Interlaken · 1,322 m · fares 2026Harder Kulm

What does the ride up Harder Kulm cost?

There is one route and essentially one price: Interlaken Harderbahn–Harder Kulm. The operator advertises “from CHF 22.–” – that is the price with a Half Fare Card. Without a discount card you pay double. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF), not euros.

If you plan to eat at the top anyway: the Harder Lunch Ticket costs from CHF 39 and includes the return funicular ride plus daily menu 1 with the soup of the day, without drinks. Condition: you have to ride up by 13:10 at the latest; for the way back it is valid until close of service. Whether “from 39” is the price with or without a Half Fare Card is not stated on the page – ask at the ticket office.

Rule of thumb: A single costs exactly half. If you hike up and ride down, you pay CHF 22, CHF 11 with a Half Fare Card.

The Harder funicular: ten minutes, 754 metres of climb

The funicular has been running since 5 May 1908 and was electric from the start. It climbs 754 metres through the Harder forest and takes ten minutes to do so. The valley station is a short walk from Interlaken Ost station; the timetable allows six minutes for the transfer.

Frequency

Every 30 minutes, at 10 and 40 minutes past the hour (timetable for 29 September 2026).

First ascent

09:10 on 29 September 2026.

Last descent

21:10 on 29 September 2026 – the operator runs evening services for the sunset every day. In late autumn service may end earlier; check the times on the day of travel at jungfrau.ch/betriebsdaten.

Season

Prices are shown until 29 November 2026, and no longer from 30 November – evidently the winter break begins then. The date of the 2027 season start had not yet been published when we checked.

At the top: the Two Lakes Bridge and the restaurant with the little turret

The Two Lakes Bridge is a viewing platform over the drop – with a glass floor, according to the tourist board. Lake Thun is on the right, Lake Brienz on the left, Interlaken in between, and straight ahead stand the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The operator allows a quarter of an hour for it, not counting the ride. At the top there is also the Harder Kulm panorama restaurant; for children there is a playground with a slide.

If you want to stay longer, walk the Harder Kulm circular trail: a wide path through the forest between 1,293 and 1,443 m, about an hour. In the evenings, according to the operator, alphorn players perform by the restaurant daily from 18:30. The Hardergrat behind it is something else entirely – an exposed ridge walk for the sure-footed only.

Harder Kulm or Jungfraujoch?

The honest answer: they are two different things. On the Jungfraujoch you stand at 3,454 m in the ice. From Harder Kulm you see the Jungfrau – from 1,322 m, with two lakes in the foreground.

Honestly: If CHF 271.20 for one day is too much for you, Harder Kulm is not a consolation prize but the sensible choice – and on a day when the Joch is in cloud, it is anyway. The reverse also holds: if the cloud cover hangs low over Interlaken, you will see nothing from the Harder either. Look at the operator's webcam before buying a ticket. How to get the Joch more cheaply is under Jungfraujoch prices.

The Harder combines well with an arrival day: you get to Interlaken in the afternoon, ride up for the sunset and keep the Joch for the next morning. How long the journey there takes is under Jungfraujoch from Zurich, Lucerne and Interlaken.

Do you need a tour for this?

No. The valley station is a short walk from Interlaken Ost station, the funicular runs every half hour, and there is nothing to organise at the top. On GetYourGuide you will also find an “attraction ticket” for the Harder funicular from €90 (★ 3.5 from 25 reviews) – at the ticket office the same ride costs CHF 44. We do not link to that. Two offers do, however, answer a real question:

“I'm in Zurich and want a day in the Bernese Oberland without 270 francs for the Joch.”

From Zurich: Interlaken Day Trip and Harder Kulm Viewpoint

11 h · day trip · ★ 4.5 from 79 reviews

from, per person€142

Check availability on GetYourGuide

Honestly: Zurich HB–Interlaken Ost takes 1:58 hours on the direct train, the Harder funicular costs CHF 44 – you can easily manage that on your own. The tour is worth it if you have no rail discount and do not want to plan anything.

“I want to walk up, but not through the forest on my own.”

Interlaken: Summit Harder Kulm with a Swiss Athlete

5 h · private guided hike · ★ 5.0 from 37 reviews

from, per person€164

Check availability on GetYourGuide

Honestly: That is a 754-metre climb. You pay a guide for company and pace. For the way down you can take the funicular for CHF 22.