Wengen - Alpine view with mountains, green meadows, and clouds

Things to Do in Wengen 2024

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9 Highlights in Wengen

  • Wengen hosts the annual Lauberhorn race (spectacular ski race with up to 160 km/h)
  • Wengen lies at 1274 m above sea level and 400 m above the Lauterbrunnen Valley
  • Wengen is completely car-free
  • The local mountain of Wengen is the Männlichen (2342 m above sea level) with the best view of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
  • 500 km of hiking trails offer beautiful views of the Jungfrau region
  • 16 mountain railroads and chairlifts bring visitors to the mountains
  • The Wengernalpbahn offers a magnificent view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley
  • The Wengen-Männlichen aerial cableway has a summer viewing platform in the fresh air
  • 102 km of mostly easy to intermediate ski slopes are offered by the Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen - Grindelwald/Wengen ski area
Wengen WinterWinter (Foto: Jungfraubahnen)
Wengen Lauberhorn SkirennenLauberhorn Skirennen (Foto: Jungfraubahnen)

Excursion destinations from Wengen

Wengen is reached by funicular from Lauterbrunnen. Another funicular goes from Wengen to Allmend. The cable car takes visitors up to Männlichen. This way you are well connected in Wengen in all directions.

Männlichen

You can reach Männlichen with the Wengen Männlichen cable car. In addition to the fantastic view of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the summit offers many leisure activities. In summer it invites you to go hiking. High altitude hikes to Alpiglen or to Kleine Scheidegg are popular.

Families will enjoy the Royal Walk and the Liselotte theme trail. A Senn playground and a hiking trail with 13 play stations await little explorers. In winter there are best winter sports possibilities for skiers and snowboarders.

Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch is part of the UNESCO World Heritage region Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschorn. At 3,454 meters above sea level, it is the highest railroad station in Europe.

The perpetual snow on the plateau allows opportunities for winter hikes even in high summer. With the Sphinx observation building, the Jungfraujoch at 3,571 meters offers a fantastic view. The attractions also include the Ice Palace, a 1,000 square meter ice labyrinth.

Winter sports enthusiasts can shorten the wait for the next season in the ski and snowboard park. On the Glacier Trek you undertake glacier hikes or you take part in one of the offered guided glacier tours or high mountain ski tours.

Kleine Scheidegg

Kleine Scheidegg is located at 2070 m above sea level and is easily reached from Wengen by the Wengernalpbahn. From here there are beautiful hiking trails to the Jungfraujoch. In summer, the pass is a paradise with many hiking trails. In winter, the ski lifts take winter sports enthusiasts to the slopes. In addition to the Wengernalpbahn, the Jungfraubahn also stops here. In September, Kleine Scheidegg is the destination for the Jungfrau Marathon.

Lauterbrunnen Valley

A worthwhile excursion is the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which will thrill you with 72 waterfalls. Among them are the Trümmelbach Falls, 10 glacial waterfalls inside a mountain. Access is via a tunnel lift. The waterfalls are illuminated. The fact that they are accessible despite their location inside a mountain is unique in Europe.

Wengen Maennlichen Gondelbahn Wengen Royal RideMaennlichen Gondelbahn Wengen Royal Ride (Foto: maennlichen.ch)
Wengen Jungfraujoch SphinxAussichts PlattformSphinx Jungfraujoch (Foto: Jungfraubahnen Management)

Swiss Activities Tips Wengen

We have found some tips for you in Wengen that we would like to share with you.

children prices

Children up to the age of eleven are allowed to stay for free in their parents' room at the Hotel Silberhorn in Wengen.

Distance Lauberhorn Race

Friends of the Lauberhorn race have the opportunity to run exactly this route in the opposite direction to the top, although the type of equipment is not prescribed. Spikes, running shoes, skis, everything is allowed. Whoever takes less than 3 hours becomes a star.

Eiger Run

The Eiger Run toboggan run is a special experience. The Eiger north face is also very impressive when seen from below. You can shorten the 13 km route as you wish and return at any time with the Wengernalpbahn.

Activities in and around Wengen

The vacation village above the Lauterbrunnen valley is an ideal destination for the whole family all year round. In winter it invites not only skiers but also winter hikers. In summer, 500 kilometers of hiking trails and 15 mountain railroads are waiting for you to discover the mountain world.

Already the arrival is an experience. From Lauterbrunnen the Wengernalpbahn goes up to Wengen. The rack railroad was opened in 1893 and continues over Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald.

