Where to Stay in Interlaken: Höheweg, Unterseen and Ost Compared

Because the built-up floor of Interlaken and neighbouring Unterseen stretches two kilometres from west to east across the flat Bödeli plain, wherever you sleep puts you within a twenty-minute walk of both railway stations. Even so, the town divides into three distinct lodging neighbourhoods, plus a quiet lakeside hamlet on Lake Thun, each suited to a different style of trip.

Deciding where to base yourself comes down to whether you prioritise historic boulevard grandeur facing the snow peaks, immediate platform access for early-morning mountain trains, or a quiet medieval square beside the river. Because the entire valley floor is level and served by frequent municipal buses, every neighbourhood stays well connected from early morning until late evening.

1. Höheweg and Höhematte: Grand Views and Central Strolls

Running along the northern edge of the 35-acre Höhematte park, the Höheweg is Interlaken's historic hotel boulevard. Staying here means stepping out of your lobby directly onto the walnut-lined avenue with an open sightline south to the 4,158-metre Jungfrau. At Höheweg 41 stands the five-star Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, created by joining the 1865 Hotel Victoria and 1864 Hotel Jungfrau behind an 1899 domed central pavilion. Further east next to the Japanese Garden and Schloss Interlaken stands the Hotel Interlaken, whose tavern roots beside the former cloister courthouse go back to a late-14th-century guesthouse remodelled in 1491, where Lord Byron and composer Felix Mendelssohn stayed during their Bernese Oberland travels. Choose the central Höheweg if you want equal 10-minute walks to both Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost.

South-facing balconies along this central strip look straight across the protected green meadow where paragliders land throughout the day. Guests staying here enjoy immediate access to park benches, the historic Kursaal gardens, and a wide selection of dining rooms and cafes without sacrificing proximity to either rail hub.

2. Interlaken Ost Quarter: Early Trains to the High Alps

The eastern end of the Höheweg around Interlaken Ost station and the left bank of the Aare is the most practical base if your itinerary focuses on early-morning departures for Jungfraujoch, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, or Schynige Platte. From hotels and timber chalets along the eastern Höheweg (such as the historic timber-built properties near Höheweg 197), you can walk in five minutes to the BOB mountain railway platforms, the Lake Brienz steamer pier, the Harderbahn funicular across the Aare, and a large supermarket opposite the station.

Sleeping at the eastern gateway is especially convenient for hikers and rail enthusiasts who want to catch morning cogwheel connections into the high valleys before midday clouds form, or who plan to arrive late in the afternoon on the scenic Zentralbahn train from Lucerne.

3. Unterseen Old Town, Neuhaus and Wilderswil

Just north of Interlaken West across the Aare channels and Spielmatte island, Unterseen offers family-run inns and guesthouses around the cobbled 1279 Stadthausplatz, the 1471 Reformed Church tower, and quiet residential lanes facing the wooded Harder ridge. Three kilometres west at the mouth of the Lombach on Lake Thun (linked in ten minutes by STI bus line 21 from Interlaken West), lakeside properties at Neuhaus sit right beside the bathing lawn, boat pier, and Weissenau nature reserve. Alternatively, staying four minutes south by BOB train in the village of Wilderswil (584 metres) places you at the foot of the 1893 Schynige Platte railway with direct rail links into both alpine valleys, and every overnight guest in the region receives the local Visitor's Card for free bus travel across the Bödeli.

4. Comparing Valley Floor Bases with Mountain Villages

Many travellers debate whether to sleep on the Bödeli floodplain in Interlaken or higher up in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, or Grindelwald. Staying on the valley floor in Interlaken gives you direct access to both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz steamers, faster mainline train connections to Bern, Lucerne, and Zurich, and easy rainy-day pivots when the high peaks are socked in by clouds, while still keeping the mountain valleys less than half an hour away by rail.

5. Making the Most of the Local Visitor's Card

Upon check-in at any hotel, hostel, guesthouse, or holiday apartment in Interlaken, Unterseen, or Wilderswil, you receive a personal guest card valid for the duration of your stay. It covers local bus lines and standard rail hops between Interlaken West, Interlaken Ost, and neighbouring municipal stops, allowing you to ride back to your hotel effortlessly after a long day on the trails.

6. Practical Luggage and Room Selection Advice

When booking along the central Höheweg, requesting a south-facing room on an upper floor rewards you with direct views across the Höhematte toward the snow-capped Jungfrau, whereas north-facing rooms look toward the forested wall of the Harder ridge. Travellers arriving by train before afternoon room check-in can drop their suitcases at their hotel reception desk or use the station lockers at West and Ost to head straight out onto the lakes.

Any of these valley neighbourhoods you select, the compact scale and flat terrain of the Bödeli guarantee that you are never isolated from the wider transport network. A morning walk from a quiet guesthouse on Unterseen's cobbled square across the Aare weirs to Interlaken West takes barely five minutes, while a stroll from a grand boulevard hotel along the Höhematte brings you smoothly to either station platform. Travellers who prefer falling asleep to the sound of lapping waves can choose the lakeside inns at Neuhaus on Lake Thun or Bönigen on Lake Brienz and rely on frequent municipal buses covered by the guest card to reach the mountain trains each morning. By matching your accommodation zone to your daily priorities, from early cogwheel departures at Interlaken Ost and direct Jungfrau views on a central balcony to village charm in Wilderswil, you set up an effortless, comfortable base for exploring the entire Bernese Oberland. Booking well ahead for peak summer months and autumn foliage weeks ensures the widest choice of south-facing rooms and riverfront chalets across the municipality, giving you a peaceful place to unwind each evening after riding the cogwheel railways and lake steamers across the valley and surrounding alpine peaks of the region.