Männlichen might just have the best views in the entire Jungfrau region. Wanna see ‘em for yourself? Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Männlichen.
When To Go and How To Get There
First, Männlichen is only open from late-May to late-October in the summer months (May 27–October 22, 2023), or mid-December through mid-April in the Winter months (opens December 9, 2023). Today we’re just focusing on what you can do here in the Summer.
And there are 2 ways to get up here. You can either:
- Ride the cable car up from Grindelwald Terminal — which used to be the world’s longest aerial gondola at 6 km long
- Ride the cable car up from Wengen.
The route from Wengen is the one we’re taking today because, well, this isn’t your average cable car. You can ride ON TOP of this one! It’s called the Royal Ride and it only costs an extra 5 CHF. But I mean, check out how cool this open-air 5-minute ride is!
Once you reach Männlichen, you have 2 options: right or left. Let’s head up to the Männlichen Summit first.
It’s a steep 20-minute walk, called the Royal Walk, but the views really are fit for kings and queens. Actually, they get better and better along the way while you’re huffing and puffing, so feel free to stop for a gaze while you catch your breath!
When you see the Royal Gates, you’re almost there! Head straight for the Crown and we’ll give you a tour of the view.
Want to see this for yourself? Watch our Männlichen YouTube video!
View from the Royal Walk
First, gaze at the stunning beauty of Lauterbrunnen Valley. I mean, if there’s a better view of this narrow glacial valley, I’m not sure where it is. You can even see Mürren and the Schilthorn from here. If you keep panning to your right, you can see Zweilütschinen, Wilderswil, Interlaken, Harder Kulm, and all the way to Lake Thun. But that right there next to us is Schynige Platte, Top of Tradition. If you keep turning you can start to see Grindelwald, Grindelwald First, and a few glaciers. But the star of the show from Männlichen is the big 3: the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. Plus Jungfraujoch too!
More Than Just A Pretty View
If you’re looking for alpine views that fill up your memory card, Männlichen won’t disappoint. But there are plenty more reasons to come here as well.
The Wengen to Männlichen cable car station (and the Grindelwald Terminal to Männlichen cable car station) has bathrooms and water fountains, but walk past that to reach the Männlichen Mountain Guest House and Restaurant. Most mountain restaurants have a place to sit inside and on a terrace outside. But here there are 7 different spots to enjoy your meal between the self-service restaurant and normal service restaurant! It even offers 11 rooms in the small but spacious hotel.
But you didn’t come all the way up here to sit inside. Although to be truthful, Männlichen summit is 2343 m / 7687 ft high and it’s usually windy up here, so I guess you may want to come inside to warm up a bit. But then you can head outside to the fresh air terrace.
Events at Männlichen
Männlichen offers some super fun events as well.
Every Tuesday night in July and August they host an Evening Barbecue! Dine on meat, veggies, potatoes, and salad while you watch the sunset. How incredible does that sound?!
And every Sunday from June through October you can enjoy a delicious Sunday Brunch. Which is super satisfying and fueling if you’re planning to hike from here.
But wait, it gets even better.
In late June, they have the Mountain Spring Festival which is basically Switzerland in a nutshell. There’s yodeling, singing, flag throwing, traditional costumes, and a few other folklore events.
In late July there’s the National Costume Festival, and in early August there’s the Big Alphorn Festival.
And in late August they host a Jazz Brunch, complete with a buffet spread and hours of tunes.
I know, this place is incredible. And basically, you can find a fun event up here nearly any time you visit throughout the summer months. So let’s talk about what it costs to enjoy some time at Männlichen.
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How Much Does It Cost To Visit Männlichen?
The full price for a roundtrip on the cable between Wengen and Männlichen is 52 CHF, which is a little less than the cost from Grindelwald (70 CHF). If you have the Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass, there’s a 50% reduction — that’s 26 CHF from Wengen or 35 CHF from Grindelwald.
But you can do even better!
If you ride up from Wengen after 4:00pm, you basically pay half price! That’s 26 CHF with no reductions, or just 13 CHF with the Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card. Just pay attention that the last ride down is between 5 and 5:30pm.
