Interlaken for 4-5 days

If it's mountain experiences you want, then stay a little further south in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, or Murren. Have a look at them on GoogleMaps and you'll see why.

I agree. Stay in the Berner Oberland close by Interlaken. Sept. is ideal.

Agree with others. Interlaken is not in the mountains, it is at the foot of the mountains and is mainly a transportation hub. You want to go up the valley into the mountains to get the full experience. This area is not as remote as it may sound, so you can get around easily enough that you dont need to stay in Interlaken. But it does take time to get around, so staying in Interlaken means it would take up hours everyday in transit to the main sights and attractions up the valley. Read Rick's descriptions or watch the videos and you'll see why he (and us) prefer being in Mürren, Wengen or Lauterbrunnen.

Here's another recommendation for staying up in the mountains (we stayed in Wengen); however, we did spend several hours in Interlaken and I'm sure would have enjoyed staying there as well. On that trip we got our lake fix in Montreux.

It depends on what you want to experience. Interlaken has more shops, restaurants, and co-ops, but Lauterbrunnen and Murren have better views of the Alps, and you’re closer to the hiking trails. They also have the feel of a small village versus a city. It’s only a 30 minute train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken, so if you stay in Lauterbrunnen or Murren, you can quickly get to Interlaken to take a cruise around one of the lakes or explore the city on a cloudy day.

The early morning/late evening views from Murren/Lauterbrunnen, plus the atmosphere are among the many reasons I prefer to stay there vs. Interlaken.

All the best,

Raymond

We have been to Switzerland twice…..our heart is in Lauterbrunnen. Interlaken is way too touristy for us tho we love to sit and watch the skydivers come in there as we enjoy a delicious pastry……Interlaken has great stores and chocolate shops but if I want to enjoy those gorgeous mountains I will stay in the valley or up in Wengen or Murren.

Fabulous suggestions everyone!! I’m so happy I asked 👍
It’s our 1st time to visit Switzerland and we just want to get a good mixture of what to experience without traveling to multiple places.

If you're not familiar with the area and you like hiking scenic trails, click on my name and you'll find a link to the best hiking trails in the area, with pictures and maps.

I agree with the others. I think you'll enjoy the Berner Oberland far more if you stay in Lauterbrunnen, Mürren or Wengen (or even tiny Gimmelwald, if you're so inclined). Mürren is a big favourite with many here, although I tend to prefer Lauterbrunnen as its the transportation hub so more convenient to get to both sides of the valley from there. It's only about a 20 minute train ride from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen, so very easy to get there.

It's very easy to reach Mürren from Lauterbrunnen either via the small BLM mountain railway or via the cable cars from Stechelberg (short trip on the Post Bus required from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg).

While there you may want to take the cable cars to the famous Schilthorn, which was partially used in the filming of the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service many years ago. There's a revolving restaurant at the top so a great place to get views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau whilst enjoying a fine hot meal (assuming the weather is clear). It's a bit of a pricey trip, but quite unique.

are you just on a weekend break from a home elsewhere in Europe?

We’ll be flying in from the US for a mini vacation.

Definitely in the Lauterbrunnen valley or villages above. While we are all tourists, I tend to avoid stops that have a Hooters. To each their own, though.

there are plenty of videos of the B.O. on Youtube so you can look at different towns and see what there is to see