Skydiving and scenic flights in Interlaken

Interlaken sells parapente flights on postcards and paragliders drifting down over the Hohematte most fine afternoons, but the town’s least visible adventure sport is the one that leaves the ground fastest. Its own airfield, on the flat valley floor between the built-up centre and Lake Thun, is a working general aviation strip that doubles as a skydiving drop zone and a base for scenic flights over the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. This guide covers what actually happens on a jump day, the altitudes and timings involved, the helicopter option for people who want the view without the freefall, and the weather calculus that decides whether either one flies at all.

The airfield and how a jump day runs

Interlaken’s airfield sits on the Bodeli, the flat strip of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz that also holds the town itself, a short taxi or bike ride from the Hoheweg and closer to Unterseen than to Interlaken Ost. It is a genuine working airfield with a grass and gravel runway, hangars, and small aircraft coming and going, not a purpose-built tourist attraction, so first-time visitors sometimes drive or walk past it without realising. Check the address given at booking rather than assuming it is near either train station.

A typical booking runs like this. You check in at the airfield office 60 to 90 minutes before the scheduled slot, sign the waiver, and get kitted out with a jumpsuit and harness. Staff weigh everyone, since aircraft load limits and the tandem harness both have a maximum weight, and this is enforced rather than treated as a formality. A short safety briefing covers body position on exit and landing, then you wait, sometimes for an hour or more, for your specific take-off slot, because the operator runs several loads through one aircraft across the day and weather can bump the order around.

The aircraft climbs for roughly 15 to 20 minutes to reach jump altitude, circling out over the Bodeli and giving a first, tamer view of both lakes before the door opens. From exit to landing on the airfield is usually well under 10 minutes total, most of it the parachute ride rather than the freefall itself.

Drop altitude and what the numbers mean

Interlaken’s tandem skydiving is genuinely high by European standards, which is the entire selling point: freefall time scales with drop height, and the extra altitude buys longer over the Eiger and Jungfrau rather than over cloud.

Stage	Typical figure
Exit altitude	Around 4,000 to 4,200 m
Height above the valley floor	Roughly 3,500 m
Freefall time	35 to 45 seconds
Freefall speed	Up to around 200 km/h
Canopy ride	5 to 7 minutes
Climb to altitude	15 to 20 minutes

At full altitude the view takes in the Eiger’s north face, the Monch and Jungfrau behind it, and both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz laid out either side of the Bodeli. It is worth knowing that oxygen is not typically supplied at these heights for a short tandem jump, and the cold at altitude is real even on a warm valley day, so the jumpsuit is not just for show.

Skydiving prices in Interlaken

Interlaken is not a cheap place to jump, and prices track the added cost of running flights at this altitude over the Alps rather than a flat field.

Package	Approximate price
Tandem jump only	From around CHF 420 to CHF 450
Jump with photos	Add roughly CHF 100 to CHF 150
Jump with video and photos	Add roughly CHF 150 to CHF 200
Transfer from Zurich with jump included	From around CHF 550 to CHF 650

book the tandem jump from Interlaken’s own airfield and the price usually includes the equipment, instructor, and a certificate, with photo and video packages sold as an add-on rather than bundled by default. Read the inclusions carefully before assuming a video is included, since it rarely is at the base price.

For visitors based in Zurich who want to combine the jump with the journey itself, a Zurich-departure package covers transport to Interlaken and the jump in one booking, which suits a single day trip better than arranging trains and a separate skydiving booking. It costs more than booking locally, but removes the logistics of coordinating a return train around an uncertain weather slot.

Cash still matters here: some add-ons and last-minute upgrades at the airfield are settled on the day, and while cards are generally accepted, it is worth having some Swiss francs in reserve in case a terminal is offline, which is not unheard of at a small operation.

Scenic flights: the same view without jumping

Not everyone wants to leave the aircraft, and the same airfield hosts operators running scenic flights by helicopter and small fixed-wing plane over the Jungfrau region with no jump involved. These flights work on the same weather logic as skydiving, since the entire value is the view, but they run more often because there is no exit altitude requirement and no freefall to plan around.

A shared scenic flight, where you join other passengers in a helicopter or small plane, typically runs 20 to 30 minutes and costs from around CHF 200 to CHF 350 per person, covering the Eiger’s north face, Monch, Jungfrau and the Aletsch side of the range depending on the route flown that day. Private charters cost more, usually priced per aircraft rather than per seat, from around CHF 1,000 upward for a helicopter that can carry four or five passengers, which works out competitively if you are travelling as a small group and want to choose your own route and timing rather than sharing a fixed slot.

Helicopter operators sometimes also run mountain-restaurant transfers, dropping passengers at a hut or viewpoint for lunch before flying back, which is a different product from a pure scenic loop and priced separately. Ask specifically whether a quoted price is a loop flight or a one-way transfer before booking.

If a scenic flight over the Jungfrau by helicopter is not available on your date, the ground-based alternative that gets close to the same panorama is the tandem paragliding flight from the Harder Kulm down to the Hohematte, which flies more days per year, costs less, and still delivers the sensation of being airborne over the Bodeli, if not the altitude or the alpine panorama a helicopter reaches.

