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The Bernese Oberland region in the Swiss Alps has a vast network of cable cars, trains, and hiking trails leaving visitors with endless options for exploring this majestic area of Switzerland. One of our best memories of visiting the area was riding the Grindelwald Mannlichen cable car, one of the longest gondola rides in the world!
During an all-too-short summer visit to the Swiss Alps we were fortunate to explore 3 of the 4 villages that make up the Jungfrau region, including Grindelwald, Wengen, and Lauterbrunnen. We simply ran out of time and did not have the opportunity to visit Murren. All that means is that we’ll have to go back for another visit!
Cable Cars to Mannlichen
There are two cable car options to get up to Mannlichen, a summit located at 7,687 ft (2,343 m) overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley below.
Wengen Mannlichen Aerial Cableway
One option is the Wengen Mannlichen Aerial Cableway. Riders stand during the 5-minute ride up the mountain from Wengen to Männlichen. You could end up sharing the cable car with up to 80 people, but the ride is quick, so it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. It is the cheaper of the two options if you’re looking to save some money.
Wengen Männlichen Aerial Cableway Ticket Prices
Adult (16+) One Way
23 CHF / 19 Euros / 23.50 USD
Adult (16+) Round-Trip | Return
46 CHF / 38.50 Euros / 47 USD
1/2-Fare Card | GA Travel Card | Children (age 6 to 15) One Way
11.50 CHF / 9.50 Euros / 12 USD
1/2-Fare Card | GA Travel Card | Children (age 6 to 15) Round-Trip | Return
23 CHF / 19 Euros / 23.50 USD
Currency conversion is estimated based on exchange rate at time of post update and can change at any time. Prices and hours vary by season, so click here for the most up to date information.
Grindelwald Mannlichen Gondola Cableway
We chose to reach the summit by way of the Grindelwald Cable Car. This was certainly the more expensive option, but it gave us the privacy and comfort of sitting in our own gondola cable car (which can hold up to 4 people).
Grindelwald Cable Car Price
Adult (16+) One Way
30 CHF / 25 Euros / 30.50 USD
Adult (16+) Round-Trip | Return
60 CHF / 50 Euros / 61.50 USD
1/2-Fare Card | GA Travel Card | Children (age 6 to 15) One Way
15 CHF / 12.50 Euros / 15.50 USD
1/2-Fare Card | GA Travel Card | Children (age 6 to 15) Round-Trip | Return
30 CHF / 25 Euros / 30.50 USD
Again, currency conversion is estimated based on exchange rate at time of post update and can change at any time. Prices and hours vary by season, so click here for the most up to date information regarding Grindelwald Mannlichen cable car ticket prices.
We very much enjoyed the relaxing and scenic 30-minute ride up the mountain from Grindelwald to Männlichen. The 4,000+ ft (1,287 m) ascent makes it one of the longest cable car rides in the world!
The only sounds we heard during our peaceful ascent were the hum of the moving cables above and the ringing of cow bells below. We passed over a few houses and occasionally saw the hiking trail that guides fit hikers to the Mannlichen summit.
Given our current state of fitness, we decided it would be best to take the cable car to Mannlichen, hike to Kleine Scheidegg, and take the train from Kleine Scheidegg back down to Grindelwald. The Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike is along a ridge-line trail that is relatively flat with slight elevation changes, mostly downhill. It takes most hikers about an hour and half to hike the 3 miles from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg.
If you’re interested in this particular cable car – hike – train combo, purchase a one way Grindelwald Männlichen cable car ticket and a one way Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald train ticket (prices below).
Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald (One Way) Train Prices
Adult (16+) 27 CHF / 22.50 Euros / 27.50 USD
1/2-Fare Card | GA Travel Card | Children (age 6 to 15) 13.50 CHF / 11 Euros / 14 USD
Once again, currency conversion is estimated based on exchange rate at time of post update and can change at any time. Prices and hours vary by season, so click here for the most up to date information regarding Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald Train ticket prices.
Following the 30-minute ride up the mountain, the Mannlichen station came into view and sadly our ride was over.
We couldn’t have even imagined the gorgeous views that awaited us just a 5-minute walk from the station!
Now at an elevation of over 7,000 ft (2,225 m), we stood quietly in awe as views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley down below left us speechless. We were based at Hotel Schützen in Lauterbrunnen for a few nights of our visit to the Jungfrau region. We could just barely see our hotel from the Männlichen summit.
Following our time at the summit, we started to make our way to the trail leading us to Kleine Scheidegg.
As you can see from the sign above, there are many hiking, cable car, and train options from Mannlichen. As mentioned, we purchased a ticket that provided us with the cable car ride to the summit and a train ride back down to Grindelwald (from Kleine Scheidegg). The 1.5 hour hike to Kleine-Scheidegg offered us some of the most epic views of the Swiss Alps. We got a taste for hiking in the Alps without too much strenuous activity.
Check out the brief video below to see how we spent our time in the beautiful Jungfrau region of Switzerland: