Recommendations for lodging in Interlachen

First recommendation is to get out of Interlaken which is best used as a rail hub. Instead of visiting Gimmelwad just stay in Gimmelwald or Murren or Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. Just by all means dont waste your nights in Interlaken.

Look at hotel Staubbach in lauterbrunnen or Chalet Fontana in Murren. To walk out your front door and be smack dab inntbe middle of the alps is SOOO much better than Interlaken which is not in the alps.

I totally agree with Tim: do not stay in Interlaken, unless it is a last resort. Interlaken is in sight of the alps, but not IN them, and that is a HUGE difference. Try to stay in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, or Grindelwald.

What you want to do ASAP is to get an apt before they are all rented out. Try VRBO.com or AirBnB.com or Booking.com or interhome.com or tripadvisor.com or Google maps. Other options: see if you can rent out a room for 4 at Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen (valleyhostel.ch). They have a common kitchen. Or, if you are campers, you can camp (bring or buy small tents) or rent a trailer at campingjungfrau.ch

As for what to do, there are hiking trails with cows and goats all around and your kids should love that. I'll send a link to your private mail on here to our dozen favorite trails in the area, with maps and pics. (Click on your name in the upper right of this page to read your mail.)

The transportation in the area is superb. No need for a car. If you think you'll make use of a lot of trains and cable cars in the area, you might check out the Berner Oberland Pass (Google it).

You don't say how long you'll be in Switz. but if it's for a short time, I'd skip Bern. The alps are much better, espec. for kids. You could easily spend 2 weeks in the alps (and I have). I know Rick Steves loves Gimmelwald, but Lauterbrunnen or Murren are much better for kids, plus Gimmelwald has no store to buy food. Be aware that Gimmelwald and Grindelwald are totally different places.

Each of my kids were there when they were 13, and now have returned to do it all over again as adults.

stay at the Hotel Steinbock in Lauterbrunnnen.

Great advice above. I would add that you really need to get Rick Steves’ Switzerland guidebook as he has done such a great job explaining this area, the Berner Oberland, how to get around, specific hikes to take that are suitable for kids, etc. Absolutely no need for a car as it will sit all day and trains are more fun.

We have stayed here twice https://www.vrbo.com/1207898ha and will again in Sept. If the apartment is not available, also try https://chalet.myswitzerland.com/holiday-rentals/Lauterbrunnen. Good luck!

Totally agree with what is being said regarding Berner Oberland. i stayed in a lovely and reasonable Airbnb in the Lauterbrunnen valley which I thought was a great location. There is a free bus into Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg. We did take a train from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald. Grindelwald was nice, but by far, I liked the Lauterbrunnen valley and the towns I could access from there. I can't say enough about Gimmelwald. If you ever watched the movie Heidi, it's pretty much like that. We also liked Murren which is a short walk or cable car ride from Gimmelwald. From Murren you can to to Schilthorn for high up mountain views. From Lauterbrunnen you can also visit the villages of Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg which I also recommend. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, all the cable car and train rides are included and you may find yourself using them a lot. We went to Gimmelwald three times! Love it. The trip to Kleine Scheidegg may not be free but it is discounted, I can't remember. The trip up to Schilthorn is also free now with a Swiss Travel Pass.

We stayed in Luzern for three days. It certainly was another highlight. One day we walked around their stunning river, bridges and old town. Another day we took a trip to Bern. It was a one hour train trip. We liked it, especially the connection to Einstein. Also from Luzern and highly recommended is Mt. Rigi. With the Swiss Travel Pass, you can take a boat ride across the beautiful lake to a cog train that takes you to the top of Mt. Rigi for stunning views and possible hiking.

A car is completely unnecessary and might be a hindrance.

Oh, and get to know the Coop Grocery stores. They are in most Swiss cities and I love them for picnic supplies, snacks, beverages, chocolate and wine. The prices were great. There is a Coop in Murren, Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald.

...and in Wengen

Coop and Migros are the grocery stores for Switzerland. Both have take away food, Coop has wine, beer and spirits, Migros does not. If you can eat one of your meals in, definitely it will be cheaper. We were there about a month ago made use of both!

Thank you for everyone's suggestions! I recently learned that there is a church that chimes bells every 15 minutes in Lauterbrunnen, though ONLY every hour at night! Is this heard throughout the town and is it loud enough to cause sleeping difficulties?

Clocks chiming the hour and quarter hours are common throughout Europe, not just in Lauterbrunnen (Big Ben?). The were designed to be heard throughout the town, so people knew the time.

How much you here it indoors and whether it affects you depends on how light a sleeper you are. The locals have heard it all their lives and are used to it.

Europe wouldn't be the same without all of those chiming church bells. I've stayed in Murren and Wengen MANY times and both have churches - but I've never been awakened by a church bell even while sleeping with my window open.

Yes, that church does chime every hour. I've even stayed in the apts across the parking lot from the church. I'm a good sleeper so it didn't bother me.

If you are a light sleeper just get a little distance between your hotel and the church. On the map, as the road goes South towards Stechelberg, there's a fork in the road on the outskirts of Lauterbrunnen. That's where the church is.