And finally, if you’re traveling with the Berner Oberland Pass or Jungfrau Travel Pass, rides to and from Männlichen — from Wengen or Grindelwald — are completely free!
Kids ages 6-15 ride for free with the Swiss Family Card, otherwise they pay the half fare cost. And as usual, kids ride for free up to Männlichen and throughout the entire country of Switzerland until their 6th birthday.
Now there’s a LOT to know about Swiss Train Passes, so if you’re confused right now, be sure to check out our ultimate Swiss Train Pass Guide where we provide you with full clarity on which pass is best for your trip, including a free download to help you pick a Swiss Train Pass with confidence.
The Männlichen Playground
And now for my personal favorite thing about Männlichen: the Alpine Herdsman Playground.
Honestly, this may be the most epic playground in the Jungfrau Region. It has some neat equipment for kids of all ages, a bowling alley and trampolines for the teenagers, and who can resist climbing to the top of an 8.5 meter high cow or sliding down its mouth?!?
Once you’re worn out, pop to the back of the playground to the 2 terraces for one final view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It never gets old.
Hiking from Männlichen
From here, you could ride the cable car back down to Grindelwald Terminal or Wengen. But we think it’s worth enjoying at least one hike from Männlichen!
Kids Trails at Männlichen
The Lieselotte Kids Trail is 1.5 hours downhill from Männlichen to Holenstein, which is an intermediate stop on the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal. Along the way kids can blow on an alphorn, ring cow bells, play with chickens, ride a zip line, sit on a cow, and climb a rock wall.
This can be connected with the new Kid’s Treetop Path at Holenstein, or the Kid’s Apple Fritter Trail from Holenstein to Brandegg.
The Männlichen Chamois Trail & Romantic Flower Trail
The Chamois Trail, as you probably guessed, takes you down from Männlichen to Wengen on a steep path where you can often see chamois! We recommend taking binoculars so you can spy them easier, and so you don’t rush down the 1hr 45m trail. Chamois aren’t chameleons, but they can sometimes be hard to find.
There’s also a 2hr 15m Romantic Flower Trail that winds through alps and meadows from Männlichen to Alpiglen.
Run from Wengen to Männlichen
And if you’re up for it, or just want a memorable experience while you’re here, you actually run a race from Wengen to Männlichen. Instead of having one big race day, you can actually run (or walk) this any time when Männlichen is open.
You simply register online or at the Wengen cable car office. They give you an automated time keeper and a race number, then you just start your climb up! When you reach the top and walk through the finish gate, your timekeeper will automatically stop. Then, at the end of the season in October, they raffle off some fun goodies, including an overnight stay at Berghaus Männlichen!
Our Favorite Hike at Männlichen: The Panorama Trail
And then there’s our absolute favorite hike up here— the Panorama Trail. It’s sign posted at 1hr 15m on a wide gravel trail that leads gently downhill to Kleine Scheidegg, with sweeping views of Grindelwald and the Big 3 the entire way.
When you’re almost to the end you’ll see Restaurant Grindelwaldblick. Climb up the stairs of the fort with the Swiss flag for a fun view. We like to stop and have a drink here too, and of course, there’s a small playground for the kids.
After this, it’s only about a 10 minute walk to reach Kleine Scheidegg. Here you’ll find another restaurant, giant bathrooms, and 3 train options.
You can ride up to Eigergletscher, which is where you can catch the train to Jungfraujoch. Or eat a piece of cream cake from the Eigergletscher Restaurant on the panoramic terrace.
Or you can ride the slow train down to Grindelwald. Before the new Eiger Express cable car, this was the only way to reach Grindelwald from up here. This train is great for nice views and a stop at one of our favorite hidden spots: Alpiglen. Lastly, you can ride a train down to Wengen from here as well.
Whether you want to admire the views, play on the cow-themed playground, or enjoy a lovely walk, Männlichen is can’t miss!
And we share every detail needed to enjoy a perfect day in Männlichen in our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region. Check that out next, and we will see ya in Switzerland!
