Lucerne is the closest of the big Swiss cities to Interlaken — 1 hour 50 on the Luzern–Interlaken Express, one of the country's great scenic lines, with no change and no reservation needed. That short hop makes an Interlaken tour from Lucerne a far better deal than the same trip from Geneva. The most-reviewed is the guided Grindelwald & Lauterbrunnen day ($119, 4.5★ across 1,093 reviews); the cheapest way in is the $86 hop-on hop-off.
The Lucerne approach crosses the Brünig Pass and drops down past Lake Brienz — which is why the train journey is a sight in its own right rather than a transfer to endure.
Direct, hourly, no change and no reservation. Panoramic windows over the Brünig Pass, Lungern and the length of Lake Brienz.
Nine to ten hours door to door, most of it on the ground rather than the road. The short distance is what makes these work.
About 70 km over the Brünig Pass. The quickest option on paper, though the pass road is slower than the motorway numbers suggest in winter.
A scenic transfer with stops rather than a tour — useful if you're moving hotels between the two towns with luggage.
Ranked on review volume and rating first, price second. All three are full-day round trips from central Lucerne with hotel-area pickup points.
Our take: 1,093 reviews at 4.5★ makes this the most-tested Interlaken day out of Lucerne by a wide margin — and at $119 it is also close to the cheapest guided option.
Our take: The rare origin-city tour that genuinely reaches 3,454 m — 4.8★ across 621 reviews. Only possible because Lucerne is under two hours away.
Our take: $117 and half an hour shorter than the alternatives. The 4.3★ across 65 reviews is solid rather than stellar — a fair trade at this price.
The most-reviewed Interlaken day trip from Lucerne: 1,093 reviews at 4.5★, ten hours, $119. Reserve now, pay later, free cancellation up to 24 hours.
Every Lucerne-departing option we've checked, from an $86 hop-on hop-off ticket to a private car for the day. Group prices are marked on the card.
Our take: The default choice. Two of the best villages in the Bernese Oberland, more than a thousand reviews, and a price that undercuts most Zurich equivalents.
Our take: 4.8★ across 621 reviews and the only Lucerne tour that puts you on the Jungfrau Railway. Long day, but the summit is the point.
Our take: $117 for a shorter day than the others. Reviews are fewer and slightly softer — read the recent ones before booking in peak season.
Our take: $86 and 4.6★ across 305 reviews. Not a guided tour — a bus network you use at your own pace, which suits people who hate fixed itineraries.
Our take: $324 for the whole vehicle, up to eight people. A one-way transfer with luggage rather than a tour — the right call when you're changing base.
Our take: $992 for the group with pickup included. A new listing without reviews yet — worth it for four or more who want the route on their own terms.
Because Lucerne is so close, the DIY case is stronger here than from any other Swiss city. Here is the honest comparison for one day.
| Guided day trip | Luzern–Interlaken Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per person | $117–324 | About CHF 60 return |
| Journey | 9–10 h door to door | 1 h 50 each way, direct |
| Changes | None | None |
| Time on the ground | 6–7 hours | Up to 9 hours |
| Reaches Jungfraujoch | Yes, on the $324 tour | Yes, buy the summit ticket separately |
| The journey itself | Motorway and pass road | One of Switzerland's scenic lines |
| Best for | First visit, no planning | Anyone comfortable with a timetable |
Our verdict: from Lucerne, the train wins more often than it does from anywhere else. It is direct, it is under two hours, the ride over the Brünig Pass is genuinely one of the best in the country, and it leaves you free to decide at Interlaken Ost whether the day becomes Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald or a boat. Take a guided tour if you want Jungfraujoch handled end to end, or if the idea of a timetable takes the pleasure out of the day. Otherwise, buy a ticket and go.
This is the part most tour listings gloss over: the train between the two towns is itself one of the things you came to Switzerland for.
