Berner Oberland itinerary help for family

We were in Wengen last summer with our daughter and her family, grandkids 6 and 9. We did the Trummelbach Falls after which we took the public bus down the valley to Stechelberg and took the aerial tram up to Murren for lunch and then the train and another aerial tram back to Lauterbrunnen and train up to Wengen. Went up to the Jungfraujoch (walking inside glacier and the tube rides out on the glacier were hits), Mannlichen playground was visited several times and we walked the cow trail down (cute activities along the trail….cow bells to ring, small kid size zip line, alp horn to blow) from Mannlichen to a lift then down into Grindelwald where we took a very small aerial tram up to the Pfingstegg mountain pasture Park (this was very crowded) that had zip lines and a toboggan run. Another day we took the lift up to Mannlichen and walked the trail down to Kleine Scheidegg and took the train back to Wengen (we did this late in the day and had the trail and views all to ourselves, it was incredible! But you need to be aware of the train schedule, we just made the last train back to Wengen at 6 pm). Also there are marble runs in Wengen, the Visitors Information office sells the wooden balls and there’s a public pool in Wengen (it was very warm when we were there and this was great for the kids). Just an fyi, make sure you have the correct passes for the trains in the area as we watched people get ticketed for not having them.

Thanks very much for this! I appreciate your reply!

With kids, some things on your list should be skipped in favor of other things that are just better. I wouldn’t waste time on Interlaken/Funky Chocolate Club, Harder Kulm, St. Beatus Caves, Grindelwald First or Jungfraujoch, there are much better options for your short time.

Try something like this….

Day 3 - Leave Luzern early in the AM so that you have a full afternoon to do this > Wengen (store luggage at your hotel) > Mannlichen (alpine playground) > easy and lovely walk to Kleine Scheidegg (nice spot for a sweet treat) > train back to Wengen (explore village)
https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/experiences/panorama-trail.html

Day 4 - Wengen > Lauterbrunnen > Grutschalp > Murren (walk through village) > Schilthorn (epic views, better than Jungfraujoch) > Birg Thrill Walk (fun!) > Murren > Allmendhubel funicular (great alpine playground + lunch) > Murren > easy and lovely walk down to Gimmelwald (explore farms/self serve farm fridges + maybe wood fired pizza at the hostel) > Stechelberg > optional walk back to Lauterbrunnen or just bus (you’ll see waterfalls along the way either way) > Wengen
https://swissfamilyfun.com/allmendhubel-flower-park-playground/
https://schilthorn.ch/23/en/Thrill_Walk
https://yogictravel.in/2023/01/13/the-pleasant-alpine-town-of-murren-a-afternoon-walk-to-gimmelwald-swiss-sojourn-part-6/

Day 5 - Wengen > Männlichen (more alpine playground time if you want, it's amazing up there) > Lieselotte Kid's Trail down to Grindelwald (great for the ages of your kids) > Pfingstegg (mountain coaster “bobsled”) > Grindelwald > Depending on timing, return to Wengen via Kleine Scheidegg or Zweilutchinen
https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/experiences/lieselotte-trail.html
https://www.pfingstegg.ch/en/discover/toboggan

Anytime you have some extra time in Wengen there is a nice outdoor community swimming pool, kid’s adventure mini golf, Wengen playground and relaxing amidst the village and views.

Thank you so much! This is so incredibly helpful. I read that Jungfraujoch had a glacier component and things kids would like? No good? The priority is having a mountain top fun and the joy of getting there on the unique modes of transport. Maybe we will have that with Mount Pilatus nearer Lucerne (again, kids want to do). I do like the idea of enjoying the little towns in this way you have suggested! I will edit my itinerary ideas now and am SO GRATEFUL for your expertise. Thank you again.

Jungfraujoch has an underground ice area that can be fun for kids, I guess (except you live in Ohio, so I imagine the kids have seen ice, ha!) , but other than that, I'd say it misses for kids --- it's EXTREMELY crowded, the train ride is a long one in the dark (nothing to see or do except sit in a crowded dark train) and it's expensive. It's not that it's bad, it's just that there are better options. To give you some further perspective, I can go up there for free as much as I want and I avoid it if I can help it :)

The Schilthorn gives you a cable car ride that is 360 degree windows to look out and the thrill walk is very unique and fun + you can combine it with the other things I mentioned. All in all, a better experience for everyone involved :) If you had a full week in the area, I'd say go for Jungfraujoch & Grindelwald First, but those two things are the most crowded options in the area because they get the most marketing hype (along with Harder Kulm), not because they are the best.

My husband & I spend our summers living in the area, so we've tried everything there is to try, as well as taken family members with kids on a lot of these activities to see what was a hit and what was a miss. My suggestions for you are based on experiencing all these things many, many times :)