1. Harder Kulm
The views over Interlaken and both lakes from the Harder are spectacular. Beyond the bridge over the Aare River, next to the Harder Alpine Wildlife Park, the Harder-Kulm funicular climbs at a 64-degree gradient up the Harder to an altitude of 1,322 meters.
From the Art Nouveau-style Panorama Restaurant at its top are magnificent views of the Jungfrau area, Interlaken, and the lakes. You can return along forest paths via the Hardermannli lookout pavilion at 1,116 meters and the Hohbühl pavilion, where there is a memorial to the composers Mendelssohn, Wagner, and Weber.
Stop at the Harder Alpine Wildlife Park to see marmots and ibexes. The latter, once a common denizen of the Alps, had become extinct in Switzerland by the early 1900s. This park was created to re-introduce the ibex, and the breeding was so successful that within a few years they were able to begin reintroducing these beautiful creatures into the wild.
2. Höhematte Park & the Höheweg
An area of 14 hectares in the heart of Interlaken that belonged to the Augustinian convent was acquired in 1860 by a group of 37 hotel owners and private citizens to be left as an open space, a remarkable example of farseeing town planning.
Through its length runs the Höheweg, a splendid avenue between the east and west rail stations that affords a magnificent view of the Jungfrau, surrounded by hotels and flower-beds. Alongside it is the Kursaal, with a theater and a café and beautiful gardens with a flower clock, as well as a number of hotels, including the 150-year-old Victoria Jungfrau Hotel, itself a local landmark.
Next to the Hotel Interlaken, you'll find the small Garden of Friendship, the first Japanese garden in Switzerland, a peaceful spot with flowering plants, water, and koi carp.
The park is the preferred landing spot for hang gliders - one of the most popular of the many adventures you can enjoy in Interlaken. For the less adventurous, horse-drawn carriages park along the street in front of the park.
In the winter, the Höhematte transforms into Ice Magic, with five rinks connected by ice ramps. Rinks are for all levels of skater, with an ice-skating rink that's comfortable for beginners, but with plenty of space for faster skaters and a curling rink where you can try your hand at this sport that's very popular in Switzerland.
3. Hike the Schynige Platte Trails
From Wilderswil, a five-minute walk from the Interlaken Ost railway station, you can take a rack-railroad that has been carrying sightseers up to the Schynige Platte since it opened in 1893. The hour-long ride is a series of ever-changing Alpine panoramas, and at the top, you'll find one of the finest panoramic views of the Alps, encompassing the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks as well as Lake Thun.
The views get even better from the trails that begin at the top. The easiest of these, with a succession of spectacular views, is the 45-minute hike to the Daube Viewpoint. Lake Thun lies far below, surrounded by snowcapped peaks. Take a picnic and savor the moment before continuing the rest of the loop, bringing you back to the Schynige Platte station.
The Oberburghorn Trail continues from the Daube Viewpoint, making an even longer -- about three-kilometer - loop along a mountain ridge with 360-degree views. This easy-to-moderate trail is fairly level, and the views are even better than the shorter loop. There's a steep wooden staircase to the viewpoint at the very top, well worth the climb. A third loop, the Loucherhorn Trail, adds about three kilometers and more views, circling a bit lower past green Alpine meadows and grazing Brown Swiss cows.
Near the station is a beautiful Alpine Garden, with 600 species of flowers and other plants that can survive and thrive in this high-altitude environment. If you're lucky there may be locals playing traditional Swiss Alphorns at the Schynige Platte station.
4. Cross the Panoramabrücke Sigriswil (Sigriswil Panorama Bridge)
The view down into the Gummischlucht gorge, 182 meters (600 feet) below, as you cross the new suspension footbridge is one you won't forget. The bridge above Lake Thun is 330 meters (more than 1,000 feet) long, and one of three suspension bridges on the popular Lake Thun Panoramic Circular Trail connecting mountain and shoreline paths around the lake.
Panoramic views from the bridge and trail include the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, and surrounding peaks of the Bernese Alps. The villages of Sigriswil and Aeschlen, at either end of the suspension bridge, are both charming places to visit, as well.
5. St. Beatus Cave and Waterfalls
More than one kilometer of walkways lead through the chambers and passageways of these hillside caves, where legend holds that a dragon took shelter when hunted by the monk, Beatus, whose hermitage was nearby.
