Interlaken by Car: The Two Lakes and Passes in 2026

Interlaken occupies the flat valley floor between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau filling the skyline to the south — a road hub rather than a driving destination in itself. Switzerland’s 50 km/h town limit and 0.05% alcohol limit apply on the approach, where a motorway vignette is required. Park near one of the two stations and let the mountain railways and cable cars reach villages like Wengen and Mürren, which cars cannot enter at all; keep the car instead for the high summer roads over the Grimsel and Susten passes.

Do You Need a Car?

For the town: no. Interlaken is flat, small, and the two train stations (West and Ost) connect to everything in the Jungfrau region.

A car is valuable for:

• Grimsel Pass and Susten Pass loop (summer only — one of Switzerland’s great alpine drives)
• Grindelwald village (18 km by car; trains also serve it, but a car adds flexibility)
• Lake Thun and Thun town (30 km west)
• Brienz and the Rothorn cogwheel railway (20 km east)
• Day trips to Bern (60 km), Lucerne (80 km), or beyond

Leave the car for:

• Wengen — no road, train only
• Mürren — no road, cable car from Stechelberg
• Jungfraujoch — cogwheel railway from Kleine Scheidegg; no road
• Grindelwald upper area after the P+R — cable car or foot

The Swiss Motorway Vignette

The A6 from Bern and the A8 from Brienz/Lucerne are Swiss motorways. If you arrive by either route, you need the CHF 40 annual vignette.

Key facts:

• CHF 40, valid January 1 to January 31 of the following year
• Buy at Swiss border crossings, petrol stations, post offices
• Without it: CHF 200 fine
• Affixed to the inside of the windscreen
• Rental cars in Switzerland: already fitted

If you arrive on the cantonal road (old road through Spiez, no motorway sections) you can technically avoid the vignette — but it’s slower and winding. For any standard approach, the vignette is necessary.

Parking

Interlaken town:

• Parking West — near Interlaken West station, ~CHF 2/hour. Best for arriving from Bern/Thun direction.
• Parking Ost — near Interlaken Ost station (the main station for Jungfrau trains), ~CHF 2/hour
• Höheweg promenade — free 1-hour parking with disc. Convenient but heavily used; no realistic option for a full day.

Summer reality check: Both paid car parks fill by 09:00-09:30 on summer Saturdays. If you arrive at 10:00 in July, you’re hunting for a space. Options: arrive before 09:00, or accept overflow parking further from the centre and walk.

For the Jungfrau region:

• Grindelwald P+R — large car park at the Grindelwald valley entry, ~CHF 12/day. Drive here, park, then use trains and cable cars.
• Lauterbrunnen — if you’re heading to Wengen or Mürren, park in Lauterbrunnen (paid, modest rates) and take the train up

Getting to Interlaken

From Bern (60 km, ~1 hour): A6 to Spiez, then A8 into the Interlaken valley. Fast and easy. Bern is the natural staging point if you’re coming from western Switzerland or France.

From Zurich (120 km, ~1.5 hours): A1 to Bern, then A6/A8. Straightforward motorway driving with good signposting throughout.

From Geneva (160 km, ~2 hours): A1 east to Bern, then A6/A8. No significant complications.

From Lucerne (80 km, ~1 hour): Via the A8 through Brienz — the road climbs over the Brünig Pass (1,007 m, year-round) or hugs the lakeshore, depending on the exact route. Scenic and manageable.

From Basel (110 km, ~1.5 hours): A2 south to Bern, then A6/A8. Milan is 260 km via the Gotthard; the Interlaken detour adds 2+ hours but is worth it.

Mountain Passes by Car

This is the real reason to have a car in the Bernese Oberland. Two of Switzerland’s finest mountain passes are within an hour of Interlaken and can be combined into a single day loop.

Grimsel Pass (2,165 m):

• From Interlaken: follow the Haslital valley east via Meiringen, then climb south on the Grimselstrasse
• Road is well-maintained and paved throughout
• Reservoir lakes near the top have an otherworldly, industrial-alpine character (the Grimsel Hospiz dam is massive)
• Open approximately mid-June to October — check TCS.ch before going
• No toll

Susten Pass (2,224 m):

• East from Interlaken via Meiringen, then a separate climb up to the Susten
• Glacier views and high snowfields even in summer
• Descends into the Reuss valley toward Andermatt
• Open similar season to Grimsel

The Grimsel-Susten loop:

• Meiringen → Grimselpass → Innertkirchen → Sustenpass → back through Gadmen and Meiringen
• About 120 km, 3-4 hours with stops
• One of Switzerland’s most spectacular drives

Brünig Pass (1,007 m):

• North from Interlaken toward Lucerne
• Open year-round, no real drama — a mountain road rather than a high alpine pass
• The Rothorn cogwheel railway runs from Brienz at the base

Grosse Scheidegg:

• Closed to private cars entirely. Only postal buses and authorised vehicles.

Day Trips by Car

Speed Limits

On mountain passes, ignore the nominal 80 km/h rural limit and drive to conditions. Hairpin bends, gravel at road edges, and oncoming coaches require patience and appropriate speed. Pass the time, not the bend.

Fuel

Fill up in Interlaken before heading to the mountain passes — there are no petrol stations on Grimsel or Susten. The station at Meiringen (junction before the pass road) is the last reliable option. In Interlaken: Agrola near the Ost station and Migrol are the main options.

Required Equipment

No mandatory equipment list for private cars in Switzerland. Recommended:

• Warning triangle (required after a breakdown to be placed behind the vehicle)
• Reflective vest (required when exiting the vehicle after a breakdown in a tunnel)

For mountain passes in early season: carry snow chains even if the pass is officially open. Conditions can change in hours and a late-spring snowfall at 2,200 m is not unheard of.

Emergency Numbers

Related Guides

• Complete Switzerland Driving Guide — vignette rules, speed fines, mountain driving
• Switzerland Tyre Laws — winter conditions, chain requirements
• Driving in Lucerne — Lake Lucerne loop, Pilatus, Zurich day trips
• Driving in Lugano — Swiss-Italian border, Ticino roads
• More City Driving Guides