Wengen - A car-free mountain village

Wengen lies in the Bernese Oberland of central Switzerland. Located in the canton of Bern at an elevation of 1,274 m (4,180 ft) above sea level, it is part of the Jungfrau region and has approximately 1,300 year-round residents, which swells to 5,000 during summer and to 10,000 in the winter.

Wengen is one of the picturesque villages you may have in mind when you try to picture what the Swiss Alps look like: no cars, mountains all around, green meadows and forests surrounding the village.

Not surprisingly, the area is well known for famous sports events like the Lauberhorn ski races and the Jungfrau-Marathon. In winter, Wengen is the ideal starting point for the family-friendly ski region of Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen with 110 km of predominantly easy to medium-difficulty pistes, and the renowned World Cup piste on the Lauberhorn as its crowning glory. The first ski races were held in the early 1920s with the British downhill championship held in 1921; the following year a ski race was held between Oxford and Cambridge.

The village offers panoramic views of the Lauterbrunnen valley, and mountains like the Jungfrau, Breithorn and Schilthorn. Nature is overwhelming here. Wengen has three churches; Protestant English and Swiss and Roman Catholic.

Facts about Wengen

• Location: in the Alps
• Region: Jungfrau region(Bernese Oberland)
• Wengen can be reached by train
• Popular attractions: Jungfraujoch -Top of Europe, Golden Pass line, Schilthorn
• Town size: village
• Wengen is car-free
• Wengen is a winter sports resort
• Elevation: 1268 m (4160 ft)
• Travel time from Zurich: 2h50 by train, 2h30 by car

Ideas during bad weather

Staying in Wengen means you are dependent on the weather as nearly all activities are in the outdoors. Some ideas for rainy days:

• Visit Interlakenfor some shopping;
• The national capital Bern;
• The town of Thun;
• The Trümmelbach Falls down in the Lauterbrunnen valley (they’re in caves).

How to travel

• By train
  Via Bern or Lucerne to Interlaken-Ost. Change to the Bernese Oberland Railway to Lauterbrunnen. Change to the Wengernalp Railway to Wengen.
• By car (Wengen is car-free)
  Via Bern or Lucerne to Interlaken. Or from the south via the Grimsel Pass (summer only) or the Simplon Pass and the Lötschberg car-transport train to Interlaken. Then follow the signs to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. Parking is available in the car park at the railway station. With the Wengen alp Railway to Wengen. Wengen is car-free.