Interlaken photoshoot guide: using the town as your base

Interlaken sits on the Bödeli, the flat land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, at 566 metres. For photographs that means three things. The town itself gives you an open meadow with the Jungfrau at the end of it, the green-turquoise Aare and a small old town in Unterseen. Two lakeshores are within walking distance or one bus stop. And the valleys you have seen in pictures, Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, are 25 to 35 minutes away by train.

There are two stations, and it matters which one you use. Interlaken West is closest to the centre, the Höhematte and the Lake Thun boats. Interlaken Ost is where the Berner Oberland-Bahn leaves for the valleys, where Lake Brienz boats and bus 103 to Iseltwald start, and where the Harderbahn funicular waits just across the Aare. Most photographers suggest meeting at one of the two, or at your hotel if it is central.

The trade-off: Interlaken is low. The sun sets behind the ridges well before the official time, and there is no village edge with mountains filling the frame the way there is in Mürren or Wengen. If your picture is "us with the peaks right behind", plan to leave town for part of the session.

The table lists the places most sessions based in Interlaken actually use, with travel time from Interlaken Ost. Times are for a normal connection, not the tightest one.

Two notes. The Iseltwald pier is a place for a few minutes, not a whole session: visitors queue for the end of it, and everyone pays at the turnstile, including your photographer. And Harder Kulm, the viewpoint 1,322 metres above town, is the only spot on the list where you get the last light on the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau without leaving Interlaken.

Many couples book the session in town and add one other place. Each option changes the day in a different way.

Lake Brienz: Iseltwald, Bönigen, Brienz

The lake is at its most turquoise in summer, when glacial meltwater carries fine rock flour into it; on grey days it turns a flat grey-green. Iseltwald is the famous pier; Bönigen and Brienz give you the same water with space to move. Boats on Lake Brienz run from 3 April to 6 December 2026, but the first sailings reach Iseltwald around 10.00 in summer, too late for an empty pier. For sunrise, take an early bus 103.

Lauterbrunnen

Staubbach Falls and the church are the classic valley view, and the village is quietest before about 9.00 in summer. By late afternoon the valley floor is in shade, so an evening session usually moves up to Wengen or Mürren. Our Lauterbrunnen guide compares the three levels of the valley.

Grindelwald

Here the timing runs the other way: the Eiger north face only catches light in the late afternoon and evening, while First and the Bachalpsee lake are best with the first gondolas. The Grindelwald guide covers which spots need lift tickets.

Jungfraujoch

Possible, but think of it as a separate day rather than an add-on: roughly 1 hour 30 minutes each way from Interlaken Ost via the Eiger Express, snow all year and a ticket that costs roughly 225 to 265 francs return per adult in 2026. The Jungfraujoch page explains the costs and altitude.

Interlaken is served by several companies: SBB and BLS trains, the Berner Oberland-Bahn into the valleys, BLS boats, the Harderbahn and the Jungfrau Railways. Which pass makes sense depends on how many mountain trips you plan, not on the photoshoot.

• Swiss Travel Pass covers trains, boats and buses across the country and gives discounts on many mountain railways. It suits visitors travelling on from Interlaken to Lucerne or Zermatt.
• Half Fare Card halves most fares, including many mountain lifts, and pays off quickly on a longer trip.
• Regional passes such as the Berner Oberland Regional Pass and the Jungfrau Travel Pass cover many lines in the region for a set number of days. The last section to the Jungfraujoch is usually discounted rather than included.

Check on the operator’s website what each pass includes before you buy; the details change by season.

Your photographer also needs tickets for any train, boat or funicular you use together. These are normally part of the travel costs listed in your proposal, so you do not have to buy them on the day. If the session starts at a mountain station, the photographer’s journey time is priced in too.

Interlaken is lower and more sheltered than the valleys above it, and the weather in town is a poor guide to the peaks. A grey morning on the Höhematte can mean clear summits above 1,500 metres, and the other way round. Photographers check the Harder Kulm and Jungfrau region webcams the evening before and again in the morning.

June to September brings green meadows, the strongest lake colour, long evenings (sunset after 21.00 in midsummer) and the most visitors. Summer afternoons often build cloud and thunderstorms over the mountains, which is why peak views are planned early or late. Autumn is often clearer and calmer, with colour in the forests and fewer people. Winter is quiet: the Lake Brienz boats pause from early December to early April, sunset comes before 17.00, and the Jungfrau railways keep running. Spring gives green valley floors under white peaks, but some lifts close for maintenance between seasons.

For month-by-month detail, read the best time for a photoshoot in Switzerland. The practical rule: keep one spare evening or morning in your trip, so the session can move if the forecast turns.

Two realistic ways to fit a 90-minute session into a summer day based in Interlaken. Times are examples for July; your photographer adjusts them to your date, sunrise and timetable.

Plan A gives you the calmest water and an empty pier, and frees the whole day. Plan B puts the session in the warmest light and lets you see the valleys first without carrying outfits up and down. Harder Kulm evening rides run from 18 April to 25 October in 2026; check the last descent for your date.

A proposal usually follows Plan B, with the question asked at the Two Lakes Bridge or on the Höhematte. The Interlaken proposal locations guide goes through each spot at sunset.

Dress for the highest point of the day, not for the town. Harder Kulm is about 750 metres above Interlaken and noticeably cooler, and anything above 1,500 metres can be chilly even in July once the sun drops.

• Colours: cream, white, soft blue, sage and muted terracotta sit well against turquoise water and green meadows. Avoid wearing the exact turquoise of the lake, and skip neon and large logos.
• Shoes: the Höhematte and Aare paths are flat and paved, fine for heels. Iseltwald’s lakeside path, Harder Kulm and anything in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald call for shoes with grip; bring smart shoes in a bag and change on the spot.
• Layers: a coat or knit that you are happy to be photographed in is better than a technical jacket you will take off for every frame.
• Dresses: flowing fabrics look good in the wind by the lakes; add a slip or tape if it gusts on the Two Lakes Bridge.
• Families: coordinate two or three colours rather than matching outfits, and pack a spare top for small children near water.

Our guide to what to wear covers colours by setting and season in more depth.

Before the day. You send an availability request with your date, the kind of shoot and any places you have in mind. Alpiora checks which suitable photographers are free and replies personally with a proposal naming the photographer, the package and the price. Once you accept, the photographer usually confirms the route, meeting point and timing with you, and asks about anything they should know: a proposal plan, a child’s nap, a wedding dress.

The evening before. The photographer looks at the forecast and webcams and tells you if a later or earlier slot would work better. If rain is certain, how rescheduling works for your booking is set out in your proposal.

On the day. You meet at the station or your hotel. The first ten minutes are an easy walk while the photographer finds the light and you forget the camera. Direction is practical: where to stand, where to look, what to do with your hands. When the session moves to a second place, you travel together, and the time on the bus or train counts as part of the session.

Afterwards. Photographers edit a selection and deliver it online; the delivery time is stated in your proposal.

Interlaken and the whole Bernese Oberland are priced as Alpine locations, so sessions start at CHF 650 for about 90 minutes. That covers a session in town or at one nearby place. Two or more places usually become a multi-location session from CHF 850, and a half-day with travel between valleys is closer to a photo tour from CHF 1,200.

What moves the price: the photographer, the date and weekday, a sunrise or sunset start, mountain transport and extras such as video. Every item is listed in the proposal before you confirm. For couples, the Interlaken couple photoshoot page describes the usual routes; for a question with a ring, see proposals in Interlaken; for children, family photos in Interlaken.