The family-friendly vacation village has a good 1400 inhabitants. There are 4700 beds in 22 hotels. In addition, there are 500 vacation apartments. The terraces of the gastronomic establishments invite you to sunbathe. The high plateau at the foot of the Jungfrau is one of the sunniest places in Switzerland, especially in winter.

Summer activities:

  • Hiking
  • Bike and Gemel riding
  • paragliding

Winter activities:

  • Ski and snowboard, ski touring
  • tobogganing
  • cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking
Wengen Kleine ScheideggKleine Scheidegg
Wengen Jungfrau Region Kleine ScheideggKleine Scheidegg (Foto: Jungfraubahnen)

Hiking from Wengen and Männlichen

In summer, the friendly vacation village of Wengen is ideal for hiking tours. On Männlichen, fast-paced rides on the Summer Gemel or the educational Royal Walk await. The Wengen Männlichen cable car takes you comfortably up the mountain, from where you have a fantastic view of the four-thousand-meter peaks.

Panorama Trail

The Panorama Trail leads to the Kleine Scheidegg. Especially hikers who like the scenery of impressive peaks will love this trail. It leads past steeply rising rocks, along the Tschuggen to the Honegg and to the Rotstöcki. The route slopes gently and is thus well suited for pleasure hikers. For the 4.5 km you need about 1.5 hours. From Kleine Scheidegg, the rack railroad takes you back to Wengen.

Romantic Path

The Romantic Path goes over 7.2 km to Alpiglen. You hike through the almost untouched alpine landscape. Alpine flowers like anemones, gentian or alpine roses grow on the meadows and pastures. The path leads you through the Devil's Gorge past the Swiss stone pine garden to Alpiglen. And if the way down is too easy for you, you simply walk it the other way around and have to overcome 600 meters in altitude.

Chamois trail Männlichen - Wengen

You don't always have to take the cable car. A beautiful hiking trail leads down from Männlichen to the village that hosts the Lauberhorn race in January. The five kilometers are especially challenging when you run up the trail. You'll cover almost 950 meters in altitude. But the Gemsenweg is also worthwhile downhill.

The path does not have its name for nothing: on the slope there are chamois in packs, which you can observe with a bit of luck with binoculars. From the Männlichen mountain restaurant, the trail first leads to Parwengi.

If you prefer a more leisurely pace, take the gentler route from here via Steinenwald and Chilchenstein. The route is a bit rougher via Äusseren Allmend to Wengen on the sunny high plateau above the Lauterbrunnen valley.

Eiger Trail

If you want to push your limits, the Eiger Trail, a moderately difficult mountain hiking trail, might be the right challenge. You won't need crampons and rope or carabiners for this one. The trail starts at the Eigergletscher station. On the mountain trail you can see directly the Lauberhorn, the Kleine Scheidegg and Grindelwald.

The impressive and almost mystical Eiger north face you experience directly at the foot. You should take a pair of binoculars with you so that you can perhaps spot a rope team high up. You pass thundering torrents and waterfalls and walk over steep alpine pastures. The trail leads to the Alpiglen train station.

  • 8.4 km length
  • 3:30 hours
  • 780 hm ascent
  • 334 hm descent
  • 2346 m above sea level highest point
Wengen WandernWengen Wandern (Foto Jungfrau Region Wengen Tourismus)
Wengen Wandern LauterbrunnentalWengen Wandern Lauterbrunnental (Foto David Birri Jungfrau Region Wengen Tourismus)

Bike or Gemel ride from Wengen

Cyclists will find a fantastic backdrop in addition to the sporting challenges. The Wengernalpbahn also takes the bike. A particularly beautiful bike tour runs through the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Lauterbrunnen Valley

The tour starts in Lauterbrunnen and goes to Stechelberg along the waterfalls. As soon as you are on the forest road, the gradient increases slightly. You ride along the Weisse Lütschine to Trachsellauenen. The path goes back the same way.

  • 19.5 km
  • 2:30 hours
  • 430 meters of altitude

Summer Gemel at Männlichen

With a Summer Gemel (also known as Mountaincart) you can drive down the slope between the top station Männlichen and the middle station Holenstein in summer. The route for the Summer Gemel starts at an altitude of 2,225 meters and leads down about 600 meters over a length of 6 kilometers.

