Interlaken is the highest-earning rental market between the lakes, and the most regulated one in central Switzerland since a wave of "protect housing" initiatives began to bite. In March 2026 the Bödeli municipalities re-imposed a planning zone: in the residential, mixed and core zones, changing a primary residence into a secondary home or into a short-term tourist letting now requires a building permit. On top of that, letting an apartment for fewer than three consecutive nights is not permitted in the residential zones at all.
That does not make the market smaller — it makes the rules the whole business model. This guide sets out what an Interlaken apartment actually earned in the twelve months to April 2026, where the spread between two similar flats comes from, and how the minimum-stay rule, the March 2026 planning zone and the tourist taxes fit together. The market figures come from AirROI's Interlaken dataset (May 2025 to April 2026), converted to Swiss francs at CHF 0.835 per US dollar, the rate we use across our Swiss market guides.
What an Interlaken short-term rental earns in 2026
The average active listing earned USD 60,649 (about CHF 50,650) across the year, at an average nightly rate of USD 419 (CHF 349) and 51.6% occupancy — USD 206 (CHF 172) of revenue per available night. Supply is concentrated and small: 332 active listings in the Interlaken market proper, with revenue up 1.0% year on year. Guests book on average 68 days ahead and stay 3.3 nights.
The distribution is where the edges live:
| Interlaken listings, twelve months to April 2026 | Revenue as reported |
|---|---|
| Average listing in the market | CHF 50,650 a year · CHF 349 nightly rate |
| Median listing | CHF 4,220 a month |
| Peak-season (June–August) | ~CHF 8,063 a month · 72.2% occupancy |
| Low season (Jan, Mar, Nov) | ~CHF 2,666 a month · 35.9% occupancy |
Season swings the revenue of a single apartment by roughly three times between low and peak. The strongest month (July) priced near USD 449 (CHF 375) a night at occupancy in the high 70s; the weakest months settled around USD 346 (CHF 288). RevPAR peaks in July and bottoms out in March — a market where Christmas companions the low season, and the high season is effectively June through August.
Why two similar flats earn different money
Key figure. The average Interlaken short-term rental earned USD 60,649 (about CHF 50,650) in the twelve months to April 2026, at a nightly rate of USD 419 (CHF 349) and 51.6% occupancy. Peak-season months averaged around CHF 8,063. Source: AirROI Interlaken market dataset, retrieved 1 October 2026.
Two apartments in the same building can differ by more than a factor of two. The levers are the same ones that move every alpine market, but the specific rules here tighten the odds:
- Rate, and the season to set it. With a three-night minimum turning short city breaks into the exception, the rate you command in July — not the annual average — decides the year. The gap between the top 10% of listings and the median is wide, and it is almost always a rate-recalibration gap.
- Low-season strategy. The late-autumn and early-winter trough is where most revenue is lost. Longer stays and Bundled offers (multi-night packages) are the tools that fill March, but they collide with the minimum-stay rule that blocks one-night lets.
- Calendar discipline. With 68 days of average lead time, the calendar has to be open and priced long before guests start looking — a late-priced month in Interlaken misses a demand wave that rarely comes back.
- Turnover economics. Three-night stays mean more changeovers, laundry and check-ins per franc of revenue; the listings that fold cleaning into the rate model rather than setting it as an afterthought hold their margin best.
Seasonality: a July peak, a March trough
Interlaken is sharply seasonal. In peak season (June, July and August) revenue averages USD 9,655 (about CHF 8,063) a month at 72.2% occupancy and a USD 449 (CHF 375) nightly rate. In the shoulder months — which include ski-season winter weeks around the Jungfrau resorts — that falls to USD 5,468 (CHF 4,566) at 51.5% occupancy. In the low season (January, March and November) revenue drops to USD 3,193 (CHF 2,666) at 35.9% occupancy and a USD 346 (CHF 288) rate.
- Price the peak, don't average it. Two or three months at peak rates carry a disproportionate share of the year. In a market where the top quarter of listings runs at 76%+ occupancy, the July rate is the single number that moves the annual result.
- Sell winter as a product, not a leftover. The Jungfrau ski corridor keeps shoulder demand above the raw low-season average; winter weeks should be priced and promoted as their own season, not discounted against a summer benchmark.
- Watch the booking window. An average 68-day lead time means the calendar must be open far ahead. In the low season, extend stays rather than cutting the nightly rate — the minimum-stay rule makes short low-season lets a poor bet anyway.
The rules: a three-night minimum and a March 2026 planning zone
Interlaken is the leading edge of Switzerland's short-let backlash. Following a citizens' initiative under the banner "Wohnraum schützen – Airbnb regulieren", the municipalities on the Bödeli tightened their rules. Three facts define the current regime:
- A three-consecutive-night minimum. In the residential (Wohn) zones, letting an apartment for fewer than three consecutive nights is not permitted. Short city-break lets are the exception, not the rule, in the core of the market.
