This place might just have the best views in the entire Jungfrau region. Want to see
it for yourself? Here's everything you need to know about visiting Männlichen.
First, Männlichen is open during both the summer and winter seasons, but today we're just going
to tell you about what you can do here in the summer. And there are two ways to get up here.
You can ride the cable car up from Grindelwald Terminal, which used to be the world's longest
aerial gondola at six kilometers long. Or you can ride the cable car up here from Wengen. It
takes a total of one hour to reach Männlichen from Interlaken, 30 minutes from Grindelwald,
or just 15 minutes from Wengen, which is the route 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 costs just 5 CHF. But I mean,
really, how cool is this five minute open air ride?
When I was researching for this video, I
thought it was so funny that the Männlichen website said, you can ride up here like a royal
king or queen waving down to your royal subjects. So I feel like I need to practice my royal wave.
Once you reach Männlichen, you have two options: right or left? Let's head up to 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 first. Gaze at the stunning beauty of Lauterbrunnen Valley. I mean,
if there's a better view of this narrow glacier 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 Zweilutchinen, Wilderswil, Interlaken,
Harder Kulm, and all the way out 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 for Männlichen is the big three: the Eiger,
Mönch, and Jungfrau — and Jungfraujoch too!
If you're looking for alpine views that will fill up your memory card, Männlichen won't disappoint.
But there are plenty more reasons to come up here as well. So let's hike back down and we'll
show you what we're talking about. The Wengen to Männlichen cable car station has bathrooms
and water fountains, but walk past that to reach the Männlichen Mountain Guesthouse and Restaurant.
Now, most mountain restaurants have a place to sit inside and on the terrace outside. But here,
there are seven different spots to enjoy your meal between the self-service restaurant and
the normal service restaurant. It even offers 11 rooms in this small but spacious hotel.
But you didn't come all the way up here just to go inside. Although, to be fair,
sometimes it is a little bit windy and chilly up here because Männlichen is at 2343 meters.
So go inside to warm up and then come back out and enjoy the fresh air on the terrace.
Männlichen offers some super fun events as well. Every Tuesday night in July and August,
they host an Evening Barbecue, where you can dine on meats, veggies,
potatoes, and salad all while enjoying the sunset. How incredible does that sound?
And every Sunday from June through October, you can enjoy a delicious Sunday Brunch,
which sounds super satisfying and fueling if you're planning to hike from here.
But wait, there's even more. In late June, they host the Mountain Spring Festival,
which is basically like Switzerland in a nutshell. They're singing and dancing
and flag throwing and yodeling and even some folklore. In late July, there's the National
Costume Festival. In early August, there's the big Alpine Festival. And then in late August,
they host a Jazz Brunch complete with hours of tunes and a bottomless buffet.
I know this place is incredible. You can find a fun event up here nearly anytime you visit
during the summer months. So let's talk about what it costs to enjoy some time at Männlichen.
The full price for a round trip on the cable car from Wengen to Männlichen cost 52 francs,
which is a little less than the cost from Grindelwald.
If you have the Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass, there's a 50% reduction. But you can do
even better. If you ride up from Wengen after 4 p.m. then you basically pay half price. That's
26 francs without any reductions or just 13 francs with the Swiss Half Fare Card or the
Swiss Travel Pass. Just keep in mind that the last lift down is usually between 5:00 and 5:30.
And finally, if you hold the Berner Oberland Pass or the Jungfrau Travel Pass, then your
ride to and from and Männlichen, from either Wengen or Grindelwald, are completely free.
Kids ages 6 to 15 ride for free with a Swiss Family Card. Otherwise
their rides cost half price and as usual until their sixth birthday,
kids ride for free up to Männlichen and throughout the entire country of Switzerland.
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 Guide, where we provide you with full clarity on which passes best
for your trip, including a free download to help you pick your Swiss train pass with confidence.
And now for my personal favorite thing about Männlichen, the Alpine Herdsmen Playground.
Honestly, this may be the most epic playground in the entire region. It has some super neat
equipment for kids and adults of all ages, including a bowling alley, trampolines,
and who can resist climbing to the top of an eight and a half meter high cow? And
once you're worn out from playing, walk behind the playground to one of
the two viewing terraces for a final glimpse of Lauterbrunnen Valley. (Sigh) It never gets old.
From here, you could ride the cable car down to Grindelwald Terminal or Wengen,
but we think it's worth enjoying at least one hike here at Männlichen. The
Lieselotte Kids Trail is an hour and a half downhill from Männlichen into Hohlenstein,
which is an intermediate stop on the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal. Along the way,
kids can blow on an alp horn, ring cowbells, play with chickens, ride a zip line, sit on a cow,
and climb a rock wall. This can be connected with the new Kids Treetop Path at Hohenstein
or the Kids Apple Fritter Trail from Hohenstein to Brunegg. The Chamois Trail
takes you down from Männlichen to Wengen on a path where you can often see chamois.
We recommend taking binoculars so you can spy them easier and so that you don't rush down the
one hour, 45 minute trail. There's also a two hour and 15 minute Romantic flower Trail that
winds through the alpine meadows from Männlichen Alpiglen. And if you're up for it or just want
a memorable experience when you're here, you can run a race from Wengen to Männlichen. Instead of
having one big race day, you can actually run or walk it any time when Männlichen is open.
You simply register online or in the Wengen cable car station. They
give you an automated timekeeper and a race number and then you just start
your climb up. Once you reach the top and walk through the finishing gates,
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.
Honestly, we thought about climbing up here to Männlichen,
but then we realized by the time we got to the top and the finish line,
we'd probably be pooped. And well, that wouldn't make for a very good video,
so we'll just leave that for another time. And then there's our absolute favorite hike up here,
the Panorama Trail. It's posted at one hour and 15 minutes along a wide gravel trail leading gently
downhill to Kleine Scheidegg with sweeping views of Grindelwald and the big three the entire way.
When you're almost to the end, you'll reach Restaurant Grindelwaldblick.
Climb up the stairs of the fort with the Swiss flag for a fun view. We like to stop
here and have a drink too. And of course, there's a small playground for the kids.
After this, it's only about a ten minute walk to reach Kleine Scheidegg. Here you'll find
another restaurant, giant bathrooms, and three train connection options.
You can ride up to Eigergletscher, which is where you 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 panoramic views, play on the cow themed playground,
or take a lovely walk, Männlichen is can’t-miss. And we help you plan a
perfect day at Männlichen again using our one week Guide to the Jungfrau Region.
You can find that on our website at aplinsinthealps.com/guides.
Or by watching this video next. And we'll see you in Switzerland!