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Scenic Train Journeys from Wengen You Should Not Miss
Few villages in the Alps are as well plugged into the railway as Wengen. The car-free balcony at 1,274 metres sits on the world's longest continuous rack-and-pinion line, with onward connections to the highest railway station in Europe, a vintage cog train to a wild flower garden, and a panoramic express that runs all the way to Lake Geneva. From the platform outside Victoria Lauberhorn, a Faern collection resort, you can launch into all of them in summer without ever touching a car. Here are five scenic train journeys from Wengen that earn their place on a summer itinerary.
Check the rooms for your stay at Victoria Lauberhorn, Wengen
1. To the Top of Europe via the Jungfrau Railway
The Jungfraujoch is the headline ride, and from Wengen it is also the most direct. Take the Wengernalp Railway up to Kleine Scheidegg, change platforms, and board the Jungfrau Railway, which has been climbing straight through the heart of the Eiger since 1912. The line tunnels through the mountain to emerge at Jungfraujoch station at 3,454 metres, Europe's highest (the top of the world). A lift then rises 108 metres in 25 seconds to the Sphinx observation deck at 3,571 metres, where the view sweeps across the 23-kilometre Aletsch Glacier and the surrounding UNESCO World Heritage peaks. The Ice Palace, sculpted into the glacier itself, is a few minutes away.
A return ticket from Wengen costs CHF 239.20 in summer (1 May to 31 October) and a seat reservation is mandatory in that period, bookable for CHF 10. Plan a full day, start early to beat the crowds and the afternoon weather, and pack a warm layer and sunglasses for the snow at the top. For more on the experience itself, see our guide to the journey to the Jungfraujoch.
2. The Schynige Platte Cog Railway
If the Jungfraujoch is engineering, the Schynige Platte is nostalgia. The line opened in 1893 and still runs the original brown-and-cream electric cog trains, which take 52 minutes to grind up from Wilderswil to a green ridge at 1,967 metres. The reward is a horseshoe panorama with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on one side and Lake Thun and Lake Brienz on the other. The Alpengarten beside the upper station shelters around 650 species of alpine plants in their natural habitat, walkable on a one-kilometre loop.
To get there from Wengen, take the Wengernalp Railway down to Lauterbrunnen, the Bernese Oberland Bahn to Wilderswil, and step onto the Schynige Platte platform across the tracks. The 2026 season runs from 13 June to 25 October, with trains departing every 40 minutes. A return ticket from Wilderswil costs CHF 64 for adults, and is included free with a Jungfrau Travel Pass or Berner Oberland Pass.
3. The Wengernalp Loop, Wengen to Grindelwald
The Wengernalp Railway itself is a journey worth taking just for its own sake. At 19.11 kilometres it is the longest continuous rack-and-pinion line in the world, and you can ride it as a half-day loop without ever leaving the rails. Board at Wengen, climb 42 minutes to Kleine Scheidegg at 2,061 metres with the north face of the Eiger almost close enough to touch, lunch at one of the saddle restaurants, then continue down the other side to Grindelwald-Grund in another 24 minutes. From Grindelwald the BOB takes you back to Lauterbrunnen via Zweilütschinen, and the Wengernalpbahn delivers you home in time for a sauna.
It is the route a local would send a couple on for a first day in the region. Sit on the right leaving Wengen for the valley views, and switch sides at Kleine Scheidegg for the Eiger faces on the descent.
4. Across the Valley to Mürren by Cliffside Train
The neighbouring car-free village of Mürren sits on the opposite cliff at 1,638 metres, and the way there is itself a small adventure. Take the Wengernalp Railway down to Lauterbrunnen, walk to the aerial cable car for the four-minute hop up to Grütschalp, then board the BLM, the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren. The narrow-gauge train hugs the cliff edge for 11 minutes with the Jungfrau filling every right-hand window. From Mürren, lunch on a sunny terrace, or continue on the cable car system to Schilthorn-Piz Gloria, the panoramic summit made famous by James Bond. Our trip to Piz Gloria page covers that onward leg in detail.
One important note for summer 2026: the Lauterbrunnen-Grütschalp cable car is closed for a planned cabin replacement until 10 July 2026. If you are travelling before that date, reach Mürren instead via the Stechelberg cable car, which now connects to Mürren in under four minutes on what is currently the world's steepest cableway. From 10 July onwards, the classic BLM cliffside route returns.
5. The GoldenPass Express to Montreux
For couples who want a long, slow rail day, the GoldenPass Express is the answer. It runs direct from Interlaken Ost to Montreux in 3 hours 15 minutes, up to four times a day, year round. The Prestige class carriages have wide leather seats that always face the direction of travel, raised 40 centimetres above the windows for an unbroken panoramic view, and the route winds through Gstaad, Château-d'Oex and the Pays-d'Enhaut into the vineyards above Lake Geneva. Reservations are recommended in second and first class and required in Prestige.
From Wengen you board the Wengernalp Railway to Lauterbrunnen, change to the BOB for Interlaken Ost, and step straight across to the Express. Lunch on the Montreux waterfront, walk the lake promenade, and ride home the same evening. Reserve Prestige well ahead in summer.
Planning a rail day from Wengen
A few practical notes will save time and money. The Jungfrau Travel Pass covers the Wengernalp Railway, the BOB, the Mürren area and the Schynige Platte at no extra cost and gives a discounted supplement for the final Eigergletscher-Jungfraujoch leg, which is worth doing the maths on for stays of three days or more. A Swiss Travel Pass gives 50 percent off most lines in the region and full coverage of the GoldenPass Express in second and first class. Seat reservations are mandatory for the Jungfraujoch from May through October and strongly recommended for the GoldenPass Express in Prestige.
Morning departures are almost always the right call. Mountain weather builds through the afternoon and the early trains catch the clearest light on the Eiger faces. Pack layers, even in July, because the temperature drops by twenty degrees between Wengen and the Jungfraujoch.
Stay at the platform
Victoria Lauberhorn sits one minute from Wengen station, which means you can step from breakfast onto any of these journeys without a transfer. Return at the end of the day to Wengen's largest wellness area, dinner in the hotel restaurant, and a quiet, car-free village in which to walk off the views.