Interlaken in Winter: What's Open & Worth It

Yes — especially if you don't ski. Ten of the region's tours keep running December to March: four winter-only experiences (night sledding, snowshoeing, a beginner ski taster and a winter e-bike ride), plus year-round anchors like Jungfraujoch's largely indoor summit and paragliding over snowy peaks. It's quieter and more atmospheric than summer, with the honest caveat that the lake tours and valley bike rides pause until spring.

Running December-March: night sledding, the Isenfluh snowshoe tour, the all-inclusive ski taster, the winter e-bike tour, Jungfraujoch (365 days), paragliding from both launch sites, skydiving, the Zurich day trip and the private car tour. Closed until spring: the boat day pass, kayaking, the jet boat, canyoning, the e-quad tour and the Lauterbrunnen valley bike tours.

Not at all — Interlaken is arguably the best alpine winter base for non-skiers. Night sledding needs no skill (gravity does the work), snowshoeing is walking with better footwear, and Jungfraujoch requires nothing but a train ticket. The big ski areas are up in Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren; Interlaken itself is the base town where the non-ski winter happens.

Not reliably — the town sits at 568 m on the valley floor, where winter hovers around freezing and snow comes and goes. The dependable white starts as you gain altitude, which is where every winter tour takes you: the sled run, the snowshoe trails above Isenfluh and the Axalp ski slopes all sit well above town, and Jungfraujoch at 3,454 m is glacier country year-round.

Layers: thermal base, warm mid-layer, waterproof shell, hat, gloves and waterproof footwear with grip. It gets colder with every cable-car stage above town, so dress for the altitude of your tour, not the valley forecast. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen — snow glare at altitude is intense. The ski taster includes all clothing (even jacket and pants), and for night sledding dress warmer than the daytime forecast suggests.

January and February have the most reliable snow — the safest window if sledding, snowshoeing or the ski taster are the reason you're coming. December trades some snow certainty for festive atmosphere; March offers longer, sunnier days with softening lower-altitude snow. Jungfraujoch is equally spectacular in any of them.

It's beginner-friendly by design: no technique beyond steering with your feet and leaning, and the guided evening format keeps the group together. You'll fall — everyone does, into snow, and it's half the fun. Kids are welcome from around age 8; the main requirements are dressing warmly and being comfortable with moderate speed in the dark. The 4.8★ across 147 reviews is built mostly on first-timers.

Learn to ski — no; get genuinely sliding on gentle slopes with correct basics — yes, and that's exactly what the ski taster promises. Four hours at quiet Axalp with an instructor covers stance, braking and first turns, with every piece of equipment and clothing included. Every review so far is 5 stars, mostly from adults trying skiing for the first time. It's the test-drive, not the driving licence.

Arguably it's the best season for it: the summit complex is largely indoor so the experience doesn't depend on weather, the crowds are far thinner than July-August, and the glacier landscape is at its most dramatic. The train runs 365 days a year. The one winter-specific tip: check the summit webcam or forecast for visibility if the outdoor terraces matter to you — the Ice Palace and Sphinx hall deliver either way.

Yes — tandem flights run year-round in Interlaken, and many pilots call winter the most beautiful season: clear cold air and white peaks below. The practical differences: fewer daily slots around the shorter daylight, gloves and a windproof layer are essential rather than suggested, and weather holds are more common — book a morning slot early in your stay so there's room to rebook.

Two full days covers the core: one for Jungfraujoch, one combining a daytime winter tour (snowshoe or ski taster) with night sledding in the evening. Three days adds breathing room for weather — which is the real planning variable in winter — or a paragliding flight over the snow. The evening format of night sledding means it stacks onto any day without costing daylight.