Weather: the part that decides everything

Both skydiving and scenic flying share one hard constraint that no amount of booking flexibility removes: the aircraft needs a usable cloud base to reach jump altitude or to fly the scenic route safely, and low cloud over the Jungfrau region is common even when the Bodeli valley floor looks clear. This is the single biggest source of disappointment for visitors who book a tight one-day window, so a few points are worth planning around.

Interlaken’s cloud behaves differently from a flat destination. It is entirely possible for the valley floor to sit in mist while the peaks are in bright sun above it, or for the reverse to happen, with clear valley air below a lid of cloud that blocks the mountain view entirely. Operators check conditions on the morning of the flight, sometimes hour by hour, and will postpone rather than fly a jump or scenic route that would deliver cloud instead of the Eiger. A postponed booking is usually rebooked for a later slot the same day or the next available day, not simply cancelled, but that only works if your itinerary has slack built in.

Wind matters as much as cloud, particularly for the aircraft’s ability to land safely on the airfield’s grass strip, and for the parachute’s final approach. Spring and autumn tend to bring more variable days than midsummer, which is also when the region’s other lift-served activities are more likely to be shut for their own maintenance windows, so this is not a good period to schedule a jump on your only free morning.

Given all of this, the practical advice is the same one that applies to Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn trips: book skydiving or a scenic flight early in a multi-day stay rather than on your last morning, so a weather postponement still leaves a day in hand. Anyone building a longer Interlaken stay around uncertain-weather activities should also read how Interlaken behaves in bad weather before locking in dates.

Booking, timing and what to bring

Slots for skydiving and helicopter scenic flights sell out in the summer high season, particularly weekends, so booking a week or more ahead is sensible if your dates are fixed. Operators generally hold a provisional slot rather than a guaranteed exact time, because the day’s schedule reshuffles around weather and aircraft turnaround, so build in flexibility either side of your booked window rather than planning a tight connection straight afterward.

Dress in layers regardless of the season. The valley floor can be warm in a T-shirt while the exit altitude is well below freezing, and the jumpsuit provided covers most of this but not hands and face. Closed shoes are required for both skydiving and scenic flights; sandals are turned away at check-in. Loose items such as phones, glasses without a strap, and jewellery either need to be secured or left at the airfield, since anything that comes loose in freefall is gone.

If you are also considering paragliding, canyoning, a canyon swing or bungee jump, or via ferrata around Murren and Gimmelwald during the same stay, note that most of Interlaken’s adventure operators share the same weather windows and the same small pool of good-visibility mornings, so spreading bookings across several days rather than stacking them on one improves the odds that each one actually happens as planned.

The same logic applies to rafting on the Lutschine and Aare, which depends on water levels rather than cloud but competes for the same peak-season slots.

Anyone counting the cost of a stay that includes one of these bookings should read the real cost of a day in Interlaken alongside Interlaken on a budget, since a skydive or private helicopter flight is one of the few genuinely expensive line items in an otherwise moderately priced town, and it is worth deciding in advance how it fits the rest of the trip’s budget.

Skydiving and scenic flights over Interlaken: FAQ

Where does skydiving in Interlaken actually take place?

Jumps leave from Interlaken’s own airfield, a grass and gravel strip on the flat valley floor between the town and Lake Thun, a few minutes from the Hoheweg by taxi or bike. You check in at the airfield building, not at a shop in town, so allow time to find it if you have not been before.

What altitude do you jump from and how long is the freefall?

Most tandem jumps leave the aircraft at around 4,000 to 4,200 metres, roughly 3,500 metres above the valley floor. Freefall lasts about 35 to 45 seconds before the canopy opens, followed by a five to seven minute ride down under the parachute with the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau in view.

How much does a tandem skydive cost in Interlaken?

Budget from roughly CHF 420 to CHF 450 for the jump alone, booked as From Interlaken Airplane Skydiving Over the Swiss Alps. Video and photo packages add CHF 150 to CHF 200 on top, and operators only take card or cash on the day for extras, not always online.

Can you do a scenic helicopter flight over the Jungfrau without jumping out of the aircraft?

Yes. Fixed-base operators at the same airfield sell shared and private scenic flights by helicopter and small plane over the Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and the two lakes, with no jump involved. Shared flights run from around CHF 200 to CHF 350 per person for roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

What happens if the weather is bad on the day you booked?

Both skydiving and scenic flights need a clear or high cloud base to be worth doing at all, since the entire point is the view of the peaks. Operators postpone or refund rather than fly in poor visibility, and Interlaken’s cloud can sit low on the valley while the tops are clear, or the reverse, so mornings are rebooked more than cancelled outright.

Is skydiving in Interlaken safe for someone who has never jumped before?

Tandem jumps are done strapped to a licensed instructor who handles the parachute, so no prior experience or training is required beyond a short briefing at check-in. There is a minimum age, usually 12, and a maximum weight limit that operators enforce strictly for safety, so check the current figures when booking.

Is paragliding a cheaper alternative to skydiving in Interlaken?

Tandem paragliding from the Harder Kulm or Beatenberg down to the Hohematte landing field costs less, typically from around CHF 170 to CHF 200, and flies more days per year because it tolerates more cloud than a skydiving aircraft needs. It is a gentler, longer flight rather than a freefall.