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I will be in Wengen from 2-6 Dec but just realised that many of the cable cars will still be under maintenance. Would appreciate suggestions on what to do in and around the area.
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Hi Gentledove89 and welcome to MySwissAlps!
The Jungfraujoch (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch) and First mountains would both be operating and would be the main mountains to see there during that time. For a general list of recommended activities in the Jungfrau region look here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s – always look on the route tab for each attraction to see about operating dates.
Skiing and possibly snow shoeing would be the main activities if the weather/snow cooperates.
What are you hoping to see and do while in Switzerland and Wengen?
Thanks for the info. I’m hoping to do some winter hiking in the area – to Faulhorn and First
Hi GentleDove89 –
You will be able to get up to First easily, as Lucas noted. From there, the climb to Faulhorn is a substantial climb – 2186 meters to 2681 meters.
If the trails are open, you will need to be prepared for severe weather, since the weather, including blinding clouds and snow, can change very quickly in the high Alps.
At those altitudes, there is a good chance that the trails will be closed by snow or ice, but that is far from a certainty in early December.
Keep close watch on Webcams, and talk to the local tourist offices.
en.swisswebcams.ch/suc he/ort/faulhorn-2660813/
Slowpoke
Dear GentleDove89,
I hope you don’t mind me joining in the conversation–I will be staying at Wengen (arriving 12Dec, departing morning of 14Dec), and I too wasn’t aware that some of the attractions are closed. Perhaps we can trade ideas!
May I ask the experts Slowpoke and Lucas if the following plans are feasible for this time of the year?
Day 1)
- Arrive at 11:25am at Lauterbrunnen from Luzern via the Golden Pass train
- Followed by a paragliding trip (e.g. with Airtime)
- Followed by a trip up to Schilthorn: Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp, then a hike or train to Murren, cable car up to Schilthorn and Piz Gloria, then descend via Birg-Murren-Gimmelwald-Stechelberg
- I’m wondering if this is too ambitious an itinerary to squeeze in, and I notice on this website that the lines from Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp-Murren are closed–will these be open in early Dec?
Day 2)
- I was planning a hike on the Maennlichen-Kleine Scheidegg (KS) panoramic trail, followed by a trip up to Jungfraujoch. However, I heard that the cable car from Wengen to Maennlichen and the parnoramic trail are closed in early Dec? Would this still be feasible?
- Otherwise, a backup plan would be to take the train up from Wengen to KS and Jungfraujoch
GentleDove89: you might find it helpful to know that Staubbachfall and Trummelbachfall are closed in Dec also, which is really unfortunate =( I suppose we can still see them from a distance.
Can I also ask if there are any activities one can do at Wengen and Lauterbrunnen if the weather at the mountains aren’t good? I was thinking of curling, sledging, tobogganing and ice skating, but I can’t seem to figure out where to even go to learn (I come from a little island near the equator, never seen snow)!
Thanks everyone for any advice =)
Sholand
Thank you @Slowpoke for the info. I will certainly be monitoring the snow conditions. I might switch things around and head to Zermatt instead though. What are the chances that the winter hiking trails in both regions will be ready in early Dec?
I’ve been up to Jungfraujoch a few summers ago when I did the TMB with some friends so I doubt I will be spending the money to go there again anytime soon. I would be more interested in seeing the other end of the Aletsch glacier from Betteralp though, but I understand that the cableways will not be running till mid-Dec and hiking is out of the question in winter. I’ve already done some hikes around the Wengen area like the beautiful Tanzbodeli hike from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg, so I’m really looking at some of the the day hikes that can be done in winter, that I’ve missed out in summer.
I would be keen to do some snowboarding but am not sure how much snow there’ll be in early Dec.
@Sholand: Your schedule seems really tight, with paragliding and the trip up to Jungfraujoch and Kleine Scheidegg all in a day. There’s quite a lot to see up in Jungfraujoch, you can even walk across the glacier to Mönchsjochhütte if the weather is good, although I’m not sure if the hut is staffed in winter. I’ve been to Stabbachfall before. You will still be able to see it from a fairly near distance along the road although you won’t be able to walk up to the waterfall in winter. I assume you are from sunny Singapore! 🙂
<<“What are the chances that the winter hiking trails in both regions will be ready in early Dec?”>>
Very difficult to predict, but the last few Winters have not had a lot of snow in early December.
Nice to read that you have some ideas of the issues involved with hiking then.
Slowpoke
Hi Sholand and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Yes, the Wengen-Mannlichen cable car doesn’t start up until Dec.15. Best to plan out some hikes and check trail conditions once you are there – it depends on the weather (be prepared that any hikes that are open will be snow covered so have warm boots). http://www.myswissalps.com/gr indelwald/activities
The issue in early December is that there is too much snow for safe hiking but too little for “winter/snow hiking” which is popular once enough snow has fallen.
Curling and ice skating could be possible in Grindelwald: grindelwald.swiss/en/w inter/see-and-do/activities/
Hi Sholand-
You wrote –
<<“Day 1)
Arrive at 11:25am at Lauterbrunnen from Luzern via the Golden Pass train
Followed by a paragliding trip (e.g. with Airtime)
Followed by a trip up to Schilthorn: Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp, then a hike or train to Murren, cable car up to Schilthorn and Piz Gloria, then descend via Birg-Murren-Gimmelwald-Stechelberg
I’m wondering if this is too ambitious an itinerary to squeeze in, and I notice on this website that the lines from Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp-Murren are closed–will these be open in early Dec? “>>
It seems possible if the cableways are running; you might skip the walk from Grütschalp to Mürren.
Here is the information on the Schilthorn:
http://www.myswissalps.com/sc hilthorn
In the section titled “Route” I find that –
<<“Dates of operation
The cable car does not operate from 12 November to 7 December 2018, 23 to 26 April 2019 and 11 November to 6 December 2019. Please check again later for further dates.”>>
From the Schilthorn web site:
schilthorn.ch/en/Infos /Timetable__and__Tarif f
So – it will be available for you.
Here are sunrise and sunset times for Interlaken in December:
http://www.sunrise-and-sunset.com/en/sun/swit zerland/interlaken/201 8/december
Sunset there is at approximately 4:30 or 5 PM. At Lauterbrunnen, deep in the valley, it may be sooner.
Your plans seem possible…there is flexibility on how much time to spend at Schilthorn, as well as whether to take the train between Grütschalp and Mürren. There is a bit of a walk between stations at Mürren – maybe 600 meters.
map.search.ch/?pos=634360,156132&z=12 8&poi=bergbahn,zug
Slowpoke
Thanks everyone for your help, and hello from sunny Singapore =)
It does sound like the main thing to do is to hike and enjoy the scenery, so I’ll be packing my warm boots!
Hope you have a wonderful trip Gentledove89 =)
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