Best places to work remotely from: Interlaken, Switzerland

Pema, SafetyWing’s Nomadic Content Creator, is paid to travel and document 10 amazing coworking destinations around the world. If you want to see more about her hiking adventures in Switzerland, check out her YouTube video!

From cozy mountain chalets nestled amidst alpine meadows to the majestic Matterhorn and Eiger, Switzerland is a true feast for the eyes. No wonder tourists from all over the world flock to the Swiss Alps for their holiday. But, despite the influx of tourism and high cost of living, Switzerland is an excellent coworking base in Europe.

My experience coworking in Switzerland

Switzerland and coworking are a bit of a surprising pair, but one that works for many. To start, Switzerland doesn't offer a digital nomad visa like many other remote work hubs. That said, citizens of EU nations are free to live and work in Switzerland. For everyone Non-EU passport holders, the process is a bit more tricky. For those who are EU residents or manage to secure a residence permit, there are many benefits to coworking in Switzerland. 25% of the Swiss workforce consists of solopreneurs or freelancers, leading to a great network of location-independent workers and coworking spaces. As one of the richest nations in the world, as well as a historic banking center, Switzerland has a thriving fin-tech industry. With its own self-proclaimed Crypto Valley - Zug - it's a great base for those working in the sector, or expats. Meanwhile, there's a great range of coworking spaces across the country for everybody else. One only needs to choose between pristine alps, historic old towns, or modern art and music scenes.

Where I stayed

I've long imagined a permanent base in Switzerland. My partner and I had both spent some time here previously and were eager to return to the Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof in Interlaken.

The shared living space was a great way to meet other remote workers keen to explore the area, and the facilities and included breakfast helped keep our food costs down. Surprisingly, we were the only people using the on-site coworking space, so it felt like a luxury corner office just for us.

In terms of life quality, Switzerland was hard to beat. Our hotel offered a healthy breakfast with unlimited coffee and views of the Bernese Alps. After that, I'd either head out to a nearby trailhead via public transport or start my workday at my corner office. The infrastructure for remote work is incredible - reliable Wifi throughout the country, modern workspaces and a big community of fellow remote workers.

Groceries were a bit more expensive than in most places in the world, but having lived in Hawaii and Los Angeles, it wasn't that bad. That said, going out in Interlaken will likely hurt your wallet! It was difficult to get a restaurant meal for two with a drink each for under $60. I'm sure that number would be lower in less touristy towns though. At any rate, it was a great incentive to cook more. We'd have Swiss chocolate for dessert anyway!

Interlaken as a digital nomad home base

Being based in Interlaken is expensive. But, as the adventure capital of Europe, it's one of the best places to stay if you are an active nomad. There's paragliding, skydiving, canyoneering, and bungee jumping on offer. Some of the best day hikes in the world are quite literally at your doorstep.

Even if hiking or thrill-seeking isn't your thing, coworking in Interlaken offers spectacular views. The town sits between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, with castles, thousand-year-old churches and flower-adorned villages along the lakeshore. Meanwhile, a popular funicular can take you to the top of Interlaken, Harder Kulm, with sweeping views of the Bernese Oberland.

Aside from being an incredible adventure base, Interlaken is also easy to get to and well-connected via the Swiss rail system. There's a train from Interlaken Ost (East station) to Zurich International Airport that takes around 2 hours. We traveled with the Swiss Rail Pass and visited French, German, and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland, all from Interlaken.

My favorite coworking spaces in Interlaken

Villa Sonnenhof

As I mentioned earlier, Coworking Interlaken at Villa Sonnenhof was awesome. For me, it had everything I needed. A quiet, modern workspace with fast internet, comfortable seating, and a great location. I had views of the paragliders descending upon the town green all day, with naughty dairy cows escaping their field next door. It was also super convenient. I lived just upstairs, and the town center was a short 10-minute walk away. There was also a bus stop right outside the front door that connected us to the public transport system.

Coworking Interlaken is only open to guests of Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof (you'll notice it's listed as "Temporarily closed" on Google). It's open 365 days a year, from 7AM-11PM. Single-page printing is free, and coffee and tea are available downstairs. It's free to use during your stay. Prices for a dorm at Sonnenhof start at $50 USD, and prices for a single room start at $90 USD per night.

Dascoworking

Dascoworking has several Switzerland coworking locations with rates ranging from hourly to yearly, with everything in between. All of their workspaces are well-designed and well-located. The fiber internet is fast, with options for hot desks, private offices, and conference rooms bookable by the hour. All in all, it's extremely Swiss. Dascoworking Interlaken is located right outside Interlaken West train station and is open 8AM-6PM Monday-Friday. Prices start at 5 CHF per hour or 30 CHF per day for the coworking space.

With 246 coworking spaces currently listed in Switzerland, shared workspaces are becoming the new norm. And as wonderful as Interlaken was for my short stay, there are many coworking hubs in Switzerland that might serve you better. Rather than a resort town, check out Zurich, the financial center, or Bern, the capital. There's the music and art scene in Basal, or you can work alongside the UN in Geneva. As mentioned earlier, Zug might be your pick if you're working in fin-tech.

Life in Switzerland as a digital nomad

I came to Switzerland to hike. The region happens to have more 4000m peaks than anywhere else in Europe, with endless hiking and mountain biking trails on offer. I spent most of my free time exploring those trails.

Aside from the obvious hiking, mountaineering, and adventure sports, there is still loads to do in Switzerland. For those wanting to explore the countryside, the swiss rail system provides a great means to take in the scenery. Some of the trains are downright luxurious. Others are historic steam-powered rides through the mountains. Additionally, gondolas and funiculars make even the highest viewpoints accessible to all.

Fairytale towns like Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, and Mürren are reason alone to visit. And the thermal baths of Leukerbad and Baden make for an excellent spa holiday. For those who enjoy beautiful hotels and resorts, Hotel Villa Honegg in Lucerne has one of the best infinity pool views in the world. And there are several castles turned into hotels you can stay in. Airbnb is also an option, for roughly the same price as the hotels.

Without a doubt, Switzerland is an adventure-seeker's dream. If your idea of an ideal nomadic base is coffee with a view, with endless outdoor activities on offer, look no further than Switzerland. That said, the prices are high, and working remotely from the Alps isn't accessible to all. Regardless, if you can add Switzerland to your list of remote-work destinations, you should! The outdoors are pristine, the city life incredibly efficient, and the coziness of mountain life second to none. It's one of my favorite places in the world to be a digital nomad.