What's on in Interlaken (Jungfrau), Switzerland through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Harder Potschete

  2 JanMajor festival

  On 2 January carved wooden masks come down off the Harder and run the streets, chasing whoever is slow. An old winter custom, not a tourist parade, and it starts in the afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season up the valleys (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ski season up the valleys (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ski season up the valleys (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Easter holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Ski season up the valleys (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Lake steamers on summer timetable

  9 May – 11 OctSummer season opens

  The Thun and Brienz fleets run their full schedule from early May to mid-October, the paddle steamers included. Outside that it drops to a reduced service on the main line. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Trail and hut season

  15 Jun – 10 Oct · usuallyTrail season

  The high paths above both lakes and the huts on them run from about mid-June to early October. It is also the paragliding season, which is what most of the Hoehematte traffic is for.

Still on: Lake steamers on summer timetable (9 May – 11 Oct)

Busy — Summer holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Tell open-air theatre

  25 Jul – 5 SepMajor festival

  The Wilhelm Tell play runs outdoors in the Rugen forest through the summer, in German, with horses and a fire. Rain does not stop it; the audience simply gets wet. Source ↗

Still on: Lake steamers on summer timetable (9 May – 11 Oct), Trail and hut season (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Lake steamers on summer timetable (9 May – 11 Oct), Trail and hut season (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), Tell open-air theatre (25 Jul – 5 Sep)

Busy — Jungfrau Marathon, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Jungfrau Marathon

  5 SepMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  A marathon that climbs 1,800 metres from the town to the Kleine Scheidegg on the first Saturday of September. Beds go early and the trains run to the race, not the timetable. Source ↗

Still on: Lake steamers on summer timetable (9 May – 11 Oct), Trail and hut season (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), Tell open-air theatre (25 Jul – 5 Sep)

Busy — Autumn holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Closure

  Between-seasons lull

  25 Oct – 10 Dec · usually

  The summer lifts have stopped, the ski trains have not started and the hotels take their break. Cheap, empty, and the mountains are usually in cloud. Source ↗

Still on: Lake steamers on summer timetable (9 May – 11 Oct), Trail and hut season (15 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Between-seasons lull (25 Oct – 10 Dec (usually))

Busy — Christmas holidays in Switzerland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Ski season up the valleys

  15 Dec – 15 Apr · usually

  The town itself sits at 570 metres and rarely holds snow. Skiing means the train to Grindelwald, Wengen or Muerren, which is half an hour each way before you clip in.

Still on: Between-seasons lull (25 Oct – 10 Dec (usually))