Tickets are available at the mountain railroad stores in Wengen, Grindelwald or directly at the Männlichen mountain station. The Gemel sled is issued in the Pit Shop at the top station and must be returned in person at the Holenstein middle station

Wengen Männlichen Gemel Wengen Männlichen Gemel (Foto: Jungfrau Region Tourismus)
Wengen Staubbachfall Lauterbrunnen  Staubbachfall Lauterbrunnen - (Foto: Schweiz Tourismus MySwitzerland)

Paragliding in Wengen

A paragliding flight over the high plateau and the Lauterbrunnen Valley is a special experience. Tandem flights are offered by experienced pilots

Some take-off points in the Wengen area:

  • Männlichen: from Wengen with the gondola up to Männlichen, 20min walk towards the summit
  • Klein Tschuggen: from Männlichen on foot in the direction of Tschuggen - Lauberhorn. Start from a medium steep meadow.
  • Lauberhorn**: from Wengen with the Wengernalpbahn to Kleine Scheidegg, there 40 min walk to the Lauberhorn summit. Start from steep and rocky terrain 20-50m below the summit
  • Gruetschalp: by funicular to Lauterbrunnen, from there by cable car to Gruetschalp. On foot 150m up to the forest clearing.
  • Lauberhornschulter: with the Wengernalpbahn from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg. On foot (in winter Lauberhorn lift) via the hiking trail to the Wixilift mountain station (start Lauberhorn downhill run) Starts directly behind the Lauberhorn downhill run
  • Wengernalp: Take the Wengernalpbahn in the direction of kleine Scheidegg to Wengernalp and from there walk to the starting point.

Other summer activities

If you travel to the alpine village in summer, you don't even have to miss out on the legendary Lauberhorn race altogether. A mini-golf course, the Lauberhorn Crazy Golf, offers 18 holes of interesting activities related to the World Cup ski spectacle.

Wengen Gleitschirm fliegen Paragliding Gleitschirm fliegen Paragliding (Foto Jungfrau Region Wengen Tourismus)
Wengen Gleitschirm fliegen Paragliding Gleitschirm fliegen Paragliding (Foto Jungfrau Region Wengen Tourismus)

Ski resort Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen-Grindelwald/Wengen

As a ski resort, Wengen is best known for the Lauberhorn race. The family-friendly Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen-Grindelwald/Wengen ski area offers 102 km of slopes. The total capacity of the 8 lifts, 10 chairlifts and 6 mountain railroads is 31351 persons/hour.

Ski area Kleine Scheidegg/Männlichen-Grindelwald/Wengen

piste-km altitude (m a.s.l.) number of lifts/lifts
102 944-2320 24
Slopes (km) of which easy (km) of which medium (km) of which difficult (km)
102 33 56 13

Skiing and snowboarding, ski touring

The ski resort has a sophisticated snowmaking system. In Wengen, two ski schools offer courses. They will teach you how to stand safely on the boards or show you new techniques.

Ski schools in Wengen: +checkyeti +SkiBro

Ski rental in Wengen: +SKISET +Intersport RENT

Sledging in Wengen - Eiger Run and Fox Run

The toboggan runs are fun for the whole family. For example, there are good sledding trails on Männlichen.

They include these trails, for example:

  • 60 Männlichen summit
  • 61 Easy Männlichen Holenstein

Eiger Run

A popular trail is the 13 km long route between the Eiger glacier and Grindelwald Grund. It runs along the line of the Eiger Express and Wengernalpbahn mountain railroads. You get to the start with the Eiger Express. This also takes sleds as soon as the Eiger Run route is open for sledding. But you can also start at any of the following stations. The Wengernalpbahn also transports sledges and toboggans.

Sledging section Eiger Run

track section start end
1 Eiger Glacier Kleine Scheidegg
2 Kleine Scheidegg Alpiglen
3 Alpiglen Brandegg
4 Brandegg Grindelwald Grund

As a special event, night sledding also takes place at the Eiger Run on Thursdays to Saturdays.

Fox Run

The Fox Run runs right next to the Lauberhorn downhill run. It is 4.5 km of challenging sledding run that is carefully groomed

Snowshoeing and winter hiking

One of the oldest ways of getting around is snowshoeing. You can also enjoy this special experience on a guided hike Winter hikers will find a network of trails that is about 50 kilometers long.

