Zurich to Interlaken Road Trip (3 Days)

Zurich to Interlaken is a short but spectacular drive through the heart of Switzerland: a lake city, a valley of waterfalls with car-free villages above it, and some of the most famous alpine views in Europe — all in under 200 km. You drive on the right, and before you touch any motorway you need a Swiss vignette (CHF 40, valid a full year, sold as an e-vignette online or as a windscreen sticker at the border and petrol stations).

Day 1 — Zurich to Lucerne (55 km)

Pick up the car and head south on the A4/A14 to Lucerne. Park once and walk: the medieval Chapel Bridge, the old town and the promenade along Lake Lucerne are all close together. City parking is pricey, so use a garage and stay on foot. Sleep in Lucerne.

Day 2 — Lucerne to Interlaken via Lake Brienz (75 km)

Follow the A8 along the lakes. Stop at Iseltwald, the tiny stone-harbour village on turquoise Lake Brienz, then continue to Interlaken, set between two lakes with the Jungfrau massif behind it. If you are travelling in summer and want a detour, the high Grimsel, Susten and Furka passes are stunning — but they are seasonal and closed by snow in winter, so check before you commit.

Day 3 — Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald (55 km)

Drive the short distance up to the Lauterbrunnen valley with its cliff waterfalls. Further up the valley are the Trümmelbach Falls: ten waterfalls inside the mountain, fed by the glaciers of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, which you reach by a tunnel lift and stairways (open from about the beginning of April to the beginning of November, depending on the weather). Then drive on to Grindelwald under the Eiger. The highest villages (Wengen, Mürren) are car-free — park in the valley and take the train or cable car up. Then return to Zurich, or drop the car in Interlaken.

Costs

Use the cost calculator to price fuel and nights for your exact dates. Switzerland is expensive: budget roughly CHF 120–200/night for accommodation, plus the one-off CHF 40 vignette, fuel for ~180 km, and pricey parking, food and mountain trains. Booking the car early and staying outside the resort centres saves the most.

This trip is also in the free Roadcut trip planner: change the number of days and where you sleep each night, pick your vehicle to see the fuel cost, check the weather on the road, and open each day in Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze.