We didn't stay here, but we had pizza and beer here twice. There are not many options for food in…read moreGimmelwald, so competition is not a factor. Needless to say, I wasn't excited about the "famous" pizza when I first heard about it. But, the kids were hungry and we weren't about to head back up the hill to Mürren. I am glad we tried it: I think their pizza is good by at-home, large city standards and fantastic given the location! As far as food goes, I think the menu at the hostel is limited to pizza, but it is executed well and definitely worthwhile. In addition to the pizza, they have a small bar with two beers on tap: light and dark. While we were there, they were out of the dark, but their light was very drinkable and the local craft brews available in bottles are good as well. I had a hoppy amber that really hit the spot on our last evening in town. I think it was called "Two Jocks" As of this writing, you can get a cheese and tomato pizza for 16 CHF and can add up to 4 toppings for an additional 3 or so CHF. Even better, the pies are ready really quickly! I recommend using some of the chili oil on the tables if you want to spice things up a bit. Pizza and beer makes a great, no-brainer end of day meal after a long day of hiking around the area. They also have soft drinks and other harder stuff at the bar (Jack Daniel's, for instance). If you don't want to stay, you can order the pizza to go and eat it in your room. Just remember that pizzas are not typically served pre-cut in Europe, so you may need a knife if you're sharing :)

Amazing views!! Right on the edge of a mountain. Clean hostel. Everyone does their own dishes here…read more Family style, homey feel. Free breakfast is offered. Only down side is there is one bathroom for everyone with 3 toilets and 3 showers. You also have to pay 1 frank to shower for 8 minutes of hot water because the hot water is limited up in the mountain! Lol. The views and location make up for everything! They have a free laundry room here as well and free billiards room. Also really good beer! 1/2 liter for $5 at the hostel bar. Cheaper than the brewery next door and it's the same beer.

This hostel is straight out of a fairy tale, and it has been in operation for years. (I first…read morestayed there over 30 years ago). The views from this hostel are magical and breathtaking, and nothing could be more relaxing than sitting out back with the whole mountain valley below. This place is so relaxing and charming that I would opt for it over any 5 star hotel. I can't wait to recapture a bit of nostalgia on my next visit to the area by staying a night or two at one of the best hostels in Switzerland. The Mountain Hostel is also a great jumping of point from which to hike up the mountain. A word of warning though, that hike is no joke, so unless you're in shape, you may want to consider taking the cable car up to the Schilthorn Restaurant.

This is one of the greatest hostels I've ever stayed in. There's nothing quite like having a bed…read moreright next to a window that opens up to the view and smell of the Swiss Alps. The beds weren't the most comfortable, but you can't beat the view. We stayed in a 16 bed female dorm but I think there were only about 6 other people in there. The dorm was on the upper level and the showers and bathroom were on the lower level, with the common area, kitchen and bar being on the main level. They have laundry available on site for a small fee and cheap wifi. They also have a kitchen where you can cook whatever your heart desires but I'm pretty sure the closest grocery store is the next town up the cable car, Mürren. They had musical instruments for anyone's enjoyment but the best part was just sitting outside and staring at those beautiful mountains. Gimmelwald was one of my favorite places I experienced on my tour of Europe and I desperately want to go back. I would never stay anywhere else but Mountain Hostel (I don't think there's another hostel in Gimmelwald, anyway). They have rooms for families also which I thought was really cool. Everyone was very respectful of everyone else and even though people stayed up late in the common room, they couldn't be heard in the dorms upstairs. Mountain Hostel was a great break from EXPENSIVE Switzerland. I will be back, Gimmelwald!

If you're planning a stay in Interlaken on a budget but still want comfort and friendly vibes,…read moreBackpackers Villa Sonnenhof is a good hostel to use as a base. The rooms and facilities are well-maintained overall. The staff are super friendly. My sister became good friends with the guy who cleans up the kitchen area at night. It's an excellent value for money. Breakfast and bus passes are included, although we didn't use the bus passes much since we have the Swiss travel pass. The bus stops right in front of the hostel, and very convenient. They mark any food in the fridge & pantry left over by guests who already checked out with a free sticker so that current and new arrivals can have them if they wish. A pretty good deal, minimizing waste, and helping out current guests. Having fully equipped kitchen was great. The only downside is if you have roommates who are not neat and/or respectful. Our shower was flooded the first day we arrived by one roommate who was checking out that day. But you can't really choose roommates if you're staying in a fully booked hostel.

