Map of Grindelwald from above, Männlichen marked with a wine glass

Adventure · Grindelwald

Männlichen: A Gondola Bar, Then the Walk to the Crown

A Swiss white on a moving gondola, booked 48 hours ahead

Männlichen is the 2343 m mountain top above Grindelwald and Wengen. The first gondola up from Grindelwald, opened in 1978, was considered the world's longest; today's ride takes 19 minutes, and booked 48 hours ahead a cabin comes with a bar: a Swiss white or Champagne by the half or full bottle. At the top, the Royal Walk climbs 120 m to a crown-shaped platform on the summit, facing Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and from 12 December it is a prepared winter trail.

Visiting Männlichen

When to go

Männlichen has two seasons. In 2026 the Grindelwald gondola runs from 23 May to 25 October, and the winter season runs from 12 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. From December to March the Royal Walk is a prepared winter trail of 1.0 km, about 20 minutes, and the Berghaus is open. Between 26 October and 11 December no lift runs. In winter the last ride down leaves at 16.30 until 29 January, then 17.00.

Practical details

Fares from Grindelwald Terminal: CHF 34 one way or CHF 68 return in summer 2026, CHF 36 or CHF 72 in winter 2026/27, half price with a GA, Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass. From Wengen: CHF 31 or CHF 62 in summer. The VIP-Bordbar costs CHF 8 per person for nuts, crisps and water, plus the bottle (Swiss white wine from CHF 15, Champagne from CHF 25) and the ticket. Send the request at least 48 hours ahead. Lift information: +41 33 828 71 12.

Getting there

From Grindelwald Terminal, the Berner Oberland Bahn stop, 10-person gondolas reach Männlichen in 19 minutes. From Wengen, two 75-person cabins climb 947 m in under five minutes from the valley station at Wengiboden, a short walk from Wengen railway station. Both arrive beside the Berghaus Männlichen. Paid parking is at Grindelwald Terminal and Lauterbrunnen.

About Männlichen

What to do there

3 things to do

The VIP-Bordbar, on the ride up from Grindelwald Terminal.

The first Grindelwald–Männlichen gondola, opened in 1978, was considered the world's longest; today's line takes 19 minutes.
Where: Grindelwald Terminal.
What: the VIP-Bordbar, CHF 8 a head for nuts, crisps and mineral water, plus a Swiss white (CHF 15 a half bottle, CHF 25 a bottle) or Champagne (CHF 25 or CHF 50); orange juice CHF 5.
How: send the request at least 48 hours ahead with the number in the cabin, date, time and route. The ticket is extra: CHF 36 one way in winter, CHF 34 in summer.

Log Memory
From the top station, beside the Berghaus Männlichen.

The crown-shaped platform opened in June 2015, when Urs Kaderli, president of the Luftseilbahn Wengen–Männlichen, invited everyone up: «Kommt und teilt die Krone mit mir!» (come and share the crown with me).
Where: the top station, beside the Berghaus Männlichen.
What: 1 km and 120 m of climbing to the summit, with information along the way; about 25 minutes up, 15 down.
How: free, on foot; the path is not barrier-free.
Backup: in summer, a barrier-free viewing platform stands beside the Berghaus.

Log Memory
The photo memory of this stop.

Each section of the crown is labelled with the mountains in view, so the summit reads like a map.
Where: the crown on the Männlichen summit, 2343 m.
What: find Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on the labels, then take one photo of yourself inside the crown with the three peaks behind you: the memory of this stop.
How: free.

Log Memory

Insider tips

The VIP-Bordbar is also sold as a gift voucher.
For a loop, ride down to Wengen instead: two 75-person cabins cover 947 m in under five minutes.
In winter, a 1.0 km sledge run leads from the summit back to the top station in about 10 minutes; sledges for hire on the Männlichen.
Stop 7's fondue cabins in the village are old Männlichen gondola cabins that no longer move.

Sources

maennlichen.ch berghaus-maennlichen.ch nominatim.openstreetmap.org en.wikipedia.org switzerlanding.com belvedere-grindelwald.ch jungfrau.ch plattformj.ch · checked October 2026

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