The Männlichen is the one viewpoint in the region served by two cableways from two different valleys: a gondola from Grindelwald Terminal and an aerial cableway from Wengen. Both end on the same ridge, but not at the same station: the Swiss timetable lists «Männlichen (Gondelbahn)» and «Männlichen (Luftseilb. Wengen)» as two separate stops, about 240 metres apart. They do not cost the same — and because each side of the ridge advertises its own line, nobody puts the two fares next to each other.
Quick Facts
- Elevation
- 2,218 m (summit 2,342 m)
- Getting There
- 54 min from Interlaken Ost to the top station, change at Grindelwald Terminal onto the gondola
- Duration
- Half day
- Price
- CHF 68.00
- Season
- Winter and summer
- Best for
- Views, easy ridge walks, families
Checked with the operator
Two cableways, two fares
Both routes are advertised on the same operator's website, and six francs still separate them. Adults, return, summer 2026 tariff:
- CHF 68.00 from Grindelwald Terminal by gondola — checked on 19 August 2026.
- CHF 62.00 from Wengen by aerial cableway.
- CHF 74.60 for the Panorama Trail round trip: up from Grindelwald Terminal, on foot to Kleine Scheidegg, train down to Grindelwald Grund.
- CHF 5.00 for children aged 6 to 15 on the Grindelwald side — not valid for groups, per the fare sheet.
The Half Fare travelcard, the GA and the Swiss Travel Pass reduce the fare by 50 per cent rather than covering it. The Unlimited Jungfrau Summer Pass, the Jungfrau Travel Pass and the Berner Oberland Pass travel free; visitors cards give 30 per cent. The Grindelwald amounts do not appear on the fare page itself, only in the tariff sheet it links to — the sheet is what was read.
Getting there: 54 minutes to the top station, one change
From Interlaken Ost the train runs to Grindelwald Terminal in 29 minutes, where the gondola starts — it takes 20 minutes up. 54 minutes in all to the top station, one change; the 08:04 from Interlaken Ost is up at 08:58. Measured on the Swiss timetable for Wednesday 19 August 2026, as the daily minimum across 25 departure times between 07:04 and 20:34. The journey via Lauterbrunnen and Wengen takes longer but is the cheaper ride up, so anyone staying on that side goes up from there.
What is up there
Two easy walks start up on the ridge, and they are the reason to come up at all.
- Royal Walk to the summit: 1.5 km, 40 minutes there and back, 116 m of ascent. At 2,342 m the view opens into both valleys at once — the Lauterbrunnen valley on one side, Grindelwald and the Eiger north face on the other.
- Panorama Trail to Kleine Scheidegg: 4.6 km, an hour and a half, ten metres of ascent in total. The least strenuous walk in the region to a view of this kind.
Both routes with checked figures and travel time
The seven weeks when nothing runs
The Männlichen is open in winter, which sets it apart from most viewpoints in the region. The gap falls in late autumn. The summer timetable ends on 25 October 2026; the winter season runs from 12 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. In between neither cableway runs: from 26 October to 11 December 2026 the mountain is reachable neither from Grindelwald nor from Wengen.
So if you want a viewpoint in November, plan differently. Both valley villages stay normally reachable during those weeks — just not the mountain above them.
Sources
Fares and operating times from maennlichen.ch — the fares from Grindelwald from the tariff sheet «Fahrpreise Grindelwald – Männlichen, Sommer 2026» (PDF), the fares from Wengen from the page «Preise ab Wengen», operating times from the same operator's summer timetable, all retrieved on 19 August 2026. Travel time via transport.opendata.ch, which also lists the two top stations «Männlichen (Gondelbahn)» and «Männlichen (Luftseilb. Wengen)» as separate stops, retrieved on 21 August 2026; the 240 metres between them are computed from their timetable coordinates. Coordinate and summit elevation from the swisstopo gazetteer and elevation model.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to go up the Männlichen?
That depends on which valley you start from, and the difference is the point of this page. From Grindelwald Terminal the gondola costs CHF 68.00 return for adults, checked with the operator on 19 August 2026. From Wengen the aerial cableway costs CHF 62.00 return — six francs less. The Half Fare travelcard, the GA and the Swiss Travel Pass pay half; children aged 6 to 15 pay a flat CHF 5.00 on the Grindelwald side.
Which side should I go up from?
From Interlaken Ost the way up via Grindelwald is the shorter one: 54 minutes to the top station, one change — 29 minutes by train to Grindelwald Terminal, 20 minutes up by gondola — against the longer journey via Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. It is also the dearer ride up. If you are staying in Wengen anyway, you pay less. And if you plan to walk the Panorama Trail to Kleine Scheidegg, the round trip at CHF 74.60 covers the ride up, the walk and the train down to Grindelwald Grund.
When is the Männlichen closed?
From 26 October to 11 December 2026 — seven weeks in which neither cableway runs. The summer timetable ends on 25 October 2026 and the operator gives the winter season as 12 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. Unlike many destinations in the region the mountain is open in winter; the gap falls in late autumn.
What is there to do at the top?
Two easy walks, both starting up on the ridge. The Royal Walk reaches the summit at 2,342 m in 40 minutes there and back, climbing 116 m, with a view into both valleys at once. The Panorama Trail to Kleine Scheidegg takes an hour and a half, climbs ten metres in total and keeps the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau straight ahead the whole way. There is also a mountain inn at 2,225 m.
Is the Männlichen included in the Swiss Travel Pass?
No. The Swiss Travel Pass, the GA and the Half Fare travelcard all reduce the fare by 50 per cent, but none of them travels free. According to the fare sheet the Unlimited Jungfrau Summer Pass, the Jungfrau Travel Pass and the Berner Oberland Pass do travel free. Visitors cards give 30 per cent and cannot be combined with other reductions.
Related Articles
