Best Summer Hikes Near Interlaken

Whenever we have visitors, the top itinerary request is always Switzerland. Seriously, out of all the groups that have passed through our house in Stuttgart, every single one has mentioned wanting to go to Switzerland. Honestly, I don’t blame them. Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited, but you need to know where to go if you’re trying to have your Sound of Music in the mountains moment.

One of my favorite areas to hike and explore is a small town nestled deep in the Swiss Alps called Interlaken. Interlaken owes it’s name to the the fact that it is situated between two, large turquoise lakes. For three days over the July holiday weekend, we enjoyed sun-soaked days trekking through the lush forests, serenaded by the ringing bells of the dairy cows grazing in the alpine meadows. Now that you have a visual, let’s dive into the details of the weekend. After all, you’re probably going to add this to your travel wish list once you’re finished reading.

Stats

LOCATION
Kandersteg and Interlaken
Canton of Bern, Switzerland

WHERE WE STAYED
Blümlisalp

WHEN & HOW MANY DAYS
Four nights in July

Day One: UNESCO Views at Oeschinensee

The main reason we stayed in Kandersteg was because I wanted to do the Oeschinensee Panorama hike. The hike is about 8.5 kilometers (a little over 5 miles) and has about 570 meters (1,870 feet) of elevation change, if one takes the gondola from Kandersteg to the trailhead. I voted that we hike out from our hotel, but (thankfully) Mark talked me into taking the gondola… for the puppies. This ended up being a great decision since there wasn’t much of a trail from the town up to the trailhead, and the day was incredibly hot and sunny.

Much of the elevation was at the beginning of the trail. Lucy was so excited she practically dragged Mark and Jackson up the entire mountain. Once the elevation leveled off, Oeschinensee was in view the entire hike. The water was the most beautiful shade of turquoise that we didn’t even edit the photos we took of it. The trail was extreme narrow with a sharp drop off on one side. I’m thankful that I’ve been consistently challenging my fear of heights and was able to do the hike without too much panic. I did have to stop to take pictures, which I did frequently, so I wouldn’t get vertigo. Mark helped tremendously by taking both of the dogs during this portion.

As we started our descent, all we could hear was the clanging of bells. Every autumn, villages across Austria, Switzerland, and Germany host cow parades to celebrate the alpine cows coming home for the winter, but during the summer, the cows are allowed to graze freely on the mountainside. The cows were my favorite part of this hike, and the dogs’ least favorite. For whatever reason, Jackson is not a fan of horses and cows, so we had a hard time taking the pictures we wanted while keeping him calm. A few of the cows showed a little too much interest in getting closer to him.

After our hike, we stopped at the little restaurant overlooking the lake for some burgers and beer and called it a successful first full day in the Swiss Alps.

Day Two: Casual Hiking around Kandersteg

In true overachiever fashion, I had us slated for an 8 mile hike in Grindelwald (another town about 40 minutes away) the second day we were in Switzerland. (I seriously have no chill… not even on vacation.) Citing our elderly dogs’ needs to recharge, Mark asked for a rest day, reassuring me that this won’t be the last time we are in this area. Reluctantly, I agreed and spent the morning sipping coffee and knitting on our balcony with an incredible view. Sometimes Mark knows what I need a little bit better than I do.

The weather was perfect in the afternoon so we used Komoot, the German version of AllTrails, to find a chill little walking route around the village. Since the trail was less busy than Oeschinensee, the dogs were able to run off leash and splash around in the stream by our hotel.

Day Three: Into Interlaken for Strolls about Town & A Lot of Chocolate

The weather predicted rain on and off all day, so we decided to head to Interlaken and walk around. The town is called Interlaken because it is literally sandwiched in-between two turquoise lakes, Thunersee and Brienzersee. After purchasing a bunch of truffles from Läderach, we headed towards Brienzersee, following the footpath along Aare, the narrow stream connecting the two lakes.

Once we got to the furthest point away from the town, it began to downpour. We took shelter at The Beach, a little surf shop that served drinks and snacks, and sipped coffee, waiting for it to blow over while the dogs received many pets from the kids in the café. I love how dog-friendly everything is in Europe. Unlike the states, dogs of all sizes are allowed pretty much everywhere; you can even eat with them inside most restaurants. Since our dogs are large and have zero concept of what a walkway is, we still usually sit outside if it’s nice.

As we enjoyed another round of drinks, we noticed the rain didn’t look like it was going to stop any time soon. We decided to make the soggy trek back to town, stopping in bus shelters when the rain started coming down more heavily and walking as fast as we could when it would taper to a drizzle.

After drying off, we hit the road to head back north to Stuttgart. We stopped in Thun on the way since I found a cute little yarn shop, and I must always visit the yarn shops on our travels. Thun proved to be just as adorable as Interlaken and we found ourselves making plans to revisit during Christmas market season.

Since our long weekend in Interlaken, I’ve been looking for any excuse to go back and tackle more hikes with our adventure hounds. Even though this trip was short, it left just enough of a taste to have us longing to explore more.

Whether you're a seasoned hiker eager for your next challenge or a casual wanderer in search of tranquil views and quiet cups of coffee by the lake, Interlaken has something for everyone. And if you love taking your furry friends on adventures, you'll find the trails here as welcoming to paws as they are to boots!

Have you ever visited the Swiss Alps, or has Interlaken now made its way onto your travel bucket list? Share your experiences or future plans in the comments below—I'd love to hear what you think and which part of our adventure you’d be most excited to embark on!

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