I've done capsule hotels before, but this was my first time staying in a hostel (although we did…read morehave enough people to get our own room). I think this is a great choice if you're looking for a budget accommodation and don't mind the hostel environment. Having 4 people so you can book out a whole room though was definitely helpful for us since you never know who you'll get, and we didn't want to deal with that coin toss. PROS - Extremely friendly and helpful staff. We had a very large group checking in, split across multiple rooms, and with people checking out at different times. But the staff was more than happy to assist us! - Plenty of lockers to store your belongings. We were able to do so while waiting for our check-in since we arrived a few hours earlier than our check-in time. - Lockers available inside each room too for you to lock your things up if you're sharing a room with strangers - Lots of common area space including ping pong tables, kitchen and dining area, laundry, breakfast area (with complimentary breakfast), patios, and a kids room. - Comfortable beds with an outlet and shelf even for the top bunk - Close to a bus stop and within walking distance of the train station CONS - Only 4 washers and dryers so you may have to wait like we did when trying to do laundry late at night. Quite a few people weren't the best about taking their clothes out on time either. - Shower situation wasn't the best. There was a flimsy shower curtain, but as soon as you turned the shower on, it would blow inwards and stick to you the entire time. Because of this it didn't do a great job keeping water in either so the floor would get pretty wet. - We came in July and the room was very warm even at night. We did try keeping our window open but since there was no screen, we were worried about bugs and only kept it open a crack. Overall, could use some minor improvements but I think that's the hostel experience. Great for travelers on a budget!

This was by far the biggest hostel with the most to do than any hostel I have ever stayed in the…read moreworld. I love how everything is set up for numerous places to chill comfortably. Two different buildings with pianos and one has a guitar. Pool table, dart boards grill, bar, nightclub below ground and activities every day. Don't let me forget to mention the huge kitchen. The biggest kitchen in any hostel I have ever stayed in. Maybe because this hostel is huge. They've been doing this since 1907 and these folks know what they are doing and do it well. I definitely recommend that you check this place out!

I stayed at this hostel for 4 nights and I loved my entire stay. I stayed in a 10 bed mixed shared…read moredorm; the room was spacious and very clean. I loved the huge window in the room, the view was beautiful and it always smelled fresh and crisp. Furthermore, the bathrooms are nice and kept very clean. I loved the showers, I spent 3 months in over 12 hostels in Europe and the showers at Balmer's were my favorite! Very modern and well thought out. Now for the most important part, the vibe here is amazing! Since it's Interlaken, you'll meet a lot of adventurous people who'll be down to go on day trips and excursions, which was amazing for me as a solo traveler. There's not much to do in the area at night so a lot of people from the hostel gather to play board games and chill - these were some of my favorite nights of my entire trip. It's not the most social hostel because the staff doesn't plan events so your fun will depend on the guests staying while you're there, but lucky for me it was a great night every night. There's also a foosball table and a hot tub, need I say more? As for location, it's walking distance to the Interlaken Ost train station, a bus stop (that can take you to and from the Interlaken West train station), and numerous markets/shops. Note: The hostel gives you a free bus pass upon checking in, you can use the bus pass to ride the city busses for free! The only negative is that laundry is very expensive, I paid the equivalent of $25 to wash and dry one small load of laundry. I was shocked. Plan your trip so that you do laundry right before you arrive here, or wait until you leave. Overall, this hostel is a gem. I already have my second stay booked this summer!!!