But the geology is no legend, and you can tour these underground caverns to see mirror lakes, underground waterfalls, stalactites, and stalagmites accompanied by a guide or at your own speed using a descriptive app. The entire area is quite beautiful, with a series of waterfalls cascading down the cliffs.
You can get here by bus from Interlaken (it's about a 10-minute walk from the bus stop) or by boat from Interlaken West station, but it's quite a steep climb from the lake to the caves.
Address: Sundlauenen, Interlaken
Official site: www.beatushoehlen.swiss/en
6. Unterseen
The Marktgasse runs northwest from the Interlaken post office and across the Spielmatten islands and the river to the little hamlet of Unterseen, at the foot of Mt. Harder. This is one of several villages that form Interlaken, and in this old part of town is the 1471 parish church, with a Late Gothic tower.
In this neighborhood, you'll find some beautiful wooden chalets of the kind you'd expect to see in tiny mountain villages, not in a busy resort center like Interlaken. Set in green gardens, these may even have farm animals grazing on the lawns. Small restaurants around the pretty Stadthausplatz serve traditional Swiss dishes.
7. Paragliding
You won't be in Interlaken long before you'll see the bright colored parachutes of paragliders in the sky or landing in the Höhematte Park. Flying through the Alpine air with a 360-degree panorama of snow-covered Alps above the lakes and lush green meadows is an unforgettable experience. It's no wonder it is one of the most popular things to do in Interlaken.
You'll have your choice of several paragliding outfitters, and if this is your first flight, you will be paired with an experienced guide. Try a Tandem Paragliding Experience from Interlaken. Taking to the air is simple: from a mountainside slope, you simply run downhill until the wind lifts you off the ground. The mountains are all around, and Interlaken stretches below as you glide.
Those who prefer their aerial adventures a little closer to the ground can find thrills at the Interlaken Ropes Park, where ziplines, swings, wooden bridges, and rope courses provide fun for families in a forest setting.
8. Swiss Open-Air Museum Ballenberg
A 20-minute drive or 40-minute train ride from Interlaken is one of Europe's finest living history museums. Ballenberg spreads across 124 acres of alpine countryside in a series of village and farmstead groups representing different Swiss regions and their traditional ways of life.
Historic houses, barns, shops, and other buildings were brought here from their original sites, with their furniture, decorations, utensils, and implements. Old crafts and traditional customs are revived here, and in a visit, you may see everything from woodcarving and cooperage to lace- and cheese-making demonstrations.
The homes represent all styles from the most modest cabins and rustic farmhouses to elegant homes of the well-to-do, but the focus is on how people lived, how they produced their own goods, and how they traded and shared within their communities. Special exhibits may examine one facet of life in detail, such as child labor on farms or a particular craft and its evolution.
You could easily spend an entire day seeing all the buildings and exhibits in this fascinating look back in time. Ask at the Interlaken Tourist Office for information on packages that include boat and bus travel from Interlaken to Ballenberg.
Address: Museumsstrasse 131, Hofstetten bei Brienz
Official site: www.ballenberg.ch
9. Cruise on Lake Thun
On the west side of Interlaken is Lake Thun, a long, narrow lake surrounded by mountains. The best way to explore the lake is on one of the cruise boats that operate from Interlaken year-round or in the summer on the beautifully restored historic paddle steamer.
At the western end of the lake, you can stop in Thun with its medieval Old Town and lakeside castle with a striking keep that overlooks the lake. It was built in 1191 and enlarged in 1492, and today houses a historical museum with 14th-century arms and armor, tapestries, furniture, and prehistoric and Roman artifacts.
Other castles and several Romanesque churches are in villages that dot the shore of Lake Thun. Schloss Shadau, easy to spot right on the water, is a smaller replica of Chateau Azay-le-Rideau, on the Loire in France.
10. Kayak on Lake Brienz
On Interlaken's east side is Lake Brienz, a narrow body of water that's really an enlargement of the valley of the River Aare. Lying between the limestone ridge of the Brienzer Grat and the Faulhorn mountains, it is seven meters higher than Lake Thun, on Interlaken's west side.
Like Lake Thun, Brienz is popular with boaters of all sorts, and you can rent kayaks, row boats, and pedalos to explore the lakes on your own. Or you can see the lake from one of the five boats that connect Interlaken to towns around its wooded shores.
The most atmospheric of these boats is the restored steamer the Lötschberg, built in 1914; other boats offer special dining cruises with Swiss food specialties.