Interlaken's street meters run from 07:00 to 19:00 every day, Sundays included. And the big bays marked "Car" are for coaches, not for you: in Swiss German a Car is a tour bus.
I'd leave the car at the Park+Ride in Matten, CHF 5 for up to 12 hours, and take the train towards the mountains. Staying in town? Feed the meter until 19:00 and most evenings on the street are free.
Parking in Interlaken: Coach bays, a 19:00 meter and a CHF 5 field in Matten
1. Buy the CHF 40 e-vignette first
The A8 into Interlaken is a motorway, so you need the Swiss vignette. It's CHF 40, and the 2026 one runs from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027. The e-vignette is tied to your number plate; buy it in the federal shop at via.admin.ch. The customs office says resellers may not add fees on top, so don't pay them.
2. Park in Matten, ride the train
Jungfrau Railways tells drivers to switch to public transport early, in Matten or Wilderswil. Park+Ride Matten has 207 spaces: CHF 5 up to 12 hours, CHF 10 up to 24, then CHF 10 for every further 12 hours. Park+Ride Wilderswil has 195: CHF 3 up to three hours, CHF 10 up to 12, then CHF 5 for every 12. Two nights works out at CHF 25 in Wilderswil against CHF 30 in Matten.
3. Feed the meter until 19:00, Sundays too
Council-run spaces are charged 07:00–19:00, all year, all week. The centre costs CHF 2 an hour (CHF 0.10 every three minutes), the rest of town CHF 1.20. The time limit is on the sign: 15 minutes, 30, 90 or three hours in the centre, up to 5, 12 or 24 hours outside it. A 12-hour day in the outer zone is CHF 14.40. Pay at the machine or with PayByPhone (parking app).
4. Don't park in a "Car" bay
PayByPhone lists Car P1 to P6 around both stations and the Kursaal at CHF 6–9 for the first hour. Those are coach parks. The parking.ch entry for the coach park at Kursaal West gives CHF 8, 15, 21 and 27 for one to four hours, which is a coach tariff, and you'd be blocking a bus.
5. Take Parkhaus Zentrum for an afternoon
Parkhaus Zentrum has 115 public spaces, a 2.30 m entrance and never closes. You pay CHF 1 on entry, then CHF 0.50 per 12 minutes from 08:00 to 19:00 (CHF 2.50 an hour; in peak season the unit drops to ten minutes). Evenings are cheaper and the day is capped at CHF 25. Three daytime hours: CHF 8.50. At the stations, SBB sells P+Rail at Interlaken West for CHF 8 a day, by app or machine; parking listings give the Interlaken Ost car park 235 spaces at CHF 10 a day.
Day trip to the Jungfrau? Matten. Two nights? Wilderswil, and keep the CHF 5.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Park+Ride Matten (Jungfrau Railways)Matten bei Interlaken, by Matten station; A8 exit Wilderswil, then follow P+R Matten. Open 24 hours | CHF 5 up to 12 hours, CHF 10 for 12–24 hours, then CHF 10 for every further 12 hours. 207 spaces. Cash, card, Twint, EasyPark. No overnight parking for campers. | Charging stations listed; number and price not published. |
| Park+Ride Wilderswil station (Jungfrau Railways)Wilderswil, at the station, with trains towards the Jungfrau region; open 24 hours, all year | CHF 3 up to 3 hours, CHF 10 for 3–12 hours, then CHF 5 for every further 12 hours; no maximum stay. 195 spaces. | Charging stations listed; number and price not published. |
| Parkhaus Zentrum InterlakenJungfraustrasse 53, in the centre; open 24 hours. 115 public spaces | CHF 1 on entry, then CHF 0.50 per 12 minutes 08:00–19:00 (10-minute units in peak season), CHF 0.30 per unit 19:00–23:00, CHF 0.10 overnight; CHF 25 a day. Lost ticket CHF 30. Height 2.30 m. | Two charging stations just after the entrance, since 2015; price not published. |
