Things to do at Harder Kulm

Harder Kulm is the view Interlaken uses on its postcards, and it earns the spot without needing a full day trip. The funicular leaves from a station a short walk behind Interlaken Ost and takes 8 minutes to climb to 1,322 metres; a return ticket costs CHF 38 for adults.

At the top, the Two Lakes Bridge platform juts out over the ridge with Lake Thun on one side and Lake Brienz on the other, best lit in the two hours before sunset when the water below turns from grey to blue. The restaurant at the summit serves rösti and fondue at prices similar to a mid-range Interlaken restaurant, not inflated mountain-top rates. Walking back down takes about 2 hours 30 minutes on a signed path through forest.

The funicular closes for scheduled maintenance for roughly two weeks each in April and November, which catches out visitors who assume a mountain railway runs year-round.