I’ve wanted to come to Interlaken for three years before finally landing a chance when I moved to Switzerland. The German ICE runs a daily round trip between Interlaken Ost and Berlin Ostbahnhof and when I lived in the east of Berlin I always wondered where this eastern station of another country was. Unfortunately, international rail travel to Switzerland cost three times more than long-distance travel within Germany so I never found out until now.
If you could imagine parents sending their conscripted adult sons off to training in a remote part of Switzerland in the 1950’s on a train station, that’s the kind of station that Interlaken West is, where the actual town of Interlaken is located. Apart from its two train stations, it also has a canal that links Lake Thun to Lake Brienz with locks near Interlaken West.
Apart from operating the locks that keep river traffic flowing and operating and international train station in the middle of the mountains, Interlaken is an important hub for adventure-seekers who want to paraglide, row, sail, hike, or climb. There are many hotels that operate as summer resorts and winter restaurants.
