Wengen Information

Apres-ski

Although not known as an après-ski mecca, Wengen has half a dozen lively pubs and a wider selection of more peaceful hotel lounge bars.

Cafe Gruebi (tel: +41 588 555 855) serves a good coffee but is also a nice spot for an evening beer, with a terrace for when the sun is shining.

The unique Pickel-Bar (tel: +41 338 560 505) in Hotel Eiger is made almost entirely of wood, while the popular Da Sina pub (tel: +41 338 553 172; www.dasina.ch) has live music.

Hasenstall Dancing (tel: +41 799 606 078) and Blue Monkey (tel: +41 338 451 120) are the main choices for dancing into the early hours.

Eating out

There are around two dozen places to eat in Wengen, the majority of which are traditional Swiss Alpine restaurants housed within the main hotels.

The Hotel Baeren's restaurant (tel: +41 338 551 419; www.baeren-wengen.ch) is ideal for families with young children, housing several play areas to keep the kids occupied.

For gourmet dining, Hotel Schönegg (tel: +41 338 553 422; www.hotel-schoenegg.ch) serves international cuisine and has been awarded 13 points by the Gault Millau gourmet guide. This total is only topped by Hotel Regina (tel: +41 338 565 858; www.hotelregina.ch), which serves up delightful French fare in its Chez Meyer's restaurant as well as lighter snacks at its Jack's Brasserie.

The Allegro restaurant in the Sunstar Hotel (tel: +41 338 565 200; www.wengen.sunstar.ch) has a good reputation for its Chinese fondue and vegetarian cuisine, while the Da Sina Pizzeria (tel: +41 338 553 172) is popular for Italian-style pizza.

Resort Information

Beyond the slopes

Apart from the resort's sports centre, the majority of Wengen's indoor facilities are based in the larger hotels; yet still remain accessible to the paying public.

There is a health and beauty centre in the Hotel Regina (tel: +41 338 565 858; www.hotelregina.ch), while spa facilities are available to the public in the Hotel Victoria Lauberhorn (tel: +41 338 56 2 929; www.hotel-victoria-lauberhorn.ch) and Beausite Park Hotel (tel: +41 3385 65161; www.parkwengen.ch).

Outdoors, there are ice and curling rinks, snowshoeing trails, 100km (62 miles) of tobogganing runs and 100km (62 miles) of cleared winter hiking paths. Visitors can also venture on a guided historical village walk or take the train up to the Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest rail station. Paragliding is another possibility for those looking for a lasting memory of their visit.

Family fun

Wengen is a dream holiday destination for kids of all ages, especially those who love both trains and skiing, and is aided by the wholesome, car-free atmosphere at the resort.

Wengen's youngest guests can sign up for the Playhouse (tel: +41 33 856 8585) non-ski nursery from the age of one-month-old. This is located by the tourist office in the heart of the village, and is open daily.

The Swiss Ski School (tel: +41 338 552 022; www.skiwengen.ch) has classes for children aged three and older who can progress from the nursery slope in the centre of the village to the beginner areas higher up.

Retail therapy

Wengen has about 20 shops covering all basic ski holiday requirements. There are also a few boutiques selling fashion items, jewellery and local artisan products.

For a wider choice, take the train back down to Interlaken where there are plenty of opportunities to buy Swiss products such as watches, cheese, chocolate and wine.

There's a major tourist centre at the Jungfraujoch, which underwent a 12 million Swiss franc upgrade in 2014, including a new Lindt chocolate shop.

Splashing out

The Privat Ski and Snowsports School (tel: +41 338 555 005; www.snowpro.ch) provides private lessons and guiding in all snow sports disciplines. Their personalised teaching is guaranteed to improve the customer's skiing or boarding standard faster than normal group lessons.

Hotels

Most of the accommodation in Wengen is in the form of 3- and 4-star hotels, and the village itself is dominated mostly by sizeable Victorian-era builds. There are plenty of catered chalets and self-catering apartments too, none of which are particularly luxurious.

Luxury

Moderate

Cheap