Guide to Wengen

Wengen, sitting on a sunny plateau above the incredibly beautiful Lauterbrunnen Valley is a small car free village that is a mecca for families.

Wengen is a compact village with most of the hotels and shops situated on the main street between the train station and the cable car station, the two ways of accessing the ski area. It is very easy to get around, and the added bonus of being car free makes it a safe and pleasant environment to be in.

Part of the Jungfrau Ski Region compromising the villages of Wengen, Grindelwald & Mürren, you are able to access over 200km of slopes in three distinct ski areas.

Kleine Scheidegg-Mannlichen, the largest of the areas and shared by Wengen with Grindelwald offers a good mixture of terrain, ideally suited for intermediates but with good options for beginner progression and some challenges for advanced skiers, including the world famous Lauberhorn downhill slope, the longest on the World Cup circuit.

The Mannlichen cable car is the quickest access to the slopes from the village with an 80 place cabin whisking you to the Mannlichen summit at 2200m above sea level. From here you catch your first view of the mighty Eiger towering over the ski area. The slopes are always well groomed with options for all levels and uplift provided by chairlifts or the new ten person Mannlichen gondola from Grindelwald or the mid station Holenstein.

Mürren – Schilthorn; located on the other side of the Lauterbrunnen valley, it is a stunningly beautiful area with a car free mountain village and of course the James Bond connection. The slopes of Mürren tend to be more challenging than the rest of the ski area, with several challenging descents including from the top of the Piz Gloria and the Kannonroehr. However, there are still plenty of options for everyone. Even for non skiers it’s worth a visit to the Schilthorn summit to see the James Bond location from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, eat in the revolving restaurant and see the stunning views.

Definitely worth making the journey over the hill for, especially on a sunny day, Grindelwald First sits on a sunny South facing plateau above the neighbouring village of Grindelwald and offers a nice range of pistes ideally suited towards intermediates, although there are a couple of more challenging runs, most notably the tree lined black descent to Bort.

A great day out and some excellent après ski options on your way back into town, most notably at the Bus Stop bar.

Wengen has a fascinating history and dates back to the 1200s. Starting off as a farming community, perched high above the valley and often cut off from the rest of civilisation during the harsh winter months, it wasn’t until the early 19th century when things began to change with the arrival of tourists. However, it wasn’t until the 1890’s when the opening of the Wengernalpbahn railway from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg, via Wengen, that the village really became easily accessible to visitors and the Wengen we know and love today started to take shape.

The history of skiing in Wengen is also very interesting. Sir Henry Lunn, of the well known but sadly no more Lunn Travel agency that would become Lunn Poly, was one of the early visitors to Wengen. In 1902 he organised the first inclusive tours to Wengen from the UK. His son, Sir Arnold Lunn, knighted for services to British skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations, went a step further and is credited with inventing ski racing as we know it today.

Although there had been competitions previously, Lunn made it so that competitors were judged on speed only. This led to the inauguration of the World Famous Lauberhorn event. First held in 1930 to prove that the Swiss could beat the Brits (They could and did! :-D). Although a Brit, Bill Bracken, did win the combined in 1930, this remains the one and only Lauberhorn trophy for a British entrant.

Now known as the oldest, longest, fastest and one of the most beautiful courses on the World Cup circuit, racers start close to the Lauberhorn summit at 2315m under the shadow of the Eiger and finish at just 1273m in Innerwengen. A great weekend with the chance to see some of the World’s best skiers, enjoy the party atmosphere and ski on the beautiful slopes of the Jungfrau Region.

Off snow activities are also important during your stay. Wengen has ice and curling rinks and access to sledging and winter hiking trails both from the Mannlichen and the Kleine Scheidegg. Although no public swimming pool in the Winter, it is possible to swim as some of the hotels do have indoor pools. Interlaken is only a short train ride away as well and offers a town like feeling, stunning views, a beautiful river and two stunning lakes. Activities here include paragliding and Winter kayaking.

Trains are a big part of the history of Wengen and reason why tourism here started during Victorian times. The railway to Wengen was completed in 1892 and the cog railway to Kleine Scheidegg in just a few months later. Still in use to this day, the cog railway to Kleine Scheidegg offers a pleasant, spacious and comfortable journey to the heart of the ski area at just over 2000m.

Although the skiers disembark here, it is possible, with a change of trains, to continue from Kleine Scheidegg to Europe’s highest train station at the Jungfraujoch, a hugely popular tourist attraction throughout the year. Located at 3466m above sea level the Jungfraujoch offer stunning views over the surrounding area and sits atop the Aletsch glacier, the longest glacier in the Alps!

In short, Wengen is a beautiful traditional Swiss Alpine village with incredible views of the Jungfrau massive and Lauterbrunnen valley, a varied enjoyable ski area and plenty to do both on and off the slopes. We look forward to seeing you here soon!