Trip report so far: Back from Europe! First Impressions and Takeaways, How We Accidentally Saw the Tour de France Live, Switzerland Part 1: Murren, Schilthorn, Allmendhubel and Paragliding
When I was in the planning phase of our Switzerland trip, I went back and forth on where we should stay for our Swiss Alps adventures. Rick Steves recommends staying in the tiny mountain town of Gimmelwald (not to be confused with the bigger nearby town of Grindelwald). However, Gimmelwald is so small and it lacks lodging options. So, I quickly scratched that off the list.
Other top considerations were Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Murren and Wengen. Once I decided we should go for a higher-up car-free village, the decision was between Murren and Wengen.
We chose an apartment rental in Wengen, and we loved it!
Why Wengen is a Great Home Base
I have no regrets with our choice to stay in Wengen. The town has many advantages:
- It’s a car-free village, so it’s very quiet
- The views!!
- Wengen has some sizable hotels as well as a lot of apartment rentals with washer/dryer (which were harder to find in Murren)
- Transportation to/from Wengen is easier than other car-free towns. From Lauterbrunnen, it’s an 11-minute train ride up the mountain. Trains run later into the evening than trains to Murren run.
- Location: Wengen’s location is the base for many popular hikes (including Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike), and it’s a stop on the journey to the popular Jungfrujoch: Top of Europe attraction (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Wengen has one main street with a few shops and restaurants. On the day we arrived, there was a running race in progress.
I enjoyed a nice fondue dinner my first night:
The rest of the town is more residential:
For a small town of just 1300 residents, there sure are a lot of parks in Wengen! I counted at least 4 parks.
Every small mountain town in Switzerland has tennis courts, apparently.
Several of the hotels had pet bunnies outside:
The town church:
Our Chalet Rental
I scoured airbnb, vrbo, hotels.com and booking.com for the perfect rental. I looked for something with at least 3 bedrooms, a washer/dryer and close proximity to the train station and grocery store. Chalet Hannegg Penthouse fit the bill.
We paid approximately $500 a night for this 4-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms for six people. As I mentioned in a previous post, there are definitely cheaper rentals available in Wengen and Interlaken. This was our splurge. I booked this on booking.com because it had the best price and best cancellation policy.
This view from our balcony!!
Chalet Hannegg :
Our rental included the top 2 floors. The middle floor (and maybe bottom floor) are separate rentals. We never heard our neighbors.
The living room and balcony:
The kitchen:
Two downstairs bedrooms (yes, we got chocolate on our beds upon arrival. I love Switzerland!!!)
The upstairs office with sleeper sofa and a view:
And two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs:
The two best things about our apartment rental were the view and the location. We were steps away from the train station and grocery store. We visited both every day.
This rental had a ton of space, and the beds were very comfortable. The bathroom even had a heated towel rack.
The only downside to this rental is that you have to walk down and up steps to get to the house. This is difficult with suitcases! And with the high altitude, I huffed and puffed my way up the outside steps every day. But, I managed, and the positives of the rental more than made up for the stairs.
Final Thoughts
I’m very happy with our decision to make Wengen our home base in the Swiss Alps. When we return to Switzerland, I can’t imagine staying anywhere else in the area.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Wengen looks amazing. We’re considering the same area next summer and have it narrowed down to Interlaken, Wengen, or Grindelwald as a base.
How is the weather up in Wengen? I see conflicting info online. Anything from an average high of 60 to an average high in the mid 70s. Big difference!
We’ll be coming from Spain and hoping to pack light. I was thinking a light jacket and running pants to go over shorts/t-shirts will be enough to get us through the cooler parts of the day. Pipe dream or no?
@projectx How exciting! You would be fine with a light jacket and one pair of pants for those mountain towns. That’s all we brought. Sure it was a bit cooler in the mornings, but even on the top of Jungfraujoch we were fine. Wengen was mostly in the 60s-70s while we were there.
We visited Interlaken once and we did like that town as well, although it’s a lot bigger and has cars. The river that runs through it is mesmerizing, and there were a lot of chocolate shops there (as well as a McDonalds!)
I wonder if there is anywhere to park the car before going to the village?
If you had a car and wanted to get to Wengen you’d park down in Lauterbrunnen and take the train up from there.
Yep, parking in Lauterbrunnen. But if you’re staying longer than a day, I think it makes more sense to skip the car rental and go by train.
Wengen looks lovely. And what a view you got in your rental! Definitely on my list of places to visit someday.
@Leana It’s such a cute town and area!