Looking for accommodation in Wengen or Grindelwald

Hi all! My boyfriend and I are travelling to Switzerland this June and planning to spend 3-4 days exploring the Jungfrau region. Looking for some advice on best places to stay...We're getting our itinerary together, but these are our priorities!

• Junfraujoch
• Adventure activities on First, like the First Flyer, mountain go carts, etc.
• Lots of hiking... picnics, etc.
• Hopefully close to some transportation, like trains, cable cars, or gondolas to navigate for our day activities
• We'd like to have a kitchen, as we plan to buy groceries and cook some dinners in to save money!
• We like the idea of the car-less villages, as we won't be planning to have a car, but that's not a deal breaker.
• And, of course, SCENERY. Would love to wake up and enjoy coffee on the balcony or patio with amazing views before starting the day
• And I guess it goes without saying, but we hope to not break the bank so we can spend our money on activities in Switzerland!

A couple questions:

1. For our priorities/activities, would you recommend Grindelwald or Wengen? Or is there another village that makes more sense for us?
2. Are there any transportation challenges with either you think we should be aware of?
3. In general, how late does the public transportation run between the villages?
4. Based on my research to date, I think we're leaning toward doing an airbnb, but let me know if you think there's another type of accommodation that might be a better fit.

Thanks so very much - we CAN'T WAIT to visit!!

Hi ChuntyBunty,

Welcome to MySwissAlps!

I like both Wengen and Grindelwald. Wengen is car-free but there are regular train services to get you around. It's also quite small, you can practically walk everywhere. Grindelwald is a little bigger, some people say more commercialised. But they are both lovely mountain villages and which one you pick as a base really boils down to personal choice. If I had to pick one, I guess I'd go for one that offers me the best accommodation deal :)

Here are the links if you are looking for accommodation in either destination:

• Wengen hotels: www.myswissalps.com/wengen/hotels
• Wengen rentals: www.myswissalps.com/wengen/rentals
• Grindelwald hotels: www.myswissalps.com/grindelwald/hotels
• Grindelwald rentals: www.myswissalps.com/grindelwald/rentals

We do not usually recommend using airbnb which is explained clearly here: www.myswissalps.com/accommodation/airbnb

For sightseeing suggestions and info on things to do in Wengen and Grindelwald, please click on the 'What to do' tab of the above links. There's also a 'how to travel' section which you might find helpful. Also you can use the SBB timetable (www.msyswissalps.com/timetable) to plan your journeys from/to either Wengen or Grindelwald. You can also use the timetable to check when the last train leaves for or from either town.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Anna

Thanks Anna! That’s good advice. We’ll be staying around June 13-17. Do you happen to know if we can travel by cable cars from wengen to grindelwald then? It’s been hard to find a definitive answer to that. The cable car ride sounds really incredible tho if it’s open!

Hi ChuntyBunty,

The usual mode of transport between Grindelwald and Wengen is by train which runs regularly and all year round. There are two options:

1. by train via Lauterbrunnen and Zweilütschinen. This is the valley route.

2. via Kleine Scheidegg by cogwheel train. This is a very scenic ride with beautiful views of the mountains.

As mentioned earlier, you can check the train schedules using the SBB timetable (www-myswissalps.com/timetable)

A third option is by cable cars via Männlichen. Also beautiful views all around. In winter, the cable cars operate from mid December to mid April. In summer it operates from mid May until October. More details here: www.myswissalps.com/mannlichen/gettingthere.

Regards,

Anna

Well I can 't help with the kitchen request or the inexpensive request but I can help you with waking up to an incredible view from your balcony (Hotel Caprice). (it's even better on a sunny day)

We stayed in Wengen which has great transportation options. Train and gondola. Hiking opportunities galore. We took the train to Kleine Scheidegg, hiked the Eiger trail. From there we took the train down to Grindelwald, gondolas up to First and did the fun stuff all in one day.

We stayed at the Edelweiss in Wengen in June, gorgeous views from our room , nice breakfast, and lovely staff. They do beautiful 4 course dinners for 25CHF, menu for each night available at breakfast, you just let them know if you’re eating in that night. To keep costs down we sometimes bought chicken and salad from the supermarket for dinner. For detailed information on our 5 week trip you can check out my trip reports on the forum under Trip Reports.

www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-report-day-22-28-montreux-to-wengen

Have a great trip, Switzerland is gorgeous!