Hi,
Planning trip to Swiss around June 2024...
Plan to spend around 4-5 nights at Lauterbrunnen as part of 12 day trip...
Hearing lot of different opinions about Interlaken...
Is it worth it visiting? or is it a tourist trap?? - is it better to spend time somewhere else more gorgeous??
thank you..
Interlaken is the main hub for the region that you will visit by staying in Lauterbrunnen. There is no need to visit Interlaken itself. The lakes on either side (Thun and Brienz) are worth seeing if time allows, however.
Go to Interlaken to access Grindelwald, Wengen and Murren, beautiful Alpine towns. We much preferred them to Lauterbrunnen which is down in a valley. Interlaken is a transit hub.
We stayed in Stechelberg, at a gorgeous AirBnB chalet up the Lauterbrunnen valley and minutes from the lift for Murren/Schilthorn. Dropped down to shop in Lauterbrunnen a couple of times and were very glad we were staying where we were...much quieter, less traffic, surrounded by waterfalls, etc. Depending on why you travel, it's something you may want to look into. We would go back there in a heartbeat.
My daughters and I did the RS walking tour of Interlaken when we were passing through on our way to Lauterbrunnen and on to Mürren where we were staying. We felt like we saw enough of Interlaken that way without spending too much time or making a special trip.
Interlaken is no great destination. It is a transfer point on your way to great destinations. Stay up in the mountains. Wengen is my recommendation. Lauterbrunnen is another option, but very busy at times. Murren is a car-free village (as is Wengen), but lots of construction happening for the next year.
