Interlaken. This is a very well known city in the Alpine Region of Switzerland. It's kind of the gateway to the Alps and sits in between the lakes. The lakes being Brienz and Thun. The in between is the flatland of Interlaken. The views from this city to the surrounding lakes and mountains is unmatched. It is another one of the most scenic places on Earth.
One of the best parts of Interlaken is the convenience. There are trains stopping in this burg every ten minutes or so. There are always a barrage of taxis and carriages at the train station to get the travelers where they're going. It seemed to me that everyone in that city spoke English too, which is great for us Americans. One of the important things for Americans traveling in Europe tends to be areas where people speak English. I don't subscribe to the idea that everyone should be able to speak my language, which is why I speak a few; but a lot of Americans never learn a second or third language and they need that gap bridged. Otherwise the only option that they have for travel is a guided tour. Guided tours are fine, but I like the freedom of independent travel. So, let's review. If you don't speak other languages, traveling to a beautiful area of Switzerland where most people already speak English is a good thing.
One of the amazing things about Interlaken is its variety of experiences. This is a modern city with all the shopping that you could imagine. This is a city with modern transportation and one of the most advanced train systems coming in and out of it. But, it also has turn of the century (19th into 20th century) buildings and horse and carriages on the streets. There are great modern boat tours to take on the lake as well as older sailing boat tours. There are mountain roads for you to drive to the summits in some areas and in others there are centuries old funiculars. It's an amazingly diverse atmosphere with highly contrasting experiences.
In Interlaken you will find everything that you might want to purchase on your trip to Switzerland. You can buy all kinds of modern things at Claire's Boutique or the Swatch Store. But, you can also buy traditional liederhosen. There's a wide variety. You can visit the cleverly camouflaged modern water closet underneath the street, but you can also stay in a grand old hotel. You never run out of options.
One of the things that I loved about Interlaken was the people. It was a place where you needed to go while staying in the Bernese Oberland like we were. The smaller towns don't have all the touristy shopping and restaurants that you find in Interlaken. The people of Interlaken seemed to expect to see all of us that were actually traveling to other places, but did our shopping and such there. They seemed to enjoy listening to our stories of our travels. It probably bored them to tears in reality, but they acted as though they were enthralled. The people that I met in Interlaken were friendly, helpful, and never seemed to take themselves too seriously. They wanted to help. I found that you could book one of the mountain tours of the area, and the lake tours and all kinds of tours from agencies in Interlaken. For an extra 10 ch you could book anything right there in the city and be all set when you arrived on site at your attraction. Very convenient. The Swiss know how to make tourism convenient, and that makes lots of tourists want to visit. The country is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, but you throw in major convenience and it will be a booming tourism industry.
Another thing that you will find in Interlaken is all your American fall backs. There's McDonald's, Best Western, Baskin Robbins and so forth. It's all there if you don't like to try the local things while abroad. I do advocate trying the local fare and hotels while in Switzerland, however. The food was great everywhere I went, and if you like cheese and pork; you will love this country. I also would not have traded my experience with the hotel that we stayed in in Lauterbrunnen. We stayed at the Staubbach Hotel, and it was a fabulous experience. I still keep in touch with friends that I made while I was there. So, do it your way, but try something different. Fall backs are great, but adventure is great too.
To be honest, we only spent a day once and an afternoon another day in Interlaken. What I can say is that it was a great day and a half. There are a lot of day tour type things to do, both on the lakes and in the mountains. The shopping is great from giant flea markets to stores that remind you of Walmart to antiques, to traditional Swiss items, to watches, and beyond. One of the best things that I did in Interlaken was to sit at an outside cafe and eat and watch what went on before me. It was one of the best people watching experiences I ever had. It's a stop on the train or on the road. It's the place where you do your shopping and see some sights. It's that place where you get your supplies or catch your next train. It's full of wonderful people and grand old buildings. If you need a fix of American, you can get that there too. I wouldn't have missed seeing the touristy Interlaken. Would I visit again? I visited twice the last time I was in Switzerland. Of course I would. It's a great place, and if you run into some weather, which is always a possibility in Switzerland; this is your place to see a show or a movie or go on a pub crawl. There are so many reasons to stop off in Interlaken that you should give it a try. Enjoy!
