The Jungfrau region is one of Switzerland’s top tourist hotspots. Interlaken is well connected to the national and international rail network and also serves at the gateway to some of the Bernese Oberland’s most beautiful spots.

Getting to Wengen

Today I’m headed to Wengen. I first need to get to Interlaken from Basel. Of course, the easiest thing would be to catch a direct train that runs from Basel via Berne and Thun to Interlaken. But I ask you, really, where’s the fun in that, hm? No, for the first leg I catch a train from Basel to Lucerne. The journey by train takes 75 minutes. In Lucerne I have thirty minutes to make my connection, which gives me just enough time to head down to the water to catch one of the old steam boats approaching the pier in front of the railway station.

For the second leg, I catch a Brünig Pass Express train of the narrow gauge Zentralbahn, which runs from Lucerne over the Brünig Pass to Interlaken. And then for the third leg, I catch a train of yet another railway that takes me onwards to Lauterbrunnen. For the last leg, I catch another train of the mountain railway line that runs all the way up to Kleine Scheidegg, from where there are connections up to the Jungfraujoch. Wengen sits perched on the side of the mountain, roughly halfway between Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg. Door to door, the journey takes me four hours, which is, in my opinion, completely worth it, as it takes you through some of the most breathtaking scenery Switzerland has to offer.

Location

The Braunbär Hotel sits on the main street of Wengen. Access by car to the village is restricted, so it’s fairly quiet. It’s about five minutes on foot from the station to the hotel. In the worst case, you can always request a pick-up from the hotel.

Check-In

The reception area looks a bit like an old book shop. There are shelves along the walls that are packed full of books in Switzerland’s four national languages and in English. In one corner there’s also a Nespresso machine that hotel guests can help themselves to throughout the day. The check-in formalities are quickly dealt with. The standard practice at this hotel seems to be that guests make a deposit at the time of booking that is fifty per cent of the applicable rate, and then pay the rest when they arrive.

The Staff & Service

What strikes me here in Wengen is that you hardly hear anyone speak Swiss-German, it’s mostly foreign tourists. Perhaps that helps to explain why none of the staff at the hotel are actually Swiss or even understand German. Clearly, English is the common language that is used up here. Other than that, interaction with the staff is limited. They’re a bit nondescript, but the service is generally not bad.

Double Room with Balcony

My room is on the second floor and overlooks the main street. The beauty of the hotel’s location is that you have an unobstructed view of the mountains on either side of the building. The room is mid-sized and modestly furnished. It looks as though it was renovated or refurbished only recently and is well maintained. The bed is comfortable.

The bathroom is small and compact. It features an old-fashioned bath tub with integrated shower. It’s very retro, which is a polite way of saying that the shower scores rather low on the Knight of Malta test: spillage is substantial.

Amenities

For a mid-range hotel the room has some good amenities. There are bathrobes and slippers, and there’s also a water kettle and a Nespresso machine. Small tubs of cream are also provided.

The room’s best feature, of course, is the balcony and the view, as the following three pictures show nicely.

Dining at Goldilocks

The hotel has one restaurant and a bar. In keeping with the general theme of brown bears, it is hardly surprising that the restaurant’s name is Goldlöckchen, which is the German name for Goldilocks.

The food at the restaurant is not bad at all. It’s hearty rather than sophisticated cuisine, but that it does very well. One thing to watch out for, though, is that the portions are enormous! My colleague the tall, blond M. would love this place. I order the mixed salad starter, followed by the Spätzli with Bündnerfleisch in a creamy sauce and a side of roasted veggies. For dessert I have the panna cotta, which is very nice and also rather substantial.

Going up the Männlichen

Just facing the hotel is the station for the cable car that goes up to the Männlichen, the summit of which sits at 2’600 metres, roughly the same altitude as Bogotà. For a small extra fee you can ride open air on the roof of the cable car, which is pretty cool. From the top you have a magnificent view of the famed Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks.

Conclusion – The Braunbär Wengen

Wengen is a lovely place. Admittedly, it is quite touristy but the crowds tend to disperse along the many hiking trails in the region. I suspect that Wengen often gets ignored in favour of the much better known Kleine Scheidegg, from where you can go up the Jungfrau. The Braunbär is a nice hotel. The accommodations are basic, but they’re well maintained and clean. And the scenery is, quite simply, breathtaking!