Why go
This orientation makes the map easier to read before choosing an excursion. Lake Thun lies west, Lake Brienz east, and the Lütschine valley opens south toward the mountain villages. Interlaken, Unterseen and Matten share the Bödeli, so a short move across town can put you in a different municipality without leaving the built-up area.
The full story
The strip of land under Interlaken was shaped over thousands of years. After the last ice age, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz were not yet separate. The Lütschine carried debris down from the south, while the Lombach brought it from the north, gradually dividing the water. The Aare now crosses the Bödeli between the two lakes, flowing west from Lake Brienz toward Lake Thun. This explains both the town's name, meaning 'between the lakes', and its usefulness as a junction. Routes follow the shores east and west, while the way into the mountains follows the Lütschine. Unterseen lies across the river from Interlaken; Matten adjoins it to the south. Read the town as a crossroads on a formed piece of valley floor, rather than as a lakeside resort on either shore.