| P+Rail Interlaken West (SBB)Fabrikstrasse 4, at Interlaken West station; open 24 hours | CHF 8 a day, CHF 40 a month (month and year need a rail pass). 61 spaces. Buy in the P+Rail app, on sbb.ch or at the station machines; a ticket doesn't guarantee a space. | Not published. |
| Interlaken Ost car parkUntere Bönigstrasse, by Interlaken Ost station and the Harderbahn; open 24 hours | CHF 10 a day, 235 spaces, according to parking.ch and CoParking. No operator page with the tariff found. | Listings disagree: parking.ch shows a charger, CoParking says none. |
| Parkhaus Grindelwald Terminal (Jungfrau Railways)Grundstrasse 54, Grindelwald, at the Grindelwald Terminal station; open 24 hours | CHF 15 for 2 to 24 hours; other rates after the first 24 hours. 1,032 spaces. Online booking adds CHF 5. | 20 charging stations; price not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Park+Ride Wilderswil station (Jungfrau Railways) | 3 CHF ≈ €3.2 | Cheapest for multi-day stays |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Parkhaus Zentrum Interlaken | 6 CHF ≈ €6.4 | height 2.30 m · First hour includes CHF 1 entry; CHF 3/h in peak season |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, centre zone | 4 CHF ≈ €4.3 | CHF 2 an hour (CHF 0.10 per 3 minutes); limits of 15, 30, 90 minutes or 3 hours on the sign. Outside the centre CHF 1.20 an hour, up to 5, 12 or 24 hours. Sundays are charged. |
| A full day (10 h) | Park+Ride Matten (Jungfrau Railways) | 5 CHF ≈ €5.4 | Then CHF 10 per extra 12 hours |
| …and the cheapest central garage | P+Rail Interlaken West (SBB) | 8 CHF ≈ €8.6 | |
| 24 hours | P+Rail Interlaken West (SBB) | 8 CHF ≈ €8.6 |
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Towed in Interlaken: No pound, no fee table, two police desks
1. Ring the town police first
Interlaken publishes no towing procedure, no car pound and no fee. Parking fines go through the municipal Polizeiinspektorat, General-Guisan-Strasse 43, phone 033 826 51 51. That's where I'd ask first if the car has gone.
2. Then try the cantonal station in Matten
The Bern cantonal police moved their Interlaken station to Wychelstrasse 28 on 21 January 2022. Directory listings give 031 638 86 60, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00 and Saturday 08:00–16:00.
3. Budget for the fine, not a tow
Swiss parking fines are fixed federally: CHF 40 for overstaying by up to two hours, CHF 60 up to four, CHF 100 up to ten. An unpaid meter is CHF 40. That CHF 40 would have bought 20 hours in the centre at CHF 2. What a tow costs here, nobody publishes.
I found no towing figures from Interlaken at all. That's a reason to pay the meter, not to gamble.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Interlaken publishes no towing procedure, car pound or fee. Municipal parking enforcement and fines sit with the Polizeiinspektorat; the Bern cantonal police run the Interlaken station in Matten
- Phone
- Polizeiinspektorat Interlaken (municipal police), General-Guisan-Strasse 43: 033 826 51 51
Bern cantonal police, Interlaken station, Wychelstrasse 28, Matten (directory listing): 031 638 86 60
Municipal administration, Interlaken: 033 826 51 11 - Collect it at
- No car pound is published. Ask at the Polizeiinspektorat or the cantonal police station in Matten.
- Hours
- Cantonal station Monday–Friday 09:00–17:00, Saturday 08:00–16:00 (directory listings). Polizeiinspektorat hours not published.
- What it costs
- Towing and storage fees are not published. Federal fixed fines: overstaying CHF 40 (up to 2 h), CHF 60 (2–4 h), CHF 100 (4–10 h); meter not paid CHF 40; parking disc not displayed CHF 40.
- Bring
- Nothing is listed. I would bring the registration document or rental contract, driving licence and passport, and ring the rental company first for a hire car.
