Everything I did in Interlaken, Switzerland!

​Overview: I just enjoyed Interlaken so so much, and it felt so good to ski again. The weather was honestly so gorgeous it was like 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit but super sunny, so it felt warmer. The combination of mountains, lakes, sun, and the antique village blended perfectly into one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life. I took a Smart Trip here, so my friends and I paid a flat fee for the bus ride from Florence and the hostel accommodation. We stayed in the Funny Farm/Mattenhof Resort, and I found it to be much nicer than the hostel we stayed in Scotland. There were seven of my friends, and we were paired with three other girls our age in a room of twelve beds. I definitely had more space than in Scotland, the beds were comfier, and we still had a bathroom attached to our room. I would definitely recommend this hostel to anyone staying in Interlaken, as it was clean, I felt safe, and close to the downtown area.

Day 1: Friday, February 28, 2025

1. Hostel breakfast and walk around town

​Included in the Smart Trip package, we were provided breakfast at the hostel. It included fresh sourdough, butter, jam, cold cuts, cheese, oranges, yogurt, cereal, and a coffee machine. I actually enjoyed this breakfast and it helped me save money by eating a large breakfast instead of multiple meals out each day since Switzerland is known to be so expensive. The first day, we ate our breakfast and then explored Interlaken by foot. ​

2. Harder Kulm hike attempt

Some of my friends were paragliding, so our group split mid-day. Those of us who were not paragliding decided to attempt the Harder Kulm hike (keyword attempt). The hike was labeled intermediate, and I will say it was a steep ascent. I even broke a sweat and hiked in just my t-shirt for a while. Once we had been hiking for an hour already, we looked at our map and realized the restaurant at the top of the mountain was closed and so was the train down to he bottom. We were only about halfway to the top and did not want to turn the hike into a four-hour excursion. Thus, we decided to turn around, but still considered it a success as we got in a workout and some great views.

3. Funky Chocolate Club ​

After the hike, we decided to reward ourselves with a sweet treat. Ashley, Diana, and I split a Belgian waffle with chocolate and strawberries!

Belgian waffle at Funky Chocolate Club

4. Lunch at Bistro Bella Ciao

We were still hungry, so we went to this cafe that our trip leaders recommended. The owner, Jacob, was SO nice and even gave us some complimentary focaccia with three different spreads. I got the salmon poke bowl, and it was hands down the best poke bowl I’ve ever had. It was so pretty, and the ingredients tasted so fresh. I would rate this place a 10/10!!!

Best poke bowl ever!

5. Haarige Kuh Brewery tour

One of the excursions offered by Smart Trip was a brewery tour. For 35€, a few of my friends and I decided to give it a shot. We were also particularly interested in this one since it was owned by two Scottish men (hence, the “hairy coo” name), and we were just in Scotland last week. They gave us a welcome beer, and then we got to sample any of their other variations after showing us their brewing and packaging processes. We enjoyed the beer and also met some others studying abroad in Florence!

6. Snack at Irish Pub

One of my friends wanted dinner, so we stopped at this pub near our hostel. The service was really fast, and her burger looked good. The rest of us split some potatoes with garlic aioli and they were YUM. So fa,r the Switzerland food has my approval.

Day 2: Saturday, March 1, 2025

1. Breakfast and train

It’s ski day!!! Before we hit the slopes, we made sure to eat a huge breakfast at the hostel to avoid buying pricey mountain food. We then took the public bus to the train station, where we bought our lift ticket. This got us on both the train and the mountain.

2. Rentals

Getting the rentals was much easier than I thought. We were even able to rent pants, a jacket, gloves, and a helmet, along with equipment, all for about $110. Once we got these, we took the bus to the more beginner-friendly mountain, called First. ​

3. Ski at Grindewald

I am SO happy that I decided to ski because it was one of the most peaceful skiing days I’ve ever had. We stayed on mostly blue slopes (beginner), and some reds (moderate). I loved how wide the slopes were so that I could make lots of turns, go slow, and really take in the views. Even though it was a Saturday, it didn’t feel extremely crowded. ​

Me skiing in the Alps!

4. Cliff walk

The mountain had an attraction called the “Cliff Walk,” which was basically a bridge suspended on the side of a cliff and attached to a restaurant. In the middle of the day, we took a break from skiing and explored the cliff walk. If you have a fear of heights, this is definitely not something to do, and it made me a little nervous in my ski boots. Really cool concept though!

5. Après Ski Bus Stop Bar

The slope we took to the bottom dropped us off directly at this après ski bar. I have skied a decent amount in my life and have never been the age to experience après ski, and it was really fun! Even our friends who weren’t skiing met up with us there for a drink. From there, we hopped on a bus back to return our rentals. This is where I noticed the Saturday crowds because it was a fight to get a spot on that bus back to the village.

6. Dinner at X-Port Pizzeria

At this point, we all needed a good meal after a long day of skiing. We headed back to the hostel and stopped at this restaurant nearby. It seemed like a lot of other study abroad students had the same idea. I got a fried chicken sandwich, and it was MASSIVE. This isn’t something I would normally order, but I liked it. I would rate this place a 6.8/10. ​

7. Bars

The bar in our hostel had a happy hour deal, so we stopped there for about an hour. I kind of felt like I was in a kids' club, but it was goofy and fun at the same time. Then, we met up with some others at Jamming Corner. Jacob, who was our awesome server at Bistro Bella Ciao, was the owner and said hi to us!

Day 3: Sunday, March 2, 2025

1. Breakfast

Again, hostel breakfast didn’t disappoint! After we ate, we came back and packed up for check-out at 11 am.

2. Lake Brienz

We took the bus to the lake, which was bright blue and genuinely one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my entire life!! We spent about an hour here taking pictures and enjoying the lovely sunny weather. ​

Beautiful Lake Brienz

3. Souvenirs, coffee, lunch

Lastly, we only had a few hours before our bus back to Florence, so we walked around the town looking for postcards and souvenirs. We stopped in Tchibo for coffee, and I got a Speculoos-flavored latte, which was so delicious. I was going to eat some food I had at the hostel, but two of my friends wanted another poke bowl from our favorite place, Bistro Bella Ciao. Jacob was the only one working and was pretty busy, but was still in great spirits! He gave us some free Prosecco while we waited, and taught me how to cut a mango. Ashley took a silly picture with him!

So much love to Interlaken, and I would absolutely love to come back someday!