http://www.wheretogowhattosee.com/switzerland/interlaken/excursionsFromInterlaken.php
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/cruises-lake-thun-and-lake-brienz.html
https://www.yatra.com/international-tourism/activities-in-interlaken/jet-boating
http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakebrienz
http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakethun
http://www.funimag.com/suisse/beatenberg01.htm
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/excursion-interlaken-heimwehfluh.html
http://thetrustedtraveller.com/things-to-do-in-interlaken/
http://swissvacations.com/pages/en/Interlaken.html
https://www.hotels.com/ho329182/hotel-interlaken-interlaken-switzerland/
https://www.raileurope.com/europe-travel-guide/switzerland/interlaken/index.html
http://www.magicswitzerland.com/activities/interlaken.htm
https://www.smartertravel.com/2017/02/09/interlaken-things-attractions-must-see/
https://www.alpenwild.com/trip/best-of-the-swiss-alps/overview/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Best%252520of%252520the%252520Swiss%252520Alps&utm_term=Jungfrau%252520Hiking%252520Tours&utm_content=Best%252520of%252520the%252520Alps
http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/articles/interlaken2.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3JbMUUilXk
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland/berner-oberland
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/switzerland/central-switzerland-and-berner-oberland/interlaken
https://www.booking.com/city/ch/interlaken.html
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/discover-interlaken.html
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/interlaken.html
http://www.visitacity.com/en/zurich/activities/all-activities?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Zurich%20Activities%20G3&utm_term=day%20trip%20to%20interlaken%20from%20zurich&utm_content=jungfrau%3FactivitiesCategoryId%3D9059&activitiesSearchByName=Jungfraujoch&activitiesSortBy=reviewersNum
https://www.swiss.com/us/EN/Book/Flight/sidkcy6?openJaw=False&WT.mc_id=SEA_US
http://www.interlakenfreetour.com/en
http://www.swissvacations.com/pages/en/Interlaken_Attractions.html
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/walking-tours-interlaken.html
http://www.pureswitzerland.com/index.php/offer/swiss-guided-tours
https://www.getyourguide.com/-n41/?partner_id=4E76E&cmp=BING&campaignid=285007258&adgroupid=1250144724737159&targetid=kwd-78134046093402&matchtype=b&network=o&device=c&creative=78134045466670&keyword=%252Bswitzerland%2520%252Btours&partner_id=CD951
https://www.duvine.com/tour/switzerland-bike-tour/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=*Europe%20(USA)&utm_term=%2BSwitzerland%20bike%20%2Btours&utm_content=Switzerland%20Bike%20Tours
https://www.toursbylocals.com/Switzerland-Tours?s=BA_02_051B_%2Btouring%20%2Bswitzerland&utm_source=MSAC&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=02_051B
https://www.goaheadtours.com/tours/europe-tours/switzerland-tours?countries=switzerland&k_clickid=1c2762f7-e1f1-45cf-8fcd-378fffb0ef05&mt=b&popup=slider®ions=europe&utm_campaign=US_GAT_Western_Europe&utm_device=c&utm_group=Switzerland_Tours&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_term=%2Btours+%2Bswitzerland
https://www.affordabletours.com/Switzerland/?utm_content=8672641465&utm_term=%2Bswitzerland%20%2Btours&utm_campaign=Tours&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&bquery=tours%20interlaken%20switzerland&bmatchtype=b&borderitemid=118013975944&badid=8672641465&device=c
http://www.hoteltravel.com/switzerland/interlaken/interlaken-public-transport.htm
https://www.makemytrip.com/holidays-international/transportation-in-interlaken.html
https://www.holidayme.com/Interlaken-tourism-CT31043/transportation
http://www.hoteltravel.com/switzerland/interlaken/guides/transport.htm
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/information-and-journey-to-interlaken/nightlife-in-interlaken.html
http://www.jungfraupark.ch/en/
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/switzerland/interlaken/entertainment/
http://www.hostelworld.com/blog/city-guide-interlaken-switzerland
https://www.trivago.com/?sLanguageLocale=US&iSemThemeId=4221&iPathId=47493&sem_keyword=b%26b%20Interlaken&sem_creativeid=75522721361680&sem_matchtype=bb&sem_network=s&sem_device=c&sem_campaignid=180518736&sem_adgroupid=2530049457&sem_targetid=116205238889&cip=122004022
http://www.hoteltravel.com/switzerland/interlaken/shopping-in-interlaken.htm
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/information-and-journey-to-interlaken/shopping-and-services-interlaken-holiday-region.html
https://www.smartertravel.com/2017/02/27/interlaken-shopping-shops-stores-best-buys-inside-tips/
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/interlaken/restaurants/overview
https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurants/Restaurants-Interlaken-3800-Bern-Switzerland
http://www.rugenpark.ch/interlaken/en/interlaken_restaurants.htm
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y17BJP8
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520990944
https://www.createspace.com/7059989
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B06Y1C2MS7
https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=the+ring+of+the+queen
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
https://www.zazzle.com/imagings
https://terri-dixon.pixels.com/
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred
https://www.facebook.com/adventuresforanyone?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/NinaKindred