EV charging in Interlaken: Two plugs in town, twenty in Grindelwald
1. Charge at the Park+Ride
Both Jungfrau Railways car parks, Matten and Wilderswil, list charging stations. Neither publishes how many or the price.
2. Use Parkhaus Zentrum's two points
Parkhaus Zentrum has had two chargers since 2015, just after the entrance. No price on its site. For the Interlaken Ost car park the listing sites disagree on whether there's a charger at all.
3. Go to Grindelwald Terminal for numbers
Grindelwald Terminal has 1,032 spaces and 20 chargers, and parking is CHF 15 for 2 to 24 hours. Booking online adds CHF 5. The charging price isn't published.
Nobody around Interlaken publishes a kWh price. My rule: read the screen before you plug in.
Where to charge
- Parkhaus Zentrum — 2 chargers — Parkhaus Zentrum, just after the entrance. In place since 2015; parking capped at CHF 25 a day. No charging price published
- Park+Ride Matten and Wilderswil — Park+Ride Matten and Park+Ride Wilderswil. Jungfrau Railways lists charging stations at both; number and price not published
- Grindelwald Terminal — 20 chargers — Parkhaus Grindelwald Terminal. The biggest bank I could confirm in the region; parking CHF 15 for 2–24 hours. Charging price not published
Free parking in Interlaken: Evenings free on the street, and a CHF 25 week
1. Park on the street after 19:00
Meters stop at 19:00 and start again at 07:00, so an evening in town costs nothing on most council spaces. The exception is the Rosenparkplatz, charged around the clock: CHF 0.50 an hour at night, CHF 2 at most. Check the sign for any time limit before you leave the car overnight.
2. Ask about the CHF 25 weekly card
The council's parking ordinance lists a general parking card at CHF 10 a day, CHF 25 a week or CHF 80 a month, from the residents' office or online. It isn't valid in the centre core, on spaces limited to 60 minutes or less, or for motorhomes and trailers. A week of outer-zone meters is CHF 100.80, so ask before you pay by the hour.
3. Ask your hotel before you book
I couldn't find a single Interlaken hotel whose own website says parking is free. Ask the hotel, in writing, what it charges.
If you remember one thing: the meter runs until 19:00, Sunday or not. Every price on this page was checked on 5 October 2026 on the operator's or council's own page, unless I say it comes from a listing.
Free or nearly-free spots
Council spaces after 19:00
Municipal spaces are charged 07:00–19:00, so evenings and nights cost nothing. Check the sign for a time limit before leaving the car overnight.
General parking card: CHF 25 a week
The 2012 parking ordinance (as of 2020) lists CHF 10 a day, CHF 25 a week, CHF 80 a month, from the residents' office or online. Not valid in the centre core, on spaces of 60 minutes or less, or for motorhomes and trailers.
Wilderswil for a short stop: CHF 3
Up to three hours at Park+Ride Wilderswil is CHF 3, the cheapest published price around Interlaken.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Bays marked Car (Car P1–P6 in PayByPhone) are coach parks: Swiss German Car means tour bus. PayByPhone lists them at CHF 6–9 for the first hour.
- Switzerland has no low-emission zone to register for. What a foreign car needs is the CHF 40 vignette, tied to the plate if bought as an e-vignette at via.admin.ch.
- Wengen and Mürren are car-free. Park in Lauterbrunnen for Wengen, and in Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg for Mürren.
- A stretch of the Höheweg known locally as the Schlauch was kept closed to private cars, Plattform J reported in 2017. The council publishes no current map of restricted streets, so follow the signs.
- The Lindenallee is under works from 2 March 2026 to November 2027, in six phases; the first made part of it one-way with a detour via Freiestrasse and Schlossstrasse.
- Blue zones elsewhere in Switzerland mean a parking disc; not displaying it is a CHF 40 fine. I found no blue zone in Interlaken's own parking material, which is all meters and the app.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.