Bernese Oberland: Mannlichen - Kleine Scheidegg

The skies cleared and the day promised some great views, so we took the cable car from Wengen, the town where we stayed, up the mountain to Mannlichen. It was just fantastic. A short trail called the Royal Walk (2k round trip) took us up to a lookout of the whole Lauterbrunnen valley, all the way to Interlocken and beyond.

Mannlichen was our first real run-in with the way the Swiss do “the great outdoors.” We found an extensive café and a huge playground. Here, my love affair for swiss practicality reached new levels: outstanding views, happily entertained kids, latte macchiato.

Eventually we set out on the easy and mostly downhill Panorama trail (3.5 miles one way) which wound its way across the high-alpine terrain to Kleine Scheidegg. The three best known peaks: the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau, came into full view as we reached the little outpost.

We had lunch at the restaurant that is part of the majestic and historic Hotel Bellvue des Alpes. Built in 1840 as tourists began exploring the region and an extremely popular destination by the turn of the century when the railroads connected Launterbrunnen to Grindelwald, the hotel has remained in a nearly perfectly preserved state since the 1920’s. It reminded me of the historic inns I’ve visited in the US National Parks – like Yellowstone or Yosemite.

A train ride from Kleine Scheidegg back to Wengen brought us back to our apartment early enough for the kids and me to take a dip in Wengen’s public pool. At only $3 francs, this was the best value of our entire trip!

Pool and a view?!?

I loved the changing rooms with their fun and funky Wes Anderson vibes.