The line climbs out of Lucerne along the Sarner See, cogs its way up the Brünig Pass, and drops down past Lungern's improbably turquoise lake before running the full length of Lake Brienz into Interlaken Ost. It takes 1 hour 50, runs roughly hourly, needs no reservation, and costs a fraction of a guided day. Panoramic cars are marked on the timetable; the ordinary carriages see the same view through smaller windows.
Two practical notes. Sit on the left leaving Lucerne for the lake views on the descent. And if you're doing this as a day trip, the 07:00-ish departure is what makes the difference — it gets you to Interlaken Ost before nine, which is early enough to still ride up to Jungfraujoch, Schynige Platte or Grindelwald First and be back for dinner in Lucerne.
About 70 km, which is 1 hour 50 on the direct Luzern–Interlaken Express, roughly 1 hour 10 by car over the Brünig Pass, and nine to ten hours as a round-trip guided coach day. Lucerne is the closest of the major Swiss cities to Interlaken.
The guided Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen tour at $119 is the most-tested — 1,093 reviews at 4.5★. If you want the summit, the Jungfraujoch day trip from Lucerne ($324, 4.8★ across 621 reviews) is the only Lucerne-departing tour that actually reaches 3,454 m. On a budget, the $86 hop-on hop-off ticket covers the same villages at your own pace.
Yes — the Luzern–Interlaken Express runs direct, roughly hourly, in 1 hour 50, with no reservation required. It crosses the Brünig Pass and follows Lake Brienz, and is widely regarded as one of Switzerland's most scenic standard-fare rail journeys.
Yes, and it's one of the few origin cities where that is realistic. The guided Jungfraujoch day trip from Lucerne runs about ten hours and holds 4.8★ across 621 reviews. Doing it independently also works if you take an early train: Lucerne to Interlaken Ost by 09:00, then the Jungfrau Railway round trip from there.
More so than from Geneva or Milan, because the travel time is short enough to leave six or seven hours on the ground. That said, the train is so easy from Lucerne that the tour's main value is having the day planned for you — it is not buying you a shortcut you couldn't get yourself.
A standard second-class train ticket is around CHF 60 return, less with a Swiss Travel Pass or a half-fare card. Guided day trips run $117 to $324 per person depending on whether Jungfraujoch is included, and the $86 hop-on hop-off is the cheapest booked option.
With six or seven hours on the ground you can realistically do one of: the Lauterbrunnen valley and Trümmelbach, Grindelwald and the First cable car, the Schynige Platte railway, a tandem paragliding flight, or a half-day on the lake boats. Jungfraujoch fits only on an early start or a guided tour built around it.
Lucerne if you want a city — old town, lake steamers, museums and easy access to Pilatus and Rigi. Interlaken if the mountains are the point; it sits at a three-railway junction with the Jungfrau massif behind it. Many trips do both, and the express train between them is short enough to make that painless.
It covers the Luzern–Interlaken Express in full and gives 50% off the Jungfrau Railway, so it starts to pay on a trip that includes several intercity legs. For a single return between the two towns, a standard ticket or a half-fare card is usually cheaper.
Interlaken. Lucerne's own mountains — Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis — are good, but the Jungfrau massif is the bigger draw, and from Interlaken it is on your doorstep instead of two hours away. If you have four nights or more, splitting them between the two works well.
The six options above are every Lucerne-departing Interlaken trip we've checked against its live listing, rating and review count. Where a price is per group rather than per person, the card says so. New listings with a handful of reviews are labelled as such rather than presented as top-rated.
Train times and fares are the standard hourly Luzern–Interlaken Express, not best-case connections. Where the train plainly beats the tour, this page says it. Last updated: August 2026.
Which of the two you should actually visit — mountains, cost, crowds and the verdict by traveller type.
Two hours by train, or the guided day trip with 8,448 reviews — compared honestly.
Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Lucerne and Milan, with real journey times and the right station.
Take the express and decide the day at Interlaken Ost, or book the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen tour if you'd rather it was handled. Free cancellation up to 24 hours either way.
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