9:30 am – 9:30 pm on Monday to Saturday, and from 8:30 am – 9:30 pm on Sunday. However, you may want to check the official website just in case there’s some change during this covid pandemic.
View of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz from Harder Kulm is remarkable. So, it is best enjoyed in the morning on a clear bright sky. The turquoise blue color from the lake reflecting the sun rays can be seen from the view point. In my personal opinion, this is one of the best spot to enjoy the beauty of Interlaken.
2. Schloss Spiez (Spiez Castle)
Spiez Castle is located in Spiez Municipality in the canton of Bern and was built on 933. Over the years it has experienced numerous restorations and reconstructions. The Castle Spiez nowadays is a huge complex comprising the old castle and castle tower, the church, the new castle, the greenhouse and gardening, and the castle moat.
During the visit, I did not enter all the buildings, and focuses only on the garden and tried to find the spot where I can capture the castle at its best angle and it was drizzling when I was there.
3. Schloss Thun (Thun Castle)
It takes about an hour train ride from Interlaken to Schloss Thun. Thun Castle is within Thun city, still part of the Canton of Bern. Its origin can be traced back to 12th century. The castle has museum which has collections about its cultural and historical facts about the region. The entrance fee to the museum is CHF 10. From November to January, it opens only on Sunday from 1 pm to 4pm. Also, from February to March it opens every day from 1 pm to 4 pm. From April to October, it opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
4. Schloss Oberhofen (Oberhofen Castle)
Located in Oberhofen Municipality, this castle was built on 13th century. The unique part of this castle is the water tower that somewhat protruding from the main castle and stood out as a jewel in the turquoise blue lake.
The castle museum Opens from May to October, from Tuesday to Sunday at 11 am to 5 pm. The entrance fee costs 10 CHF.
To get the best photo of the Schloss Oberhofen, I believe we must take a boat ride. That way, we can capture the water tower from the lake side. However, if you walk outside and reach the small port, you can get the picture of the water tower.
5. St Beatus Cave
To me personally, Beatus Cave was the highlight of that day. Beatus cave is located at beatenbery, a half an hour train ride from Interlaken. The name St Beatus came from Beatus of Lungern, a legendary monk and hermit who is also referred as a saint. Legend has it that St Beatus beat a dragon that lived on the cave, make it ran down the cliff and threw himself into Lake Thun below, causing the placid clear water to rise and boil. So the legend goes (source: Atlas Obscura ). An Augustinian monastery was established near the mouth of the St. Beatus Caves.
To me, the best part of the St Beatus cave is the many layers of the waterfall it has that comes out from the cave. It is immediately visible and strong once you arrive. The closeness and the magnitude of the waterfall was amazing. I think it is one of the best waterfall that I visited in Switzerland. Inside the cave itself is beautiful and well-lit stalactites and stalagmites. The cave museum opens from 10:30 to 5:30 pm, and the entrance fee is CHF 18 for adult and CHF 10 for kids.
Notes and Tips
All of the places I mentioned above were spread alongside Lake Thun. Most of the castle was built next to the lake, making it accessible both by boat and car or even train. I did visited all of them in a day. However, I did not go inside the castle nor the museum. I love taking photograph while travelling, and so my main focus was taking the overall shape of the castle along with the lake. That can only be achieved by setting my camera some feets away from the castle.
My suggestion in general when visiting the castle:
- The best waterfall is St Beatus Cave, spend some more time over there to grasp is grandeur. The cave was okay, but the waterfall to me is the main draw.
- The most uniquely-shaped cave is Schloss Oberhofen. Try to reach the place using the boat, it may give you the best perspective of its water castle.
- Harder kulm is best enjoyed when the sky is clear, that way we can see the plantains of Interlaken spread before us, and of course, both lake Thun and Brienz can be observed from the viewpoint.
- Don’t forget to check the operational hours as those places do not operate all-year around.
- Check the funicular timetable before heading to Harder Kulm