- A March 2026 planning zone. Since 11 March 2026, in Interlaken's residential, mixed and core zones, changing a primary residence into a secondary residence — or into a unit for short-term tourist letting — requires a building permit. The planning zone is expected to run for two years, and pending building applications are being assessed against the new requirement.
- An owner-occupancy benchmark. The tighter rules aim to protect primary housing stock; apartments in mixed and core zones that fall short of the owner-occupancy share are the ones most exposed to losing or never gaining a tourist-let permit.
Then there is the tax. Guests pay the municipal Kurtaxe on apartments, guest rooms and holiday homes under the Interlaken Kurtaxenreglement, plus the canton of Bern's Beherbergungsabgabe of about CHF 1.00 per person per night. Both are charged on top of the rate, per guest, and never belong in the income you quote as an owner.
In practice, clarify a unit's status before you buy or convert anything. In this market the permit question is a property-law question, not a pricing one — and in March 2026 it became a question that can rule an apartment out of short-term letting entirely.
What you keep: fees, cleaning and tax
Gross bookings are not income. On a median month of about CHF 4,220, Airbnb's host service fee — 15.5% under simplified pricing — takes roughly CHF 654, leaving about CHF 3,566 before cleaning, laundry, utilities and your mortgage. The cleaning fee normally passes through to the guest rather than coming out of your rate, which is why under-setting it caps what you can ask for a single night. The Kurtaxe and the cantonal Beherbergungsabgabe are charged on top, per guest, and never belong in the income you quote.
Beyond that, short-let income is taxable in Switzerland and VAT can enter the picture once turnover passes the registration threshold; we cover that arithmetic in our guide to Airbnb tax and VAT.
Self-manage, or hand it over
Self-managing in Interlaken is realistic if you live on the Bödeli, keep the calendar open and revisit rates monthly. The cost of doing it badly is higher here than in a soft market, because a three-night minimum and a permit rule punish mistakes twice: you cannot chase short bookings to fill gaps, and you cannot easily convert a residential unit to recover. An unfilled July, or a minimum-stay setting that blocks the legitimate longer stays, is revenue you cannot recover later in the year.
Across our own managed portfolio, professionally operated apartments average around 87% occupancy and roughly 34% more revenue than self-managed flats in the same markets. We work on a flat 20% commission on net booked revenue, licensed apartments only, with 30 days notice on either side — no lock-in, no fee on nights we don't sell.
What could your Interlaken apartment earn?
Send us the address and the layout. We will project a realistic annual figure at Interlaken rates, with the permit position, the minimum-stay rule, the tourist taxes and the compliance lines shown separately.
Get a free revenue estimate
10+ years in hospitality. BBA Hospitality (Glion), MSc Tourism (FHGR), MSc Data Science (HSLU).
Frequently asked questions
How much can a short-term rental in Interlaken earn?
The average active listing in the Interlaken market earned about USD 60,649 (CHF 50,650) in the twelve months to April 2026, at a USD 419 (CHF 349) nightly rate and 51.6% occupancy. Peak-season months (June to August) averaged around CHF 8,063 a month at 72.2% occupancy, while the low season settled near CHF 2,666 a month.
Is there a minimum-night rule for short-term rentals in Interlaken?
Yes. In the residential (Wohn) zones of the Bödeli municipalities, letting an apartment for fewer than three consecutive nights is not permitted. This sits alongside the March 2026 planning zone, under which changing a primary residence into a secondary home or into a tourist letting requires a building permit.
Do I need a permit to let an apartment short-term in Interlaken?
Since 11 March 2026, in the residential, mixed and core zones of Interlaken, using a residence for short-term tourist letting requires a building permit where the use changes. The planning zone is intended to run for two years and pending applications are being assessed against the new permit requirement.
What tourist taxes do guests pay in Interlaken?
Guests pay the municipal Kurtaxe under the Interlaken Kurtaxenreglement plus the canton of Bern's Beherbergungsabgabe of about CHF 1.00 per person per night, both charged on top of the rate. Neither is part of the owner's quoted income.
What does a manager charge for an Interlaken apartment?
RivieraHost charges a flat 20% commission on net booked revenue, with 30 days notice on either side and licensed apartments only. Across our own managed portfolio, professionally operated flats average around 87% occupancy and roughly 34% more revenue than self-managed apartments.
Comparing Swiss markets? Our Lucerne owner guide runs the same numbers for the city where a 90-night cap is the binding constraint, and the owner guides hub collects every market we cover.
Sources: AirROI Interlaken market dataset, May 2025 to April 2026 (retrieved 1 October 2026); Municipality of Interlaken and Bödeli municipalities, Kurzzeitvermietung regulation and March 2026 planning zone; Interlaken Tourism, Kurtaxenreglement; Canton of Bern, Beherbergungsabgabe guidance; Airbnb Help Center on hosting in Interlaken.
Base yourself in Montreux
RivieraHost’s apartments sit steps from the lake — with kitchens, more space and better value than a hotel for families and groups. Every one is right on this guide’s doorstep.