We are thinking of doing a train trip end of August/beginning of September, for our 34th anniversary. It consists of a return ticket from the Netherlands to Interlaken, hotel for three nights and a ticket for the Jungfraujoch.

I have never done a long train journey but since we can pick up the ICE in Utrecht only half an hour away it seems like an interesting thing to do, better than half our time being taken up with airports in any case.
I know nothing about Interlaken though. I know we effectively have only one day there since the Jungfraujoch is included in the price and takes up a day but what is Interlaken like?

It costs €629pp including a 4* hotel, and seems a reasonable deal.

Interlaken itself is rather touristy, but there are plenty of lovey places which are extremely easy to visit from Interlaken, on the lakes or in the mountains. One possible downside with your package is if the day allotted to the Jungfrau is cloudy, then you won't get the best out of the trip - and you can't tell ahead of time.

Interlaken is a town situated between the Lakes of Thun and Brienz and at the foot of the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. It's more or less the gateway to the BO, but it's very busy, very touristy, and I place I prefer to avoid.

The best of the Berner Oberland is ABOVE Interlaken, in Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen and Murren, but you can certainly reach all easily enough from Interlaken.

Hi hetismij,

I agree with the posters above. The tour busses descend on Interlaken and deposit the dozens of passengers on the streets of Interlaken. The best way to avoid these crowds is to head for the car-free towns above, either Wengen or Mürren (Grindelwald is just as touristy because the tour busses can also get there).

Have fun!

s

I plan to stay in Interlaken next year (hopefully, we'll get to go then) for 3 nights because our group will prefer having more dining and evening entertainment options, and because we want to do more visits that start or connect in Interlaken.

We are planning one day for the Schilthorn/Murren area, one day for Lake Brienz cruise and visit to the Ballenberg outdoor museum. We'll be coming by train from Luzern and returning to Zurich, both of which connect in Interlaken. Planning on staying at Hotel Splendid in Interlaken.

http://www.interlaken.ch/index.php?id=53&L=3
http://www.splendid.ch/
http://www.ballenberg.ch/
http://www.bls.ch/e/schifffahrt/fahrplan.php
http://www.schilthorn.ch/en/

Thanks everyone. I now have to decide if I can face such a long train trip. My husband likes the idea but has now said he would quite like to go to Dublin. Grrr.

Luckily we have a bit of time to make up our minds.

Men are hopeless, aren't they?

Actually, if I were you, I'd actually keep the Interlaken area for a longer trip later on if you can, because there's lots to see in the area, and you don't have to worry about your one and only day up the Jungfrau being cloudy; and also if you're not tied to a special deal you could stay out of central Interlaken, which would be nicer.

I agree with the above comments. How many times have I been in Interlaken? Depends on how you count it. Ten trips to the area and in and out of Interlaken several times during each stay. If you have a bag full of money, one of the 5 star hotels would be most luxurious.

I don't have that kind of loot so I stay in Lauterbrunnen which is within view of the snow capped peaks, including the Jungfrau -- if it is not socked in with clouds.

Your best train travel time from Utrecht CS is 8 hours, 22 minutes. There is one change of trains in Basel.

Would I do it? Probably. Dublin is a little more interesting but to get there from Utrecht I think you would need to fly.

Aer Lingus and Easy Jet have flights from Amsterdam, so you would have the delay of getting to the Schipohl airport to make the trip.

stay at the beau rivage take a boat trip have fish fondue