Männlichen is one of the nicest viewpoints in the Jungfrau Region, easy to reach with cable cars from either Wengen or Grindelwald.
For the best views, you can do a short hike from the cable car up to the Männlichen peak. It’s called the “Royal Walk,” leading to a giant crown in which you can stand to admire the view.
In winter, the snowy path to the viewpoint is groomed so you can walk with regular winter boots, no snowshoes required. But the path is steep and the snow can be icy and slippery, so best with sturdy waterproof shoes and hiking sticks for balance.
If you can’t manage the hike, you can still get fantastic views near the cable car station, enjoy a meal at the restaurant and lounge in the alpine sun. You can also add on sledding or hiking on other winter trails that start at Männlichen.
Contents
| Region: | Jungfrau Region, Berner Oberland, Switzerland |
| Starting point: | Wengen-Männlichen cable car OR… Grindelwald Terminal-Männlichen gondola |
| By car: | Parking: Grindelwald Terminal near Grundstrasse 32, 3818 Grindelwald From Interlaken 30 min, Zürich 1hr50 |
| By public transport: | Wengen or Grindelwald Terminal From Interlaken 35 min, Zürich 2hr40 |
| Trail: | 1.75 km round trip • trail map |
| Time: | 45 mins round trip |
| Difficulty: | moderate |
| Condition: | groomed snow |
| Elevation: | 80m up & down |
| Open: | mid Dec to early April • check trail status |
| Cost: | return ticket on mountain railways Discount with Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Half Fare Card |
| Extras: | restaurants at cable car station |
| More info: | Jungfrau Region website • webcam • forecast |
Gallery
Trail description
The winter map below shows the important elements of this outing. The Royal Walk starts at Männlichen (3), which can be reached by cable cars from Wengen (2) or Grindelwald (5). To reach the crown viewpoint, you follow Trail 60.
Trail map
Follow the light purple signs direction Männlichen Trail 60. The Royal Walk path is one way to the viewpoint, return the way you came. It’s about 20 mins each way.
See trail map on Komoot
Trail conditions
The snow on this path is groomed with machines, making it possible to walk on the trail with regular hiking boots. No snowshoes required. However, the path is quite steep and can be slippery depending on current conditions. Best to have waterproof shoes and bring hiking sticks to help with balance.
The trail may close due to poor snow conditions and/or bad weather. Check trail status.
How to get there
This winter hike is near Wengen and Grindelwald in the Jungfrau Region (see on Google Maps). The Royal walk starts at the Männlichen, which you can access the trail from either Wengen or Grindelwald.
By public transport
If you are arriving by public transport, we prefer to access the Royal Walk via Wengen, which is a bit quicker. In this case, ride a train to Lauterbrunnen. Transfer to the yellow Wengeneralpbahn mountain train and ride up to Wengen, a 13 min ride.
Then 1 min through the village to the Wengen-Männlichen cable car (follow signs with gondola symbol). If you don’t have a cable car ticket yet, you can purchase it here. The cable car leaves every 15 mins. It’s a 5 min ride.
Note: If you have a SBB Day Pass or Swiss Travel Pass, your pass covers the mountain train between Lauterbrunnen and Wengen, saving you a bit of money.
By car
If you are arriving by car, it’s easier to park at Grindelwald Terminal (near Grundstrasse 32, 3818 Grindelwald), which usually has more open parking spaces than Lauterbrunnen.
From the parking, walk into the gondola station. You can purchase gondola tickets at the ticket office. Make sure to board the gondola going to Männlichen, not Eiger Express.
Costs
You’ll need a return ticket on cable car accessing the trail. If you plan to also hike or sled on other winter trails, you may need a different ticket. In this case, explain your plans at the ticket office to make sure you get the correct ticket.
Discount with Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card, Eurail, Interrail, GA. Free with Jungfrau Winter Pass.
Children under 6 ride free. Children 6-15 CHF 20. Dogs ride free.
You can purchase tickets at the cable car stations.
Opening times
The trail is usually open and maintained from mid December to mid April. But it can close due to poor snow or weather. Check trail status.
The mountain transport runs every day, starting around 8:15. The last ride down around 16:30, don’t miss it! Check current schedule.
Photo story of trail
Riding up to Männlichen
In this photo story, we access the Royal Walk via Wengen. From Lauterbrunnen, we rode this yellow train to Wengen.
Then a short walk through the village to the Männlichen cable car station shown below. You can buy tickets here if you don’t have them already.
The cable car takes you to the top of the cliffs shown here.
Arriving at Männlichen
The cable car drops you off at the Männlichen ski area shown below.
In the pic below, you can see the Wengen-Männlichen cable car station and the Männlichen peak just beyond that.
Start Royal Walk
Right as you exit the cable car station, look for this sign pointing towards the Männlichen Gipfel – Trail 60, aka Royal Walk.
Here is the path leading up to the Männlichen peak viewpoint. It’s short but steep. We took it very slow.
Looking back down the trail towards the cable car stations.
Männlichen “Gipfel” (aka Peak) viewpoint
It takes about 20 mins to reach this crown viewpoint.
Spectacular views in all directions.
Great views down to the Lauterbrunnen valley.
Views down towards Grindelwald
Get someone to take your picture in the crown.
Return to starting point
When you are done, walk back down toward the Männlichen cable car station. If you want to keep hiking, you can join Trail 60 to Kleine Scheidegg. If you want to sled, you can sled on Trail 61 to the Holenstein gondola station (rent sleds at Intersport near the cable car station).
Near the cable car stations, there are a couple restaurants and toilets.
There are usually lots of lounge chairs so you can soak in the alpine sunshine.
Near the restaurants, there is a fenced viewpoint where you can get this nice Lauterbrunnen valley view, without having to hike up to the peak.
FAQ
What to wear
It’s a short walk, so just dress appropriate to the weather forecast. You will warm up a bit as you hike up, especially on a sunny day. So best to dress in layers so you can easily adjust. We typically wear a long sleeve sport shirt and bring a medium weight fleece, light down jacket, and windproof shell.
This walk is best done with waterproof hiking boots, but we’ve seen lots of people do it with more casual winter boots. I always bring hiking sticks to help with balance on uneven snow.
Make sure to bring sunscreen, sun hat, and sunglasses.
What to bring
You don’t necessarily need to bring any supplies since there are restaurants at Männlichen and the walk is quite short.
Can I bring dogs on this trail?
Yes, dogs are welcome on the trail and ride the gondolas for free. Dogs should be on the leash for the safety of hikers and skiers.
