I love extending business trips at my own expense to explore new places.
After finishing our business trip in Zurich, we headed to Zurich Haupbahnhof for a trip to the Alps.
We were looking forward to the train journey and also to all the cool things to do in Wengen and nearby. If you are looking for things to do in Wengen for non skiers, this is the post for you.
We discovered that Wengen is a great home base for exploring the Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland in the Spring.
Pitstop in Interlaken
We watched the scenery go by as we traveled to Interlaken. We needed to be as efficient as the Swiss rail system on this trip because we had an ambitious itinerary and not much time (just a 3-day round trip from Zurich).
For this reason, we got off at Interlaken West station and used the opportunity to walk to Interlaken Ost (East) as a way to explore the town. We had a little over an hour for the journey.
The air was crystal clear and crisp as we emerged from the station. We spotted an adorable sculpture just outside. We passed a series of horse-drawn carriages. Of course, given the nice Spring weather, we wanted to walk instead of taking a carriage.
We passed tourist shops selling a variety of typical Swiss specialties such as Swiss army knives, watches, and cuckoo clocks. We continued our way through the town streets.
We stopped to look at some delicious-looking Swiss chocolates. I loved a traditional-looking chalet in the center of town.
We soon emerged onto a large open green space with mountains in the distance. We caught our first glimpse of the snow-capped peaks of the Alps in the distance.
Across the street were a number of the resort hotels that had made Interlaken famous. We walked among the colorful flower gardens. More tourist shops lined the path.
We were surprised to find a small Japanese garden on our walk in Interlaken. A river flowed rapidly through Interlaken, laden with minerals.
Some locals were setting up for a festival along the river. Attractions included a mechanical bull ride!
Before long, we arrived at Interlaken Ost just in time to catch our train for the next leg of our journey to Lauterbrunnen.
Layover in Lauterbrunnen
We took a local train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, the second leg of our journey to the Alps around the Jungfrau. The landscape became increasingly hilly, and we could see a spraying waterfall and snow-capped peaks in the distance.
We arrived in Lauterbrunnen from Interlaken 40 minutes later and took a walk around town while waiting for our train to Wengen. Chalets with colorful shutters lined the main street of the sleepy town, and water flowed through a purpose-built channel.
We saw beautiful sunflowers in a local garden and boulders made from large stones planted in front of the Swiss flag. The most impressive sight was the waterfall pouring down into the town.
We admired a hollowed-out log that had been turned into a planter with colorful flowers. We took a moment to gaze up the hill towards Wengen, our final destination for the day, before heading back to the train station for the last leg of the journey.
Introduction to Wengen
After a long journey from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, we arrived at our hotel in the outskirts of town. We enjoyed the stunning views of the Alps from the seating area outside, and then went for a walk back into town.
We passed Chalet Edelweiss, caught a glimpse of the cable car, and stopped in at the Falken Hotel. Unfortunately, the piano bar was closed for the season, but we still enjoyed the lovely views from the hotel.
We had dinner at Eiger restaurant, where I had delicious cheese ravioli in a parmesan basket. After dinner, we called it a night so we could rest up for our hike in the mountains the next day.
Wengen to Schilthorn
On Saturday, we had breakfast at the Alpenruhe Hotel in Wengen, and then headed to Lauterbrunnen. Along the way, we saw charming watering holes, scenic views, steep cliffs, jaunty gnomes, and creative planters.
We took a cable car and train to get from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren, and then walked across town to the cable station leading to Schilthorn.
One of Schilthorn's claims to fame is that a James Bond movie was shot there. References to 007 are everywhere. Even though the movie was filmed more than 30 years ago, the Schilthorn is still milking it to maximum effect.
We began our journey in Mürren with green fields and babbling streams below. The vegetation got spottier as we continued our ascent. We eventually slid into the clouds, and emerged on the other side to find ourselves at the snow-capped peaks!
There is a viewing platform atop Schilthorn. There is also a television station in the area with live views from the various local peaks. We had checked the weather forecast in the morning and saw clear skies, so we knew we would have gorgeous views.
We stood on the platform and watched the cable car depart. One visitor even brought his small dog with him to admire the views.
The view above the clouds was pretty spectacular. Signs were posted at various places around the platform to give a sense of what we were looking at. I captured a number of amazing pictures from the viewing platform.
Even though we were visiting Switzerland in Spring, the temperature was only slightly above freezing. After taking it all in, we decided to head inside to the revolving restaurant.
🔍 Sidewalk Safari Spotlight
Looking for other cool places to visit in Switzerland? Why not go from Geneva to Lausanne to Montreux for a weekend or experience the lake and mountains around Lucerne? I can personally recommend ringing in the new year with Swiss precision in Basel.
I've spent a lot of time in Zurich for work. I recommend exploring Zurich for a day with a public transit pass which includes a Lake Zurich cruise where you'll find plenty of Swiss birds.
Looking for day trip ideas? Head to Rapperswil or Rhine Falls and Stein-am-Rhein. Did you know that you can even take an ambitious day trip to Liechtenstein from Zurich.
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They offer an all-you-can-eat soup buffet for less than 10 euros. We sipped our goulash and admired the peaks as they floated past: Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau.
Still photos can hardly do the place justice, but I thought I'd try with a couple panoramas.
The North Face Trail
After returning to Mürren from the Schilthorn, we took the funicular to Allmendhubel. From there, we enjoyed stunning views of the Eiger and Mönch peaks, as well as rolling hills in the distance. We then hiked along the Wildflower Trail, which was particularly beautiful in spring.
After a while, we reached the North Face Trail, which offered even more spectacular views. We passed cows with giant cowbells, a burbling brook, and an old motorcycle parked at the edge of a pasture.
