New 12 Day Honeymoon Itinerary Idea :)

Hi, Lauterbrunnen is at the bottom of the mountain where Wengen and Murren are above on both sides. So, at the very least, I would stay in Lauterbrunnen instead of Interlaken. Personally, we loved staying up in Wengen much more than at Lauterbrunnen. Murren has equally amazing views! An additional advantage is when the skies are clear, you’re up where you can immediately enjoy it instead of taking two trains up to Wengen from Interlaken.

As an alternative, the train route is easier to stay at Lake Maggiore instead of Lake Como. You can take this train route from Wengen, Interlaken, Spiez, Stresa. My favorite special hotel in Stresa is at the tiny island you see from shore - Boutique Elvezia Hotel on Isola Bella. I always select a room with the balcony. There’s also some grand hotels along the shore of Stresa, such as The Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, The Regina, etc.

https://www.boutiquehotelelvezia.it/

Look into the cost/benefit of flying into Zurich and home from Milan (one multi-city ticket - not two one-way tickets) . This would give you an extra day since you wouldn’t need to take the trains back up to Switzerland, and the train in Switzerland are much more expensive than one from Varenna at Lake Como to Milano Centrale & the train out to Malpensa airport. Or if you decide on Stresa, you can take a shuttle from Stresa directly to Malpensa.

Switzerland is so easy to get around in. My first trip to Switzerland in 2021, we (me, sister and brother-in-law) stayed in Lauterbrunnen. When we got off the train and started walking down the valley, it was like we were in a dream.

I suggest watching these videos to really get a sense of the different areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xqgW2Ha7kg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI3IH6KJjFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZGTsgExc4Y

It makes no difference to me where you stay 😊 but if it was my honeymoon, I’d want to stay somewhere magical. To me, that’s not Interlaken. But, maybe you’ll watch these videos and fall in love with it. I just want to make sure you are making an informed decision.

Nope! Don’t choose Interlaken. If you want a home base to explore then choose Lauterbrunnen. Better yet, spend time on each side of the mountains, Wengen and Murren, splitting your time.
Interlaken is busy, congested, etc. Stop by the lakes, take a boat ride, go to Thun for a few hours on your way to the mountains. But, don’t stay there.

OP,
We stayed in Lauterbrunnen and Murren and loved both places. I prefer Lauterbrunnen because there is a lot to do and it’s nice to get the train to Kleine Scheidegg and then go up to Jungraujoch. Murren was quieter and we loved it very much. From Murren there were nice hiking opportunities, we walked to Gimmelwald. From Murren you can also visit the Schilthorn, very beautiful. We toured Wengen, also very nice. But we were told Interlaken isn’t so great, except as a place to connect to other destinations if traveling by train. I would definitely choose Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen instead of Interlaken as a home base.

We loved flying into Zurich airport. We loved Lucerne.

Have a wonderful trip!

I would head to Wengen and stay at the romantic Hotel Bellevue with amazing views, great outdoor deck and very nice breakfast/dinner room…short walk to center and train station… buy the Berner Oberland pass and half fare card…so much to see and do but a nice compact area…boat rides on Lake Thun & Brienz ( included with BO pass )…make sure to visit Kanderstag for a day trip…stay in amazing Switzerland this trip and save Italy for the next… on the way back to Zurich stop in Colmar, France for two nights and then Lucerne…train from Lucerne to Zurich airport only an hour…have a great trip.

Interlaken is indeed a good location to use as a hub. If you are the kind of people who like to go different places and travel around a bit in an area, then this could be a good choice. It is what our family always did when visiting Switzerland, and we found it to be very convenient.

Mountain weather can be very changeable and different from one valley to the next. If you decide to stay in Interlaken then just check the weather and mountain webcams each day and head to where you will have the best conditions. A rainy day might mean a trip to Bern. Another day Mürren might be socked in but Kandersteg is nice and sunny. There are a lot of options to choose from, something like the Berner Oberland Pass will help you to see what your choices are.

If you want to have a hotel that you can hang out in to just sit and enjoy the view, or want to walk right out your door to begin your hike first thing, then you might want to stay in one of the mountain villages.

You can use the SBB website or app to see how long it takes to get from place to place. Heading into Mürren, Wengen or Grindelwald will be around 40 minutes to 50 minutes from Interlaken. If you decide to stay in one of these locations it will take you that long to get back to Interlaken so that you can continue on your journey to Bern, the lakes of Thun and Brienz, etc.

Much better plan!

For Interlaken - Only you can judge how “on the go” you are. Personally, I’d never stay there because I want to be up in the mountains waking up to the epic views every morning, experiencing the car free villages and immersing myself in the unique alpine atmosphere of staying in Wengen or Murren. However, if your personality is more “see it all” and you’re one who doesn’t prioritize views and charm, then Interlaken can be convenient for seeing a wider range of the area. However, the first time you step foot in one of the car free villages you’re most likely going to have the thought, “why do I need to see anywhere else?”

If Bern is a priority for you to see, store your luggage at the train station on your way from Luzern to Wengen or Murren and walk around for a bit before continuing on. It’s a nice city, but nothing mind boggling and in my opinion it’s not worth sacrificing a unique experience of staying up IN the mountains just to be closer to some cities.

If you want to experience a more bustling area for a day, do a day trip of Wengen or Murren > Interlaken West > Boat Ride on Lake Thun with castle Stops at Spiez, Oberhöfen & Thun before spending the evening walking around Thun and having dinner along the River before returning “home”. Thun isn’t a huge city, but it has streets to walk through for shopping, eating, etc and has charm.

Wengen may be the best choice for you because it’s slightly easier to get to than Murren. Make sure to splurge on getting a south facing balcony to wake up to the views every day and make time for the walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg.