We are going on a holiday to switzerland next week. What r the best places/must-see places in interlocken?

Question

Hello,

we r going on a weeks holiday to switzerland. We have booked an apartment in 'interlocken' for whole week, and booked swiss train pass as well. Can anyone suggest family fun things to do, and must see places in interlocken,zurich or nearby places. We r NOT into any winter sports nor hiking nor biking. We would like child friendly places and family entertaining places and things to do. My son has mild autsim, so in case, somebody has been in same situation and enjoyed a particulay day-out please let me know.... How would the weather be there at the end of May? Iguess we do not need thick coats?....Pls suggest some decent restaurant for vegetarians. Kindly let me know if u know any indian restaurants as well. Which is the best place to buy authentic 'cuckoo clock' there? what is the price range? Thanking u all in advance for ur suggestions....

Regards

Praveena

Answer 1

Having stayed in Interlaken and taken day-trips to Luzern, Berne and Grindlewald, out of all of these cities I would definitely recommend the city of Luzern.  Although I hired a car on my visit from http://www.arguscarhire.com, I have to say commuting by rail is another excellent option as there's a large train station that's just a short walk from the centre of things.  Luzern has a lovely old-world feel about it.  Its medieval wooden bridge is just one of its beautiful highlights. The city offers many fun family-friendly attractions including the Glacier Garden, a prehistoric park complete with fossils, a lookout tower and a hall of mirrors - great fun for kids!  The town is fantastic for shopping and famous for its brilliant range of cuckoo clocks.   The city's Transport Museum will definitely appeal to your son.  Filled with model railways, aircraft and special interactive exhibits, you could spend a good few hours just wandering around.  

Luzern is a cosmpolitan city, with large shopping centres and an excellent choice of restaurants.  You should have no problem finding an Indian, or indeed, vegetarian resturant in Luzern!  I couldn't recommend it more!

Answer 2

Interlaken (=between the lakes) as such is a busty place, no doubt. I therefore consider it a good idea to travel from there, as you mentioned.

Here are a few travel tips. You can do these journeys within a day from Interlaken (check the timetable of Swiss national railways at http://www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm):

Zurich (my home town, by the way): Cosmopolitan, with a nice lake and a beautiful zoo, the latter definitely a must do with a child (http://www.zoo.ch/xml_1/internet/en/intr...

Lucerne, via Brünig pass (rack-and-pinion railway, very scenic): See the Museum of Transport (http://www.verkehrshaus.ch/en/informatio... which is particularely interesting for children but also for grown up children - and of course the town as such (plenty of tourists as well as shops where to find not only cuckoo clocks - for these, see http://schmocker-souvenirs.ch/english/pr...

Berne, the Swiss capital with its bear pits and park (http://www.berninfo.com/en/navpage.cfm?c... Don't forget to buy the local sweets specialty "Läbchueche". Visit the Swiss parliament building (http://www.planetware.com/berne/parliame... and walk the lovely streets in the medieval town. On the way back visit Thun, another medieval town, have a swim in the lake; take the trolley bus, stop at Oberhofen, a picture of its castel is a must (http://www.myswitzerland.com/en.cfm/abou...

After this, you'll nead a break :-)

Grindelwald beneath the glaciers is another must, although just "scenic" and of course another tourist magnet with international crowd (http://www.grindelwald.travel/en/welcome... The same applies for Mürren (http://www.muerren.ch/start-e.htm).

So far for some travel ideas. I'm sure that the Interlaken tourist office can give you tons of other ideas what to do (http://www.interlaken.ch/index.php?id=12... Remember, you are going to be in the very heart of Switzerland where tourism as such has been invented.

As for the weather: End of May is usually nice and warm in Switzerland, you won't need warm clothing. But bring a cardigan or a wind cheater anyway if you intend to visit a higher up destination (such as Jungraujoch, the top of Europe - which I recommend, although probably not included in your rail pass: http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDef...

As for Indian/vegetarian restaurants in Interlaken, please follow this link: http://www.khanakhazana.com/businesses/k... Indian restaurants are to be found in every major Swiss town as well.

Have a great time in the land of the Helvets!

Answer 3

The first answerer said it pretty much all! Although I don't recommend the bear pits in Berne (boring!) but the small zoo Dählhölzli, it's much more interesting!

And by the way cookoo clocks are originally from Bavaria in Germany, but you'll find them in Interlaken at every corner!

Answer 4

If you visit the Jungfrau, you may need thick coats even in May ! In May, the weather in Switzerland is rather unstable but do consult Yahoo! Weather before you leave.Visit Wilderswil, at the entrance to the Lütschinen valley and go in for the best fondu in the country...OK the second best after Fribourg. Ask for motié - moitié , this means half vacherin (suisse cheese from the canton of Fribourg) and half gruyère. You can only drink dry white wine, tea or kirsh with your fondu ..otherwise you may end up at l'hôpital cantonal! You can have some water one hour after your cheese fondu. Apart from the fondu , practically all restaurants in Interlaken include great vegetarian dishes. I recommend

1. Bistrot Sternen on Jungfrau Strasse. They cater for every taste and the prices are quite reasonable.

2. Chalet Restaurant - their salade bar is an ode to the palate for about $40

3. Belvedere Brasserie - If you have nice weather you can sit outside on the terrace with a splendid view to the Jungfrau. It's a bit stylish but the food is excellent especially their frogs' legs in a garlic sauce ! I also loved their salade niçoise.

4. Falken Restaurant is also very good for a typically Swiss dinner and a variety of vegetarian dishes. Try their jacket potato with wild asparagus !

In Fribourg - about a one-hour train ride from Interlacken - you will find lots of fun activities for children such as treasure hunt or trotinette tour ! All children love this !  

And if you have time , visit Geneva by all means !

Bonnes Vacances  en Suisse !