We also saw a Swiss flag waving in the breeze and a cow parked underneath it! We stopped at a farm turned café for a quick break, where we enjoyed delicious ice cream made fresh on the farm.
We then continued on our hike, passing by a cable car, a valley with a stream, and another farm with cows. After about 3 hours, we returned to Mürren, where we had a beer at a local café and admired the views of the mountains. We then boarded the cable car back to Lauterbrunnen.
Swiss Fondue for Dinner
We couldn't pass up the opportunity to try fondue. We dined at the Bernerhof Hotel in Wengen and ordered cheese fondue with mushrooms and herbs.
A pot of bubbling, cheesy goodness was brought to our table and served with chunks of bread. A wise colleague of mine remarked, "Chocolate is to dessert as cheese is to food." In other words, cheese makes everything better!
The fondue was quite filling, but we managed to finish it. When we were finished, we looked at the ceramic parrot perched above our table and thought, "I can't believe we ate the whole thing!" After dinner, we stopped by the Hotel Eiger's wine bar for a glass of red before calling it a night.
Männlichen Mountain Views
We took a cable car from Wengen to Männlichen, where we were once again amazed by the mountain views. We exited the cable car station and were about to embark on the trail to Kleine Scheidegg when we heard music in the distance.
We took a detour to a nearby scenic viewpoint and were delighted to discover yodelers entertaining the crowd! The sound was a perfect match for the setting. Traditional folk dancing followed, accompanied by a local band. Overall, it was a welcome diversion.
After listening to the yodeling performance we set off on a 3-mile trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg with a spring in our step. We passed underneath the cable car and continued on our way.
We saw a dalmatian on the trail, and a rock pile that had been built up by the contributions of many passersby. I was a little nervous when I saw a sign about avalanches, and even more nervous when I saw that the trail would take us through a steep, snow-covered path.
We made it through without any problems and continued along the path as it wound through the mountains. I stopped to leave my mark at the next snow patch.
The gorgeous views were worth every step we took along the trail. We arrived at a detour in the trail and soon saw why it was there - apparently rock slides do occur in this area.
We were directed up a steep and very narrow trail around the obstacle. Once again, we carefully chose our footing and moved slowly along. At the top of the detour, we found an open patch of grass with spectacular views that made the whole perilous climb worthwhile.
We stopped for some water and a snack before continuing on. Another dog on the trail stopped to admire the scenery. We finally reached the other side of the detour near Kleine Scheidegg, where we could see the town and rail station to Jungfraujoch in the distance.
After hiking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, we took a 30-minute break to rest. We were delighted to see a man selling bread and pastries. We went in for a closer look and decided to try some apple cake and coffee. The slice of cake was enormous! It's a good thing we only ordered one to share!
Ascent to Jungfraujoch
We took the Jungfrau railway to Jungfraujoch, which is over 11,000 feet above sea level. On our way, we admired the Alpine peaks.
The higher we went, the thicker the snow was, which was impressive for June. After a short while, we entered a tunnel bored through the Eiger, which was an amazing feat of engineering.
We emerged at the Jungfraujoch train station, which was like a tourist cocoon protecting us from the elements. We immediately went outside to experience the place.
There was a hiking trail marked in the snow. We saw a couple of hardcore climbers making their way in after a day's adventure. We also saw a helicopter taking tourists for rides in the surrounding area.
The path was carefully signposted so hikers wouldn't stray off the trail into dangerous territory. There were warnings of crevasses and other hazards posted all around.
"Mortal Danger" sums up the risk in no uncertain terms.
I left my footprints in the thick snow. I wish I had worn waterproof shoes or boots.
We even threw a few playful snowballs around. The snow packed really well. I think the moisture content was high given that it was spring. We took one more look out over the green valley below and then headed inside to warm up.
The inside part of Jungfraujoch was a bit touristy but still good fun. I enjoyed a life-sized snow globe showcasing local scenes. A corridor of ice sculptures was fascinating.
We peeked outside at a second viewing platform and enjoyed more spectacular views. After taking in the view one last time, we descended by train to Kleine Scheidegg.
While descending, we noticed that the Eiger was smoking, indicating that a storm was brewing. It was fortunate that we descended when we did, as the mountains can be extremely unpredictable.
After arriving safely, we had a savory meal in Kleine Scheidegg. We then descended from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen. We had a bit of time before our train to Lauterbrunnen and on to Zurich, so we stopped at the Rocks Bar for a quick beer.
Train Trip Back to Zurich
The journey back to Zurich took about 4 hours and included a descent from the Alps, a ride along a silty and fast-moving river, and the calm waters of the nearby Alpine lakes. We even enjoyed dinner in Bern to make the most of our time in Switzerland. More on that next!
Dinner Detour in Bern
Despite the rain, we made the most of our last full day in Switzerland by taking a whirlwind tour of Bern. We strolled through the charming streets and admired the fountains, clocks, and whimsical sculptures.
I even saw someone drinking from a street fountain—that's how pure the water is in Switzerland! We continued past an open square lined with restaurants. We spotted some delicious-looking cakes and cookies in a bakery window, but unfortunately for my taste buds but fortunately for my waistline, the store was closed.
We continued our quick pass through town and caught a glimpse of old and new as the tram ran by in front of a historical clock tower. We admired the river flowing through town.
We completed our tour with just enough time to grab dinner on the open square before returning to the train. We chose to dine on Italian food at Santa Lucia.
I knew we were off to a good start when I saw and then tasted the fresh bread. Pasta and chicken followed, along with salad with fresh shaved Parmesan. Thoroughly full and exhausted after a long day of exploration and train travel, we returned to the Bern train station for our final leg to Zurich.
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