Wengen

Arguably the quintessential traditional Swiss resort, Wengen is a charming traffic free mountain village reached only by a cog railway built in 1892. With many of the hotels dating back to that period, the resort has a unique calm, unhurried atmosphere. Sitting on a sunny plateau, it has some of the most dramatic views you will find in the Alps. No matter how many times you visit, every time you arrive the view up the Lauterbrunnen valley with its huge waterfalls and hanging valleys will take your breath away.

Restaurants and shops offer classic Swiss fare with excellent mountain huts across the ski area. There is plenty to do for non-skiers with walking, ice skating and 95km of toboggan runs or they can take the train up the mountain to meet the skiers for a long lunch on a sunny terrace.

Wengen can be a lot of fun for a small resort with a sleepy image. The Tanne bar is always busy (owner Ronald has a fine collection of premium gins and whiskys) and is a good starting point for an evening, while most of the hotel bars stay open late and some have live music. This is a very friendly resort and, with many guests and owners returning year after year, it is easy to make friends if you wish. It is good choice for a second home as it is a pleasure to visit in both winter and summer.

The Jungfrau lift pass covers Wengen, Grindelwald and Murren with a total of 213 km of pistes up to 2970m. The reconstruction of the Mannlichen cable car also now makes a convenient and speedy alternative to the train. The region caters mostly for intermediate skiers, who will have plenty of long rolling slopes to choose from.

Eat up the miles and enjoy the scenery as you spend a day travelling right across to Grindelwald. Beginners can take advantage of the fantastic teaching in the resort, while experts have a number of excellent black runs and some great challenges such as the Inferno in Mürren, the world’s longest downhill race.

The spectacular Lauberhorn international ski race takes place every January and the resort is buzzing, with over 30,000 visitors attracted to one of the highest-attended winter sports events in the world. The course remains open during the rest of the season and has a speed gun if you want to check out how you compare to the professionals.

Wengen is a perfect dual season destination with the Lauterbrunnen valley just below and Interlaken and Lake Brienz nearby. This gives you access to a multitude of lake activities as well as Interlaken golf course. Tours to the Jungfraujoch, the so called "Top of Europe", which provide truly spectacular scenery also go year round.

With over 500km of sign-posted hiking trails, plenty of mountain biking and 15 mountain railways and cable cars, the area is easy to explore. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are all famous peaks, with serious mountaineers making the journey to the area yearly to climb them.

For those less interested in feats of endurance, there are many less strenuous activities available. Wengen has an outdoor pool, tennis courts and mini golf on offer. Or, just relax in this most relaxing of resorts.

We always have a good range of resale apartments in Wengen from studios to ski in, ski out penthouses. Excuse the cliché, but we really do have something for everyone, whether you want to be on the main street, or you prefer privacy and scenery away from it all.

We have many clients who, having been visiting Wengen for years and years (and perhaps even learned to ski there as a child) would never even think of buying in any other resort. As Wengen has such a loyal following the property market is quite dynamic, and the turnover of properties can be quite fast.

Whilst foreigners are permitted to buy most apartments, a local rule restricts the sale of detached chalets only to Swiss residents. It is very rare for a chalet to come on the market, and when they do they tend to be snapped up very quickly. Some foreigners have chosen to apply for a residence permit in Wengen so they may buy such a property and use it for several months of the year.

Now with the new Weber laws there will be no more new-builds but we do occasionally have older buildings which have been refurbished. We also have hotels for sale in this resort which are available for foreigners.