Interlaken Shopping and Districts

(Interlaken, Berne, Switzerland)

Most visitors don't come to Interlaken for its shopping, rather for its extreme sports and beautiful Alpine scenery. However, if you have time to enjoy a spot of souvenir shopping, then Interlaken's numerous gift shops, Swiss jewellers and confectionary stores will provide plenty of variety.

Popular gift ideas include everything from expensive Swiss watches (including Rolex), to more affordable and rather sumptuous Swiss chocolate, such as both Cailler and Lindt & Sprüngli. When gift shopping in Interlaken, you will also find huge numbers of Swiss Army Knives, cow bells, and even some rather touristy cuckoo clocks.

Where to Shop

The main shopping street in Interlaken is the Hoheweg and this long stretch is easy to find, being close to the Aare River and off the Alpenstrasse, the Centralstrasse, Lindenalle and the Bahnhofstrasse.

Sandwiched between both the east and west railway stations, the Hoheweg is also situated near to the Hohematte, a large open space known for its scenic backdrop provided by the snowcapped Jungfrau mountain. Most of the gift shops along the Hoheweg are fairly indistinguishable and sell similar goods.

If you are shopping for something a little bit different, then head to the neighbouring village of Brienz, which lies around 17 km / 11 miles to the north-east of Interlaken and on the northern side of Lake Brienz.

This charming village is famous in Switzerland for its woodcarving and handicrafts, which are sold all over Brienz.