Originally, we wanted to stay at Balmers hostel because we needed a place to crash while in…read moreInterlaken. Unfortunately, we didn't book enough in advance and was stuck between the Funny Farm or The Barn. With such limited information online from websites such as hostelworld, we decided to go wth the Funny Farm. Let me say that this is by far the worst hostel I've stayed at in terms of cleanliness and service. The entire building is super old and dusty. The furniture was probably donated or grabbed off of Craigslist's free section and the service isn't the best. Staff seemed to be more interested in doing the minimum for us. Our room was supposed to be a mixed gender six bed hostel, but when we walked in it was an eight bed. When asked about this, it was stated that the other beds were reserved and would not be rented out? Seemed sketchy to me. Additionally, there are no lockers for your personals, no ladders for the bunk beds, the rooms were super dusty, the bathroom was similar to that of a cruise ship's bathroom meaning it was extremely dank and small. For those of us who are over 5'10 (I'm 6'), you'll need to crouch, so that you can enjoy the beautiful mold and black residue left on the wall of the shower. For the price of 30 francs, I expected more. However with all things considered, it was in a convenient location and easily accessible from the bus stop. It seems like a lot of Chinese and South Korean tourists come to Interlaken, so you'll see these people around the hostel. Most likely, in the same situation as us meaning this hostel was not their first choice. There was also a fraternity or college kids who rented out a good majority of the rooms, so lots of noise. On top of this, stones/rocks seem to be the item of choice to decorate and hold doors here (see pics). Nonetheless, I visited The Barn located in the back, also owned by the same people. I spoke to the guy who owns the place and actually checked The Barn out myself. Let me say this, The Barn is a hundred times worse than The Funny Farm, which is the only reason I am giving The Funny Farm two stars rather than the lowest score possible. Tl;dr The Funny Farm is not the first, second, or third pick for most. Will you survive? Yes.

The Funny Farm is EFFING WEIRD. Which is a good thing, IMO. Located in gorgeous Interlaken,…read moreSwitzerland, the Funny Farm is a hostel designed for youthful backpackers who don't mind the loss of much personal space and who likely don't spend a lot of time in beds or hanging around the hostel when they are backpacking. Onsite, the Funny Farm offers you all the amenities for enjoying the great outdoors of Switzerland - you can sign up for bouldering, canyoning, cliff diving, river rafting, etc. On the grounds, the Funny Farm has a large sunny pool area with a large diving board, a Space Camp with large outdoor seating, and there's always a couple of guys smoking weed, passing around a pipe, and selling the hash if that's up your alley, talking about how the man totally harshes my mellow, yo. If it helps at all, I got into a deep philosophical and HUGELY IMPORTANT conversation of which I can recall very little about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the philosophy of The Simpsons here with some hippies from Sweden. I feel this kind of thing happens a lot at The Funny Farm.

Remote.Rustic.Historic…read more Quiet, quaint and fabulous views on the terrace while sipping on a Schwarz Monch beer. If you enjoy conveniences, private bathrooms and unplanned in advance meals/reservations stay in near by Murren or make this a day time destination/hike. The tour of the town was beautiful! The honesty shopping is a cute (often expensive) concept you can find all over town.

This is a seriously sweet little place. A hostel, restaurant and bar with a lovely little terrace…read morelooking over the Lauterbrunnen valley towards Silberhorn. The food is proper Swiss grub and the beer is great. Have a look inside at the quaint little bar a real bolt-hole when the weather closes in or it's snowed. The owners are really lovely and it is an incredibly peaceful and relaxing spot to while away an afternoon with a book, a few beers and a pure alpine view.

Great hostel. The service is superb. Location, location, location ... with magnificent views…read more Petra and Walter Brunner will take great care of you.

This hostel is cute and homey but not adventurous like the name implies. It is clean and quiet and…read morenot at all social. I stayed in a cozy four-bed room. I loved sitting or standing outside and watching the paragliders. The free breakfast was very lacking. There were a few cheese slices and bread. I won't complain too much because at least it was free. I really liked the layout of this hostel because it's like a house. There is comfy seating and tables on the main floor.

From the owner: Welcome to the Adventure Hostel in Interlaken. The only hostel with a clear view on the "Eiger,…read moreMönch and Jungfrau" mountains. Enjoy the spectacular view, cozy rooms, a yummy breakfast and why not experience a paragliding tandem flight over the breathtaking mountain landscape.