Wengen Schlittelweg Eiger RunSchlittelweg Eiger Run (Foto: Jungfraubahnen)
Wengen Schlittelweg Fox Run Schlittelweg Fox Run (Foto: Jungfraubahnen)

Events in Wengen

The most important event in Wengen is the annual International Lauberhorn Race. It is part of the World Cup and takes place over three days in mid-January between Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen.

Lauberhorn Race Wengen

The Lauberhorn Race is a ski race and is organized by the International Ski Federation FIS.

Contents of the Lauberhorn Race:

  • one downhill (Saturday)
  • one slalom (Sunday)
  • one combination (Friday)

The Lauberhorn race has been held in Wengen since 1930. Legendary is especially the downhill. With a length of about 4.5 km, it is the longest of all downhill runs. The skiing time is about 2:30 hours. The skiers reach a maximum speed of around 160 km/h here.

Torchlight run

Torchlight runs are held in February. They start with the ride up to Wengernalp around 5:30 pm. From there you ski or snowboard down with torchlight. Torchlighters are accompanied by ski instructors from the Wengen Ski School. The way leads via Langentrejen and Allmend back to Wengen. You will be back in Wengen around 7:30 pm.

Lauberhorn Run

At the beginning of April, the Lauberhorn race is held in a completely different way. On the 4.5 km, the 1028 meters of altitude are conquered from the bottom to the top. The aim of the Lauberhorn Run is to conquer this distance in less than three hours.

Wengen Lauberhornrennen Lauberhornrennen (Foto Jost von Allmen Jungfrau Region Wengen Tourismus)
Wengen Lauberhornrennen Lauberhornrennen (Foto Jost von Allmen Jungfrau Region Wengen Tourismus)

Hotels in Wengen

Wengen is a small mountain village with 1300 inhabitants without connection to the road network. Nevertheless, about 5000 people stay here in summer and about 10000 in winter.

Therefore there are quite a few hotels in the village. There are at least 21 hotels, three mountain hotels and three vacation apartment organizations in the village.

Hotel Alpenruhe Wengen

The Hotel Alpenruhe Wengen is a three-star hotel. 24 rooms accommodate 45 guests and all have balconies. The hotel is only an eight-minute walk from Wengen train station.

Hotel Silberhorn

The four-star Hotel Silberhorn is located in the middle of the village of Wengen. Single, double, triple and quadruple rooms are offered here, as well as a family apartment. There is a spa and fitness center in the hotel. In addition to the dining room, there is also a restaurant and bar. Children up to 11 years old may stay free of charge in their parents' room. Bathrobes and slippers are provided.

Restaurants in Wengen

After an active day at the foot of the four-thousand-meter peaks, various wellness centers provide soothing relaxation. Your hunger will be satisfied in one of the many inns, restaurants and mountain houses.

The nightlife in Wengen is colorful and varied. In the middle of the village you will find the Rocks Bar, a pub with lots of live music and good Guinness. A few steps away, in the Hasenstall, party friends celebrate to great music exuberantly until the next morning. Bar girls, cool drinks and lots of flirty people make the Hasenstall Wengen's most popular music club.

Wengen Silberhorn Hotel Silberhorn Hotel (Foto: MySwitzerland)
Wengen Ferienwohnungen Chäs Gruebi Ferienwohnungen Chäs Gruebi (Foto: My Switzerland)

Mountain railroads in Wengen

There are three mountain railroads in Wengen, all of which operate in both summer and winter:

name type of lift lower station mountain station altitudes (m a.s.l.) from to length of lift (m)
Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen LWM Cableway Wengen Männlichen 1280 to 2220 2647
Wengernalp Bahn Cablecar Lauterbrunnen Wengen 794 to 1272 5794
Wengernalp Bahn Standseilbahn Wengen Allmend 1271 to 1500 2926

Arrival to Wengen

Wengen is easily reached from all major cities in Switzerland. By car you drive via Bern or Luzern to Interlaken. From the south you can reach Interlaken via the Grimsel Pass (only in summer) or the Simplon Pass and the Lötschberg car transport. From there you take the route Gsteigstrasse, Obereigasse, Grenchenstrasse and Schmiedmatte to Lauterbrunnen. The route is well signposted. As Wengen is car-free, the car must be left in Lauterbrunnen. The parking spaces near the station are well suited for this.

Public transport

You can also get to Interlaken Ost by train via Bern or Lucerne. There you change to the Bernese Oberland Railway and travel to Lauterbrunnen. The Bernese Oberland Railway trains from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen run every half hour during the day.