Interlaken

Interlaken means between the lakes, which is exactly what it is: a flat alluvial strip about three kilometres wide separating Thun and Brienz, formed where the river deposited enough material to split what was once a single lake. An Augustinian monastery came first; tourism arrived in the nineteenth century when British and German visitors used the town as a base for the Jungfrau, and the Hoheweg - the boulevard across the Hohematte meadow with the Jungfrau framed at the end - dates from that period. The meadow itself is protected from building by an old agreement, which is why the view survives. Today the town is also the paragliding, canyoning and skydiving centre of the region.

What you actually see

• A strip between two lakes - the delta that split one lake into two.
• The Hohematte - a meadow kept open by agreement so the Jungfrau view survives.
• Nineteenth-century grand hotels - the Victorian resort along the Hoheweg.
• An adventure-sport hub - paragliding, canyoning and skydiving operators.

When to go

May to October, or the ski season. Two days.

Honest expectations

The town itself has few sights - it is a base, and it knows it. Prices are resort level and the main street is heavily commercial. Summer crowds are dense. Adventure operators vary; check credentials rather than price.

Nearby

Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald are up their valleys; both lakes are on the doorstep.