Interlaken isn't much more than its long main street, Höheweg , with a train station at each end. It has little to amuse the trippers passing through on their way to the mountains, save for the cafés and hotel bars lining Höheweg and some great views towards the Jungfrau massif, perfectly framed between two hills and best savoured from Höhematte, a central grassy rectangle of parkland. The town lies on a neck of land between two of Switzerland's most attractive lakes , and the best way to arrive is by boat.

This is not about a specific shop or store, it is about shopping in Interlaken, in general. First, everything is expensive. A McDonalds meal is 13 CHF!! I saw fondue for 40 CHF! But, you should take home some souvenirs for the family or yourself, and the best place to do that is along the main road from the Interlaken West train station. As you walk into town, there are numerous shops and restaurants. The stores sell everything from postcards to cowbells to chocolate.

nterlaken Ost station is the terminus of mainline trains and the departure point for branch lines into the mountains; boats also dock here from Brienz, on the Luzern rail line. Trains from the Bern/Zürich direction pass first through Interlaken West (docking point for Thunersee boats), and this station is nearer to the tourist office , which sits beneath the town's tallest building at Höheweg 37 (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm, also June-Sept Sat 8am-5pm, Oct-May Sat 8am-noon; July & Aug also Sun 5-7pm; tel 033/822 21 21.

Beware that accommodation fills up very quickly in the summer and winter high seasons; there are hotel lists and courtesy phones at both stations. For budget food , visit Migros restaurant opposite West station; PizPaz on Centralstrasse for pasta, pizza and fish dishes; or El Azteca , Jungfraustrasse 30, offering Mexican set-meals from Sfr14. Café Runft opposite West station is a tearoom, snackerie and bar open until 3am; Positiv Einfach , Centralstrasse 11, is a small but hip music bar; and Balmer's hostel has cheap beer.