Happy Inn Lodge Interlaken
by the TopOfHotel team
Happy Inn Lodge is the best backpacker base in Interlaken — cheap beds, a genuinely fun bar, and the whole adrenaline menu arranged for you at the front desk.
Happy Inn Lodge is the best backpacker base in Interlaken — cheap beds, a genuinely fun bar, and the whole adrenaline menu arranged for you at the front desk.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Happy Inn Lodge runs both 4-to-8-bed dorms and private rooms with en-suite bathrooms, with beds starting around $71/night. The dorms are clean to the usual Swiss-hostel standard, each with a private locker for your valuables, and there's a shared kitchen you can actually cook in. The whole place feels friendly and social — solo travelers tend to find trip companions within a day. The one thing to know up front: rooms on the bar side hear the music clearly, loudest on Thursday nights when it runs until around 1 AM. If you want quiet, ask for a room on the opposite side when you book.
Food and amenities
The single best thing here is Brasserie 17, the in-house bar and restaurant. It hosts live music every Thursday from September to June, the mood is loud and fun, and it pulls in both backpackers and locals. Food prices are reasonable by Swiss standards, and there's a shared guest kitchen if you'd rather cook. There's no buffet breakfast bundled into the room rate, but Brasserie 17 serves breakfast to order. Round it out with free Wi-Fi and luggage storage, and the basics are covered.
Location and getting there
The central location is a 5-minute walk to West Station, ideal for backpackers who want easy reach to every rail line out of town. The adventure menu the hostel arranges is the real draw — tandem skydiving, paragliding, rafting, canyoning and bungee jumping, all coordinated directly by the front desk, usually at a better price than booking yourself. Restaurants and supermarkets sit within walking distance, and reviewers rate the spot a 9.2/10 for location, the highest single score this place earns.
Things to know before booking
This is a hostel, and it behaves like one. Bar music until roughly 1 AM on Thursdays means broken sleep for anyone in a room near it. Checkout is 10 AM, early if you closed out the bar the night before. And dorms plus shared spaces mean less privacy than a hotel room — fine if you came to socialize, frustrating if you came to recharge. Book activities 1-2 days ahead, since skydiving in particular hinges on the weather.
Our take
Happy Inn Lodge is the pick for adventure-minded backpackers who want a low budget, a social scene, and the whole adrenaline lineup arranged in one place. If you're planning to skydive or paraglide over Interlaken, the front desk just makes it happen. But if a full night's sleep or real privacy matters more to you, choose one of the other hotels on this list.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Beds start at just $71/night, the cheapest pick on this entire list and a rare bargain in high-cost Switzerland.
- Brasserie 17, the bar and restaurant downstairs, has a genuinely good vibe — it's where travelers and locals mix, and making new friends takes about five minutes.
- The front desk organizes the adventure menu Interlaken is built for: tandem skydiving, paragliding, rafting and canyoning, often at a better rate than booking it yourself.
- Location is the standout — a 5-minute walk to West Station, which earned a 9.2/10 location score from reviewers.
- Dorms come with private lockers for your gear, and there's a shared kitchen so you can cook instead of paying Swiss restaurant prices.
- Music from the bar downstairs carries until around 1 AM, especially on Thursday live-music nights, and reviews say it affects sleep.
- Checkout is 10 AM, which is unforgiving if you were up late at the bar the night before.
- It's a hostel first — dorms and shared spaces mean less privacy and quiet than a regular hotel, so light sleepers should look elsewhere on this list.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Interlaken
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Insider Tips
- Book your skydiving or paragliding through the front desk rather than externally — they coordinate it directly and usually land a better price.
- If you want a full night's sleep, ask specifically for a room on the far side from the bar — Thursday live music runs until about 1 AM.
- There's no buffet breakfast included, but Brasserie 17 serves breakfast to order, and the shared kitchen plus nearby supermarkets let you self-cater on the cheap.