Which cable car ride is more fun: Mannlichen or Eiger Express?

Where are you staying?

You could do both is you do the hike from Mannlic to Kleine Scheidegg in between.

I'm in Murren. I will take the cable car up from Wengen to Mannlichen, then hike to KS and then continue hiking to Alpiglen as the Panorama trail is barely a hike. This whole thing will likely take under 4 hours. We will have the rest of the day to do whatever, such as riding trains to Grindelwald and taking cable cars up to Mannlichen and Eiger Station for fun. Maybe we can do round trip from Grindelwald Terminal to Mannlichen, then take Eiger Express to Eiger Station, then walk down to KS and take the train back from there. Will be a good day!

Or from Alpiglen, right the train back up to Kleine Scheidegg and on up from there to Eigergletscher, where you started the Eiger Trail down to Alpiglen. But this time you ride the Eigergletscher Express down to Grindelwald Terminal, right the gondola up from there to Männlichen, and take the cablecar back down to Wengen. Then train down to Lauterbrunnen for your return to Mürren.

This assumes you will have the Berner Oberland Pass, and makes maximum use of the cablecars and gondolas, which I prefer over the trains in the area )often crowded and the views are not as good).

I have the BO pass and will try to take to ride the fun cable cars etc as much as I can, especially when such rides sync up with my hikes. Good to know about cable cars being less crowded and with better views than trains.

If I'm taking a cable car up to a mountain and immediately back down again, can I stay in the cable car if I have the BO pass?

If I'm taking a cable car up to a mountain and immediately back down again, can I stay in the cable car if I have the BO pass?

Yes, unless it is a gondola that makes everyone get out, like the Wengen/Männlichen cable way. We did what you want to do in the Eiger Express.

@Laurel

Good to hear. Was the Eiger Express a good experience or is it mainly for people wanting quick access to Jungfraujoch?

The order of the cable cars does matter because you don’t want to hike KS to Mannlichen, it’s much better the other way for the views. I’d personally do
Murren > Lauterbrunnen > Wengen > Mannlichen > detour Royal Walk > hike to KS > hike or train to Eigergletscher > Eiger Express round trip back to KS > hike to Fallbodensee > Hike to Wengernalp > Train or hike back to Wengen for dinner > Return to Murren

The Eiger Express is a cool ride. They are huge continuously running cable cars and if it’s not super busy sometimes you can get one to yourselves and walk around it for the ride getting 360 degree views. I personally don’t think the hikes along the Eiger Trail (Alpiglen) are as good as others because you are so close to the mountain side that your views are too close to actually be as epic. The hike from KS to Wengernalp is beautiful and then you can train back to Wengen or if you still haven’t had enough hiking you can just hike all the way back to Wengen.

It sounds like you must have good hiking ability, so if you need any assistance with hikes from Murren, let me know. We spend our summers living there and have hiked pretty much everything from Murren that there is.

Wanderweg’s description of the Eiger Express ride is excellent! We enjoyed a car all to ourselves on the return/down portion one morning and ran around taking pictures without bothering anyone.

It's good to hear about the Eiger Express. While the hike from KS > Wengernalp has beautiful views, it's on a dirt road that runs along side a train track and mostly down hill. I generally avoid hiking this type of trail if possible.

On the Mannlichen cable car you can pay an additional CHF fee to ride atop of it- called the Royal Ride. Might be fun!

Is the Royal Ride available from both sides or only Wengen-Mannlichen?

Is the Royal Ride available from both sides or only Wengen-Mannlichen?

Only between Wengen and Mannlichen (up and down), not Mannlichen and Grindelwald.

https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/experiences/royal-ride.html

While the hike from KS > Wengernalp has beautiful views, it's on a dirt road that runs along side a train track and mostly down hill

Many hikes I've done in Switzerland include sections on similar roads—single lane, wide enough for a farm vehicle to access fields and cows, but used infrequently. The footing is typically loose gravel.

I’m not sure which hiking app you use, but one of my apps (available only in German) provides details about the trail surfaces, the percentage of each type, and where you will encounter them.

If you’re hiking from Schynige Platte to First, you’ll encounter this type of footing from Bachalpsee to First. Similarly, sections of the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike have the same surface.

It doesn't feel like you’re on a ‘road,’ and it’s rare to encounter a vehicle. This particular section near Wengernalp is very short, sometimes level with the train tracks and sometimes below. Trains are infrequent and travel slowly, making for a fun photo opportunity rather than a nuisance.

When going up to Männlichen, if you like karaoke, you can choose the Ricola Karaoke Gondola on the Grindelwald side.

https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/experiences/ricola-karaoke-gondola.html

For a unique experience, consider traveling further with the BO pass to check out the Gelmerbahn.

https://www.grimselwelt.ch/en/railways/gelmerbahn/

Heights don’t seem to be an issue for you, so you can also hike around the lake when you're up there.

https://www.grimselwelt.ch/en/experiences/hikes-around-lake-gelmer/

@SwissNomad

I really appreciate your taking the time to provide more detailed information. and LOL at the karaoke cable car. I can't belive that's a thing. I'm not a fan but I'm glad this is an option for people that are. Gelmerbahn ride is quite interesting. This is like a mountain coaster? I'm down for that.