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Train Travel Info► All Journeys► From Berlin◮ To Interlaken

Berlin to Interlaken by train

How to travel from Berlin to Interlaken by train

Rather remarkably there are direct ICE trains which make the epic journey from the German capital to the stunningly beautiful Bernese-Oberland in Switzerland.

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Routes

From Berlin Hbf to Interlaken Ost

Journey Summary

From
Berlin
Some of the escalators that link the multiple levels in Berlin Hbf
Berlin Hbf Rail Station Guide
To
Interlaken
The entrance to the ticket office at Interlaken Ost
Interlaken Ost Rail Station Guide
Travel Time
9hr 16min - 9hr 21min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Final Destination: Interlaken Ost.

Departing from Berlin:

These trains commence their journey at Berlin Ostbanhof and they usually depart from the upper level (tief) in Berlin Hbf.

If your journey is commencing in West Berlin, the quickest option is to take a Regio or S-Bahn train from Berlin Zoologischer Garten station to Berlin-Spandau station and join these trains there.

Arriving in Interlaken:

If your final destination is in central Interlaken, book tickets to, and leave the train, at Interlaken West, this station is much closer to the town centre.

Mon-Fri = 3 direct x trains per day

Sat/Sun = 2 direct x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at the info for these direct trains.

On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that:

  • depart Berlin Hbf at 04:30 on Mon-Fri and both 10:30 and 12:30 daily
  • have 0 in the Chg. column
  • ICE (and only ICE) in the Products colum

On Mondays to Fridays the first departure of the day tends to be much cheaper.

If you don't want to depart Berlin before 05:00, there are usually significant savings available if you are willing to make connections during this journey; the ticket booking websites will show the alternative indirect options.

Reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

Opting to reserve is highly recommended if you want to be sure of being able to remain in the same seat(s) all the way from Berlin to Interlaken

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €27.90

DB Bahn Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

Happyrail from €27.90

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

Omio from €27.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

Saveatrain from €27.90

Saveatrain Guide

On this journey

Travelling On
ICE 4 (Germany) Train Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (partial)

Good to Know

The train will reverse direction at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, Basel SBB and Bern stations.

We haven’t classified this as a scenic journey because for 90% of the trip it isn’t
However, this is a journey that saves the best until last! Though you'll need to take the morning departure in order to make the most of this train ride

Between Thun and Spiez Between Thun and Spiez
Looking down over Faulensee south of Spiez Looking down over Faulensee south of Spiez
The view over Lake Thun #1 The view over Lake Thun #1
Approaching the end of the journey Approaching the end of the journey
After Spiez the railway is by the shore of Thunersee After Spiez the railway is by the shore of Thunersee
Between Thun and Spiez in summer time Between Thun and Spiez in summer time

The train will travel on no less than three high speed lines during the course of its journey and during these sections of the trip the speeds should reach more than 250 km, but most of the journey is on conventional railway lines.

It is a journey of twelve distinct phases:

  1. One of the highlights of the journey comes right at the beginning of the trip when the train travels on a viaduct across Berlin with great views over the city centre.

  2. Then between Berlin-Spandau until around 10 mins before arrival in Braunschweig the train will be on a high speed line across dull farmland.

  3. Shortly after Hildeshiem until Fulda, the train will make use of Germany's first high speed line; this is the part of the journey with a wow factor as the trains will travel across dozens of viaducts and bridges, which occur as flashes between numerous tunnels.

  4. The train will reverse direction on departure from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.

  5. Between Frankfurt (Main) and Karlrsruhe the train will race through a string of towns.

  6. Then from Karlsruhe to Offenburg a high speed line has been constructed right beside the conventional route, which will be on the left.

  7. From Offenburg to the suburbs of Basel, the railway travels through a rolling landscape.

  8. The train will reverse direction on departure from Basel SBB station

  9. A scenic part of the journey is between Basel and Olten.
    10.Between Olten and Bern a straight railway has been constructed which allows trains to travel at 200 km/h.

  10. The train will reverse direction on departure at Bern and travel on to Thun

  11. If you take the first train of the day, you can enjoy the stunning climax to this route because on the left for the final part of the journey the train will travel by the beautiful Thunersee

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