• CH & IT Roadtrip
    Map showing the public transportation options in the area — Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.
    Our cogwheel train arrives to whisk us up to Wengen — Lauterbrunnen Train Station, Switzerland.Wengen from our meandering walk — Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.Wengen from our meandering walk — Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.The Protestant (Reformed) Church — Wengen, Switzerland.The Protestant (Reformed) Church — Wengen, Switzerland.The Protestant (Reformed) Church — Wengen, Switzerland.From our meandering walk around Wengen — Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.From our meandering walk around Wengen — Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.Souvenirs abound in the shops in Wengen — Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.Saint Bernard's English (Anglican) Church — Wengen, Switzerland.As we near the Roman Catholic Church, the bells start tolling — Wengen, SwitzerlandRoman Catholic Church — Wengen, Switzerland.View of the village from the Roman Catholic Church — Wengen, Switzerland.We've seen a number of these cow statues decorating porches and terraces — Wengen, Switzerland.The clouds part to reveal a glacier — Wengen, Switzerland.Colorful flowers around Wengen, Switzerland.

    Beatenberg: Day 4 … Wengen

    July 21 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    With the Schynige Platte trail still socked in by fog, we turned our attention to the villages accessible by train or cable car from Lauterbrunnen.

    The webcam showed that Wengen was clear. Decision made.

    We drove back from Trümmelbach Falls to Lauterbrunnen, picked up SHFC R/T tickets for the Wengernalpbahn cogwheel railway. A short wait for the next train, and soon we were on our way from an altitude of 2,608 feet (795 m) in the valley to 4,180 feet (1,274 m) in the mountains. The ride was short. I had read that sitting on the right side would give us the best views. We were not disappointed.

    Wengen is described as a cute village in the Bernese Oberland … situated at the foothills of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. The train has been taking visitors up to this car-free village since 1893. Car-free is a bit of a misnomer, however. True, one cannot reach Wengen by road, but there are vehicles flitting about … many of them electric-operated … primarily to shuttle people and goods to/from the train station.

    At the conclusion of our 12-minute train ride, we found ourselves in the Wengen village center … filled with hotels, restaurants, and shops. Having already eaten the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Mui had prepared for us in anticipation of our hike, we weren’t hungry. Nor were we interested in shopping. So we went for a walk around the village instead … staying off the beaten path where we could … enjoying the alpine scenery and the colorful flowers. With few landmarks of interest, we found ourselves peeking into the three churches — Protestant (Reformed), Anglican, and Roman Catholic — that the 1,300-strong village boasts. Of course, that is the number of year round residents. In the winter, the population grows to 10,000; in the height of summer to 5,000.

    When we got back down to Lauterbrunnen around 5:30p, there was still no sign of the rain. Well, at least nothing wet was falling from the sky … yet. Otherwise, the clouds were starting to gather, signaling that the rain was not far off. Time to head back to the apartment.

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    *** SHFC Reconciliation (PER PERSON outlay CHF 120): Having spent another CHF $7.20 for R/T Lauterbrunnen-Wengen cogwheel train tickets, our break-even has gone down from CHF 95.40 to CHF $88.20.    Read more