Eco-Friendly Hotels in Interlaken — Your 2026 Guide to Sustainable Alpine Stays

Why Interlaken Is Built for Sustainable Adventure

The Jungfrau region was a pioneer in sustainable mountain tourism before the term existed. The Jungfrau Railway, completed in 1912 after 16 years of construction, bored through the Eiger's north face to reach 3,454 metres — Europe's highest railway station — and has run on electric power from day one. Today the entire Jungfrau Railways network (including the Wengernalpbahn, Schynige Platte, and Harder Kulm funicular) operates on Swiss hydroelectric power with a near-zero operational carbon footprint.

Interlaken itself banned cars from the town centre decades before it became fashionable. The Höheweg — the main boulevard connecting Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost stations — is a tree-lined pedestrian zone flanked by hotels, cafes, and a vast green meadow called the Höhematte, protected from development since 1860. The two railway stations serve as transport hubs: westbound trains to Bern and beyond, eastbound trains to Meiringen and the Brünig Pass, southbound trains splitting at Zweilütschinen for Lauterbrunnen (gateway to Mürren and Stechelberg) or Grindelwald (gateway to First and the Eiger).

Water is Interlaken's other superpower. Lake Thun and Lake Brienz are fed by glacial meltwater and maintained at drinking-water purity. Steamer services on both lakes function as public transport, connecting villages along shores that are otherwise accessible only on foot. The River Aare, connecting the two lakes through Interlaken, is a popular summer swimming route — locals float downstream through the town in the clear turquoise water, a zero-emission activity that's become a defining Interlaken experience.

Best Areas to Stay in Interlaken

Höheweg & Town Centre — The Classic Base

The Höheweg strip between the two stations is Interlaken's main artery — hotels here put you steps from restaurants, the casino, the Jungfrau view meadow, and both railway stations. The grand hotel Victoria-Jungfrau anchors the eastern end; budget hostels and mid-range chalets fill the streets behind. This is the most convenient base: trains to both Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald leave from Interlaken Ost, a five-minute walk from most Höheweg hotels.

Unterseen — The Quieter Old Town

Just west of the Aare bridge, Unterseen is technically a separate municipality — older, quieter, and more atmospheric than Interlaken proper. Its cobbled main square, the Stadthaus from 1471, and the views across the river to the Jungfrau make it a favourite with photographers. Hotels and guesthouses here are generally cheaper than the Höheweg, and you're still only a 10-minute walk from Interlaken West station. The best sunset views of the Jungfrau are from Unterseen's Goldey neighbourhood.

Bönigen — Lakeside on Brienz

A 20-minute walk east from Interlaken Ost, the village of Bönigen sits directly on Lake Brienz's western shore. It's where locals go to swim, kayak, and escape the tourist bustle. A handful of family-run hotels and holiday apartments offer lake-view rooms at rates well below Interlaken centre. The Brienz steamer calls at Bönigen's pier, and the Giessbach Falls — a 500-metre cascade reachable only by boat and funicular — are a 30-minute ride away.

Wilderswil — Gateway to Schynige Platte

Two kilometres south of Interlaken, Wilderswil sits at the foot of the Schynige Platte railway — a nostalgic mountain line climbing to 2,076 metres through Alpine meadows to one of the Bernese Oberland's finest panoramic viewpoints. Hotels here are quieter and more affordable, surrounded by farmland with mountain views. The train connection to Interlaken Ost takes three minutes, making it a practical and atmospheric alternative to the town centre.

How IMPT Makes Your Interlaken Stay Carbon-Negative

Here's the maths. An average hotel night produces roughly 35 kg of CO₂ — from heating, laundry, lighting, and food service. When you book any Interlaken hotel through IMPT, we retire 1,000 kg of UN-verified carbon removal credits. That's 28 times what your stay produces. Not carbon-neutral — carbon-negative.

The cost to you? Zero. IMPT funds the removal from its booking commission. You pay the standard nightly rate — in fact, IMPT is consistently up to 10% cheaper than Booking.com on the same room. The carbon credits are tokenised on Ethereum, retired against a named project, with a public retire code anyone can verify. No double-counting. No greenwashing. Just verified carbon removal, every night.

• €5 free credit when you sign up — applied to your first Interlaken booking
• 5% back on every stay — 3% funds carbon projects, 2% as travel credit
• 8M+ hotels worldwide, 195 countries — Interlaken is just the start
• Free cancellation on most rates, typically up to 48 hours before check-in

Sustainable Things to Do in Interlaken

The Jungfraujoch — the "Top of Europe" at 3,454 metres — is the headline attraction, and it's reached entirely by electric railway. The journey from Interlaken Ost takes about two hours, passing through Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald, then climbing through tunnels bored into the Eiger to emerge at the Sphinx observation deck with views stretching to the Aletsch Glacier — the longest in the Alps at 23 kilometres, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The return trip completes a full day without a single combustion engine.

For something lower but equally stunning, the Harder Kulm funicular climbs from Interlaken Ost to 1,322 metres in ten minutes. The viewing platform — a metal walkway cantilevered over the cliff edge — gives a panoramic sweep across both lakes, the town, and the entire Jungfrau massif. Arrive for sunset and bring a jacket; it's noticeably cooler up there.

The Aare River swim is Interlaken's most quintessentially local activity. Enter the river upstream near the Beau-Rivage park, float through the centre of town in glacial turquoise water, and exit near the Interlaken Ost bridge. Locals do this on summer afternoons with the casualness of a coffee break. The water is cold (16–20°C in peak summer) and the current moderate — swimming ability is required, but it's one of the most memorable free activities in Switzerland.

Cycling the lakeside paths is another zero-emission highlight. A flat, paved route runs from Interlaken West along Lake Thun's north shore to the medieval castle at Spiez (18 km). Another route follows Lake Brienz's shore to the woodcarving village of Brienz (14 km). Both are served by lake steamers, so you can cycle one way and cruise back.

Between adventures, shop through IMPT's 25,000+ retail partners for up to 45% cashback on outdoor gear and more. Send someone a trip credit gift to experience Interlaken themselves. Book flights to Zurich or Bern through IMPT to extend carbon removal across your entire trip. Let IMPT's AI travel assistant help you plan the perfect Jungfrau itinerary.

Corporate Retreats in Interlaken? IMPT Has You Covered

Interlaken's adventure infrastructure makes it one of Switzerland's top team-building destinations — paragliding, canyoning, and rope courses build team bonds faster than another PowerPoint session. IMPT's B2B Corporate Travel platform gives you access to exclusive business rates, automatic ESG reporting across Scope 1, 2 and 3, and a single dashboard tracking every booking's carbon impact. Start free with the Starter plan at $0/month.

Business plans start at $99/month with department labels, corporate invoicing, and an extra 5% hotel discount. Enterprise at $250/month adds dedicated account management and CSRD-ready sustainability reporting. Every team trip generates verifiable, on-chain carbon data for your annual reports. Explore impact at the ESG project dashboard.

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Switzerland's 8.8 million residents are among the world's most frequent international travellers, with per-capita travel spending that dwarfs most nations. Country Ownership lets you become the sole IMPT representative in Switzerland — earning 50% of every IMPT transaction from Swiss-registered users, for life. With 8% APY staking yield over two years and a transferable digital asset, it's a sustainability business built on one of Europe's wealthiest and most travel-hungry populations. Monitor your impact on the Goodness dashboard.