We had friends who had visited Interlaken, and they highly recommended it to us as a must-see for our trip. We stayed at the Backpacker's Villa hostel. It was a great spot! We had a private room (where we just may have had to push two beds together!) that overlooked the city. Breakfast (modest: toast, cereal, etc.) was included. We even used the communal kitchen one night, cooking our own meal, and met some other travelers. On our first day in the city, we checked into the hostel and then went to check out the St. Beatus-Höhlen Caves.
On the way to the caves (we took the bus), you got to see some parts of the city that you may not normally see. The caves were amazing. Of course you can't take pictures inside, but you get a tour throughout the caves.
After our grotto tour, we headed to the city center. We spent time walking around, trying some Swiss beers, and grabbing some beer and food for later at the hostel. One thing to note about Switzerland: it's expensive! At this point in our trip, we were starting to crave some "Americanized" foods (we may or may not have eaten at Hooters one day in Interlaken) and opted to eat at a mexican-style restaurant. The meal was insanely expensive (don't quote me but I want to say 70 American dollars…this was 2009) and not really that great. Interlaken is a smaller, touristy-type town so that may contribute to higher prices, but it was definitely the most expensive spot on our European adventure.
In my opinion, the weather was perfect in late June in Interlaken. We have the best memories of just sitting outside by the river, at restaurants, and on the porch at our hostel.
On our second day in the city, we decided to rent a scooter. It was so much fun and an amazing way to see the city. We drove up to the countryside and checked out waterfalls. Trummelbach Falls is a must-see. The Falls include ten glacier-waterfalls that are accessible via elevator. You can hike into the caves a bit to get better views of the falls.
Interlaken is known for offering extreme sports. With the gorgeous mountains and lakes, there's a ton to do. Rafting, bungee jumping, canyoning, skiing, sledding, etc. D and I opted to forgo any activities and save money for the remainder of our trip. Since we didn't participate in an extreme activities, we spent the day visiting some lesser explored venues.
Putt putt in Interlaken was such a great experience. Don't expect the greens you find when you play in the States. It's all concrete here. Best part? There's a public pool with a water slide beside the putt putt course! After a rousing game, we changed into our suits and hung out by the pool.
To end out our time in Interlaken, we caught the discount train/tram up to the top of a mountain. It is a necessity to see the town from the top of a mountain. We ordered beers from the restaurant on the mountain and toasted to the end of our time in Switzerland.
Have you visited Interlaken? What was your favorite part?
3 comments:
UGH I wish I was on vacation right now, specifically in Switzerland. It looks so fun, and so different from the typical photos of Switzerland I see around. Thanks for showing a different perspective!!
Beautiful! looks so fun! :)
So pretty! I went to Switzerland in High School, but we were in a small town called Bern. Oh the joys of traveling for skating and going to smaller towns. It was BEAUTIFUL though!
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