Walking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg on the Panorama Trail

This hike is suitable for all ages and ability levels. It’s perfect for families, travelers with limited time who want to do a short, memorable hike, and those who want jaw-dropping views with minimal effort.

If you only have the time or the desire to do one short, quick hike in the Jungfrau region, this is a good one to consider.

Panorama Trail Hiking Stats

Distance: 4.9 km (3 miles) point-to-point
Elevation Loss: 200 meters, 650 feet (Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg)
Difficulty: Easy
Length of Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
When to Go: The trail is generally open from mid-June through October, depending on weather conditions and snowfall. Get updates on the trail status here.

This trail is called the Panorama Trail. On trail signs, you might see it written as Panoramaweg.

Elevation profile starting in Männlichen and ending at Kleine Scheidegg.

This hike can be done in either direction. The recommended way to do this is to go from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. This makes it an overall downhill walk and the views of the mountain peaks are always in front of you.

If you go from Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen, it’s an uphill walk and the entire time you are walking away from Mönch, Eiger and Jungfrau. To see the mountain peaks, you will have to keep turning around. It’s still a very nice walk and for some people, this may be the best way to do it, depending on your other plans for the day.

Map of the Jungfrau region. The trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is blue. The Royal Way is green.

How to Get to Männlichen

You can get to Männlichen from Grindelwald or Wengen.

From Grindelwald

There is a cableway that connects Grindelwald and Mannlichen. These 10 passenger gondolas take 19 minutes to travel between Grindelwald and Männlichen. In the summer, the cableway operates from May 25 to October 20 from roughly 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (cable car times vary slightly month to month). 

From Wengen

To get from Wengen to Männlichen, ride the Wengen – Männlichen Aerial Cableway.

In the summer, the cableway operates from May 27 through October 22 (2023), departing every 20 minutes, from roughly 8:30 am to 5:10 pm (cable car times vary slightly month to month). Get the full schedule here.

From More Places in the Jungfrau Region

If you are starting in another location in the Jungfrau region, you will travel through Wengen or Grindelwald. Here are the routes from other places in the Jungfrau region:

From Lauterbrunnen: Train to Wengen, cableway to Männlichen OR train to Grindelwald, cableway to Männlichen
From Mürren: Train to Grutschalp, cable car to Lauterbrunnen, train to Wengen, cableway to Männlichen OR train to Grutschalp, cable car to Lauterbrunnen, train to Grindelwald, cableway to Männlichen
From Gimmelwald:  Ride the Schilthornbahn to Stechelberg, take the bus to Lauterbrunnen, ride the train to Wengen and then the cableway to Männlichen.
From Interlaken: Train to Grindelwald, cableway to Männlichen OR train to Lauterbrunnen, train to Wengen, cableway to Männlichen

Overlooking Wengen and the cable way from Männlichen.

Walking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg

Männlichen

In Männlichen, there are restaurants, a playground, and this crazy cow slide that kids will love.

Consider making the 2 km round trip hike up the “Royal Way” to the peak of Männlichen. From the peak, the views over Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Jungfrau region are stunning.

This adds on an additional 30 to 45 minutes to your day. It’s an uphill walk to get to the peak, but then on the way back to Männlichen, you get to enjoy a downhill, easy stroll with views of Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau.

We did not do Royal Way walk. We arrived in Männlichen from Kleine Scheidegg right at 5 pm, just catching the last cable car of the day (yes, we did this walk in the opposite direction). Unfortunately, we did not have time to add on this extra walk, but it looks well worth the time and effort.

The view from the Männlichen cableway station. You can see Wengen and the Lauterbrunnen Valley below.

Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg

From Männlichen, follow the wide gravel trail downhill towards Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. The trail is well-marked and very easy to follow.

Here is the walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg in photos. The closer you get to Kleine Scheidegg, the better the views.

Just before arriving in Kleine Scheidegg, you will walk past Restaurant Grindelwaldblick. Even if you are not hungry, it’s worth the quick detour. There is a viewing platform that you can climb up that offers some of the best views of the day (it is where I took the cover photo for this post). And if you do want to stop and take a break, grab a table with a view. Having lunch or a snack here will beat any view that you will get in Kleine Scheidegg (plus, it will most likely be less crowded).

