Visit Wengen in the Swiss Alps

If you haven’t heard of Wengen Switzerland you are missing out on a lot. This small resort town in the Swiss Alps is just so beautiful. It is easy to fall in love with it.

Being a car-free zone, the town is really awesome for families with small children, especially if you love walking or hiking in nature.

Wengen is a small Swiss Alpine village in the Bernese Oberland region and municipality of Lauterbrunnen, known for its Swiss Alp timber chalets and magnificent views.

Here you will find the Jungfraubahn railway which climbs to the most famous Jungfrau summit.

During winter (Christmas and New Years’ time), Wengen is the most picture perfect little town ever and there is even an open-air ice rink in the centre of the village for everyone to enjoy. Although Wengen is popular as a ski destination and for winter sports, summer is also an amazingly beautiful time to spend here.

Summer in Wengen

With an elevation of 1 274 m and situated 400 m above Lauterbrunnen, Wengen offers spectacular jaw-dropping views of the lush green mountains and valley. In my opinion Wengen is the perfect place for summer picnics and nature walks being surrounded by green mountain-slope meadows filled with wild flowers and picture perfect chalets everywhere.

How to get there

Zurich Airport (ZRH) is the nearest International Airport, serving Zurich and with links to pretty much everywhere in Switzerland.

By train: From Zurich Airport you can take a train to Interlaken. From Interlaken you have to take the Bernese Oberland railway to Lauterbrunnen (spend a day or two there if you like) and then via the Wengernalp Railway travel to Wengen. (The Wengernalp Railway runs from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg.)

You also have the option to rent a car and travel to Lauterbrunnen by car, doing sight-seeing along the way, but Wengen is only accessible by train.

Things to do

Take in the spectacular views of the Aletsch Glacier from the Sphinx observation deck.
You can take the cable car to the Männlichen’s slopes, with views of the Eiger and Mönch peaks. The Wengen- Männlichen Aerial Cableway operates from June to October. Visit the 8.5 metre tall wooden cow, attend a musical event or book a mountain brunch on Männlichen.
Close by is the Trümmelbach glacier waterfalls
Hiking in summer is fantastic in Wengen with many routes to choose from. Easy short walks as well as, in my opinion, a more challenging walk from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen with views of the Breithorn and Staubbach Falls in the Lauterbrunnen valley. Another option is to walk the Eiger Trail at the north face of Eiger which is not that difficult to the everyday hiker but also offers stunning vistas.
Summer sport options include paragliding, river rafting and canyoning.

Where to stay

Travel tip: It is my own opinion and therefore only a suggestion, but I would not get accommodation near the cable car as the noise could get frustrating if you love the sound of nature. Wengen is actually a very quiet area and I love the peace and quiet of the Alps. On the other hand it is all part of being in the alps and in winter time it is awesome to be near the cable car as then you just have a short distance to walk.