Interlaken — Switzerland
Interlaken gathers 1,720.8 mm of rain a year, spread over 154 wet days — roughly 11.2 mm per rainy day. Rain here is a routine of the valley rather than an event, and no month escapes it. Even February, the month with the fewest wet days, records 89.1 mm over 9 of them. The town is flat; everything above it is vertical.
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Why go
Interlaken is a base, and treating it as a destination is the classic error. It occupies the flat strip between two lakes, with a meadow in the middle and a station at each end, and exists to put you on a mountain train minutes after breakfast. From there the valley system opens: a deep cleft of waterfalls to the south, ski villages that keep working all summer, cable cars to ridges, and a railway that climbs to a station buried inside the high mountains. Paragliders land on the meadow all afternoon, which tells you how the days are spent here.
It suits first-time visitors to the Alps who want everything reachable by rail, families who need a flat town at the end of the day, and hikers who would rather change valley than change hotel. It suits badly anyone hoping for an old town or a quiet village — the main street is commercial and busy — and anyone on a tight budget: Switzerland is as costly as travel in Europe gets, level with Zurich. Four nights is natural. Two are enough only for one lake and one summit.
Month-by-month climate
This is a valley climate with a blunt signature: heavy totals, and rain on a large share of days. The annual total reaches 1,720.8 mm, spread over 154 days a year that record at least 1 mm — about three a week. July collects the most water, 191.7 mm over 17 rainy days, with September close behind at 189.7 mm over 15 days, and November at 185.9 mm over 13. These are not passing showers. At the other extreme sits February, with the fewest wet days of the year: 89.1 mm across 9 of them. Temperatures follow the Alpine pattern: January is the coldest month, 3.3 °C by day and −2.8 °C at night, the lowest night of the year; December is barely milder, 3.8 °C by day and −2 °C after dark. August is the warmest at 23.3 °C, July at 23 °C — genuinely warm for a valley at this altitude. October is the lull: 15.1 °C, 120.1 mm and 10 rainy days, the fewest of the second half of the year. One warning: conditions up at the high stations bear no relation to these valley figures.
| Month | Avg. high (°C) | Avg. low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Days ≥ 1 mm | Days ≥ 5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.3 | -2.8 | 167 | 13 | 9 |
| Feb | 7.4 | 0.5 | 89 | 9 | 5 |
| Mar | 9.9 | 2.1 | 139 | 11 | 8 |
| Apr | 12.4 | 4.2 | 91 | 11 | 6 |
| May | 16.2 | 8.1 | 75 | 13 | 5 |
| Jun | 22.4 | 13.2 | 154 | 16 | 10 |
| Jul | 23.0 | 14.1 | 192 | 17 | 11 |
| Aug | 23.3 | 14.4 | 137 | 14 | 7 |
| Sept | 18.7 | 10.8 | 190 | 15 | 10 |
| Oct | 15.1 | 7.6 | 120 | 10 | 7 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 0.9 | 186 | 13 | 9 |
| Dec | 3.8 | -2.0 | 181 | 12 | 8 |
Source: Meteostat — Interlaken et la Jungfrau (Switzerland) station, 19.3 km away, 5 sample years. Monthly totals rebuilt from daily averages. Data partly modelled (Meteostat, DWD/met.no).
When to go
June to September, when the high trails and passes are open — and also the wettest stretch of the year, so go by the forecast. September still empties out once the school holidays end, at 18.7 °C and 189.7 mm. July and August are warmest at 23 °C and 23.3 °C but carry the crowds and the highest room rates. Before June, high trails and some passes stay closed by snow whatever the valley thermometer says. Winter is a separate, expensive ski season.
What to see in 2, 4 and 7 days
In 2 days
- Morning on one of the two lakes by steamer, choosing the turquoise one to the east for the shorter loop.
- Afternoon up the funicular to the viewpoint directly above town, for the two lakes in one frame.
- Second day on one mountain railway only, picked the evening before according to the forecast.
- Reserve the meadow in the town centre for the end of the day and watch the paragliders come down.
- Buy mountain transport tickets at the station, not online packages: you will want to change plans by weather.
In 4 days
- First day split between a lake steamer in the morning and the funicular viewpoint above town in the afternoon.
- Second day given to one mountain railway only, chosen the previous evening from the forecast, starting early on whichever morning looks clearest.
- Third day in the waterfall valley south of town, walking the flat floor between the cliffs.
- Take the cable car up to the car-free village on the western shelf and walk the balcony path.
- Fourth day on the ridge walk above the eastern village, a classic and entirely signposted.
- Keep one full rest day in reserve. With rain on roughly three days a week here, you will want the flexibility.
In 7 days
- Days 1 to 3 for the lakes, the local viewpoint and one high ridge, building up altitude gradually.
- Day 4 for the railway to the high station inside the mountains, and only if the sky is clear.
- Day 5 sleeping a night in a village above the valley, which is a different trip from commuting up daily.
- Day 6 to the lakeside castle town to the west, or the federal capital beyond it for a city day.
- Day 7 walking a valley trail you have only seen from a train window, at your own pace.
- Spread the expensive ascents: one high railway is an event, three in a week is an accounting problem.
Getting there and around
Bern (BRN) is the closest airport at 37 km, but most travellers arrive via Zurich (ZRH) at 100 km or Basel (BSL) at 105 km, both connected to the valley by direct or single-change trains. This is a place to arrive by rail: two stations serve the town, east and west, and the mountain lines, lake steamers and cable cars all connect to them. A car is close to useless here — several villages are car-free, parking is scarce and expensive, and the regional transport passes cover the network far better than a boot full of luggage does.
Nearest airports
- BRNBern Airport37 km from the centre
- ZRHZurich Airport100 km from the centre
- BSLEuroAirport Swiss105 km from the centre
Budget
Country price level compared with France : +55 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
No European destination priced here comes out dearer than Switzerland. Plan accordingly. Hotels in season ask 150 to 280 € for an ordinary double room, and a day of eating comes to 60 to 110 € per person — far less if you buy lunch from a supermarket and eat it at altitude, as most Swiss walkers do. The real budget line is not accommodation but mountain transport: a single high ascent can cost as much as a night's room, so choose one or two and consider a regional pass.
Common mistakes
- Treating the town as the attraction. Interlaken is a junction; the reason to come is what the trains reach from it.
- Booking the highest railway for a fixed day months ahead and going up into cloud. Keep it flexible and watch the sky.
- Arriving in May expecting high trails. Snow closes them well after the valley has warmed past 16 °C.
- Underestimating the cost of mountain transport, which on a week's stay routinely exceeds the hotel bill itself.
- Bringing a car. Several villages above the valley are car-free and parking below them is limited and costly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the high mountain railway worth the price?
Only in clear weather, and that is the whole answer. It is the most expensive single outing of a Swiss trip, and in cloud you pay it for a white window. Keep the day flexible, check the mountain webcams the morning of, and if the sky is closed, spend the money on two cable cars and a ridge walk instead.
Should I stay in Interlaken or up in the villages?
Interlaken is cheaper, flat, better served and lets you switch valleys freely. The villages above are quieter, closer to the trailheads and far better in the evening and early morning, when the day-trippers have gone. A good compromise on four nights is two below and two above, which costs one hotel change and transforms the trip.
Does it rain a lot?
Yes, in volume and in frequency alike: 1,720.8 mm a year over 154 days with at least 1 mm. That works out at roughly three wet days a week, and the wettest month is July, with 191.7 mm across 17 days. Even February, the month with the fewest wet days, records 89.1 mm over 9 of them. Plan by forecast rather than by season, and keep one flexible day.
Updated on 21 September 2026