Sunday brunch in Interlaken and visit to the Harder Kulm

With the “you don’t treat yourself to anything else” saying, I justify my special wishes and desires in between. But if you are given an extra hour on Sunday, then in my opinion you no longer have to rationally justify the desire for a hearty Sunday brunch. After all, 25 hours of Sundays are to be celebrated – and in style.

Breakfast at the Victoria Jungfrau Interlaken

Since we were travelling in our home town of Bern anyway, we had chosen the traditional Victoria-Jungfrau for this occasion. We were excited, because the price of 78 CHF for the Sunday brunch caused expectations to skyrocket. I’ve only been to this hotel once before and that was for a delicious ice cream dessert on a beautiful summer’s day on the incredibly secluded, ivy-covered terrace. If I’m honest, I fell in love with the hotel a little bit because of this terrace.

Sunday brunch is served in the brasserie. Included in the price are a glass of sparkling wine, coffee and juices (orange juice or vitamin juice) as well as tap water à discretion. Drinks will be served. When eating, you can help yourself to the buffet. Since brunch doesn’t start until 11:00 a.m. (and only lasts until 2:00 p.m.), most guests arrive punctually at 11:00 a.m. This makes for longer waiting times at the buffet – a bit annoying and, above all, a club holiday feeling. I thought that was a pity.

The buffet itself is extensive. In addition to the classic breakfast buffet, there is also a selection of salads and three different warm main courses. Only the cheese selection seemed rather sparse to me… We filled our plates first twice with the “appetizers” and then with the main course.

Finally, we fell for the separate dessert buffet. The highlight here was clearly the chocolate fountain (to dip fruit in) and the ice cream truck with toppings. Oh how delighted I was when I discovered it. Actually, I was already more than full – but who can resist ice cream with toppings? The good thing about it: we didn’t need any more meals for the rest of the day.

Nevertheless, the conclusion is ambiguous. Is the high price for brunch justified? “Yes and no” In our opinion, there is a deduction for “clearance”. I would have expected a higher quality in this hotel, especially in terms of service. It’s also a shame that there is no brunch alternative without sparkling wine and the corresponding discount.

Visit to the Harder Kulm

After brunch we used the break in the rain (the sun just didn’t want to be so right…) for a digestive trip to the Harder, the local mountain of Interlaken. It would take about two hours on foot from Interlaken to Harder Kulm. After the gluttony, however, we didn’t feel able to climb the altitude in a decent amount of time. So we took the Harder Railway up comfortably from Interlaken Ost – so it only takes eight minutes (cost with GA 14 CHF).

The attraction on the Harder Kulm is the new two-lake footbridge, from which you can enjoy a unique view over Lake Thun and the turquoise blue Lake Brienz. Of course, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau also present themselves from their best side. As you can see, even with a thick cloud cover, it’s simply beautiful. So it is also perfect for an excursion in bad weather. There are various hiking opportunities around the Harder, all of which are signposted at the mountain restaurant. We used the time until the descent (the train runs every half hour) for an autumnal walk in the forest and watched the leaves dance.