Looking up at Grindelwaldblick from the hiking trail.

Once in Kleine Scheidegg, take the train to your next destination. Trains from Kleine Scheidegg go to Grindelwald and Wengen.

Kleine Scheidegg

Ideas for What to Do Next

Jungfraujoch. If the weather is clear and you don’t see many clouds lingering around the peak of Jungfrau, consider riding the train up to Jungfraujoch and spending the rest of your day here. You need roughly four hours to fully see and do all that there is in Jungfraujoch, so make sure you have enough time left in the day. Also, clouds tend to move in during the afternoon, so check the forecast before you go.

Hike the Eiger Trail. The Eiger Trail is another stunning, downhill walk and one of our favorites in this region. It’s a 7.25 km (4.5 mile) point-to-point hike from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen and it takes 2 to 3 hours. From Kleine Scheidegg, ride the train (or hike 2 km uphill) to Eigergletscher to start this hike. Read all about hiking the Eiger Trail here.

Learn how to combine Jungfraujoch, the Eiger Trail, and the Panorama Trail into one epic day in our One Day in the Jungfrau Region Itinerary.

Hiking from Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen

For some people, it will make more sense to do this walk in the opposite direction. For example, if you visited Jungfraujoch in the morning and want to do this hike in the afternoon. From Jungfraujoch, ride the train to Kleine Scheidegg, hike to Männlichen, ride the cable car to Wengen, and then take the train to your next destination.

To walk from Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen, it is a gradual, uphill walk. It’s not overly strenuous, but it could be difficult for very young kids. Plus, since you are walking away from the mountain peaks, you don’t get the same, spectacular views right in front of you, like you would if you did this walk from Männlichen.

What We Did

This was our final hike at the end of one epic day in the Swiss Alps. We had clear skies so we wanted to squeeze as much out of this day as possible.

Our day started bright and early with a visit to Jungrafraujoch. We spent the morning here, touring Jungfraujoch and hiking out to Mönchsjochhutte. From Jungfraujoch, we rode the train to Eigergletscher and hiked the Eiger Trail. Once back in Kleine Scheidegg, we hiked to Männlichen, just barely getting on the final cable car to Wengen. We had 45 minutes to hike a trail that takes an hour and a half, but we made it. Unfortunately, we did not have time to do the Royal Walk. Bummer, guess we will have to come back again someday. 🙂

Tips to Have the Best Experience

The walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is best done on a clear day, so that you get those amazing views of Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau. Check the weather here.

Before you go, you can also check conditions on the webcams in Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg.

Wear a sturdy pair of walking shoes. Hiking shoes are not necessary for this trail.

If you have any questions about walking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, let us know in the comment section below.

More Places to Go in Switzerland

JUNGFRAU REGION: What exactly is the Jungfrau region? Find out in our Guide to the Jungfrau Region, which includes maps and important travel planning information. We also have articles about the best things to do in the Jungfrau region as well as the top hikes in the Jungfrau region. The Eiger Trail and Schynige Platt to First are our favorite hikes. Our favorite day in the area was combining Jungfraujoch, the Panorama Trail, and the Eiger Trail.

JUNGFRAUJOCH OR SCHILTHORN: Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn are two high alpine excursions in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. If you only have the time for one, which is better, Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn?

LUCERNE: Learn how to spend one perfect day in Lucerne with a trip to Mt. Pilatus.

ZERMATT: In Zermatt, don’t miss the hike from Gornergrat to Riffelberg. For more alpine views, learn how to visit Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (and find out if it is worth it) and how spend one day on Sunnegga, Blauherd, and Rothorn. For more ideas on what to do, read our article Best Things to Do in Zermatt.

SWITZERLAND ITINERARY: If your visit to the Jungfrau region is part of a bigger trip to Switzerland, check out our Switzerland Itinerary, which has suggestions on what to do if you have 7 days, 14 days, or even longer.