Unmapped Gems
Wengernalp RailwayWengen and the valley, seen from the Wengernalp Railway

Wengernalp Railway

Best time
A clear morning
Getting there
From Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald, with connections from Interlaken

Why it’s in the log

The Wengernalp Railway climbs 19 km from Lauterbrunnen through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, under the north face of the Eiger, and down again to Grindelwald — the longest continuous rack-and-pinion railway in the world. There are no public roads to Wengen, so the train is how everyone gets there, with skis, shopping and suitcases.

At Kleine Scheidegg most passengers change to the Jungfrau Railway for the climb to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe. The Wengernalp line on its own is the better value: the same mountains, without the summit ticket.