Few ski resorts are short on good views. But none that I know of can compete with the extraordinary panoramas at Wengen in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. If your room has a view, then you will wake up looking down towards the Lauterbrunnen rift, its sheer walls plunging nearly 1,000m to the narrow valley below. Arriving in daylight, by the little funicular train that crawls up the mountainside (there are no roads to the resort), you will have had glimpses of the views, but the impact on pulling back the curtains is still heart-stopping.  Wengen offers extraordinary panoramas, looking down towards the Lauterbrunnen rift.  Even this cannot compare with the prospects from the top of the ski area – the Kleine Scheidegg. From here, you come face to face with the towering north wall of the Eiger – 2,000 vertical metres of sheer rock. The Eiger, however, isn’t even the loftiest mountain in this range. The jagged ridge rises higher to the west to form first the Mönch, then the Jungfrau, their blackened faces pocked and scarred by deep blue and white glaciers.  This remarkable scenery has attracted tourists since the 19th century, when the funicular railway was built – first up the Kleine Scheidegg to the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes, then, in an extraordinary feat of engineering, through the face of the Eiger and on up to a viewpoint on the saddle of the Jungfrau. Every day hundreds of tourists make the trip up to the observation platform. I came for the skiing, however. It is mostly pretty friendly stuff, rising up to 2,300m, with very few black runs, and lots of varied blue and red pistes.  Bern is the nearest airport, with flights from London Southend operated by Sky Work (0871 977 6088; flyskywork.com). Otherwise fly to Zurich, with UK connections offered by British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com), easyJet (0843 104 5000; easyJet.com) and Swiss (0845 601 0956; swiss.com). From Zurich, transfer by rail and change at Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen. A Swiss rail pass costs £104 from myswitzerland.com.  The Beausite Park occupies a peaceful location at the top of the town.  The Beausite Park (1 on the map) occupies a peaceful location at the top of the town and is within easy walking distance of the cable car. It’s also the pick of the top-end hotels (0041 33 856 51 61; parkwengen.ch). Doubles from 447 SFr/£305, half-board, based on a three-night stay including three-day lift passes.  Check availability: The Beausite Park, Wengen  The Baeren (2), just south of the railway station, is a smart, colourful three-star hotel and has a good deal this winter (0041 33 855 14 19; baeren-wengen.ch). Doubles from 380 SFr/£260 half-board, based on a three-night stay including three-day lift passes.  The Baeren is a smart, colourful three-star hotel.  Check availability: The Baeren, Wengen  Hotel Bellevue (3) is a traditional three-star hotel 10 minutes’ walk from the village centre with compact, well-kept rooms and great views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley (0041 33 856 66 55; bellevue-wengen.ch). Doubles from 214 SFr/£146, including breakfast.  Check availability: Hotel Bellevue , Wengen  If you arrive early enough, sort ski hire at Intersport Central (4), by the cable car station (0041 33 855 23 23; centralsport.ch; closes 6.30pm). Two-day ski and boot rental from 72 SFr/£50. If you arrive later than that, explore the compact car-free village on foot, or stop at the Tanne bar (5), just a yard or two up the road – it’s probably the friendliest in town.  Take the Männlichenbahn cable car up to the main Wengen ski area. The best skiing early in the day is on the Holenstein/Alpiglen side of the mountain at the base of the magnificent Eiger. There are six chairlifts, a T‑bar and, if you ski right down to the Grund, a bubble lift back up.  Have lunch at the Eiger-gletscher station restaurant (6) (0041 33 828 78 88). From the top of the Eigernordwand lift, ski down a little way and walk about 50m up the railway track. With a terrace overlooking the Jungfrau, this is probably the best station café in Europe, with excellent rostis from 20.50 SFr/£14.  Ski the Wengernalp – the sunny side of the Kleine Scheidegg area. There are some great red runs down to the Wixi lift (7).  For après-ski refreshment, the Start Bar is a popular gathering point.  To return to Wengen either take the easy red, then blue from the top of the Wixi chair, or the black which starts from the same point. This piste is used for the famous Lauberhorn downhill race every January. It’s fun, even if you begin at the starting hut and just do the (easy) top section. For après-ski refreshment, the Start Bar (8), just above the Lauberhorn piste is a popular gathering point; otherwise the Allmend café (9), about 1km short of the village, has a sunny terrace (0041 33 855 45 45; allmend-wengen.ch); or continue on down to the outdoor bar at the Hotel Brunner (10) on the village outskirts (0041 33 855 24 94; brunner-hotel.com).  Most hotels offer half board, so you may well be eating in the evenings. But if you are eating out, the restaurant in the Schönegg Hotel (11) on Dorfstrasse (0041 33 855 34 22; hotel-schoenegg.ch) is the best in town, with a four-course tasting menu at SFr82/£56.  The Blue Monkey music bar by the cinema (electronic music from Underground to ClubHouse) and the Hasenstall (rabbit hutch) in the Hotel Silberhorn (12) (0041 33 856 51 31; silberhorn.ch) by the station are lively. If you like it quieter, the cosy Bar Anonym in the same hotel has an open fire.þExpert tipþIf you are a non-skier, or can spare a day off the pistes, take the Jungfraubahn to Jungfraujoch — without doubt the most spectacular railway station anywhere: return from Wengen 32 SFr/£22.  The Hasenstall (rabbit hutch) in the Hotel Silberhorn is a lively bar.  Make an early start and head for the First ski area above Grindelwald for another perspective on the Eiger and views of the Schreckhorn (4,078m) and the Wetterhorn.  From the top of Männlichen cable car (13) ski down the red run via Holenstein to the bottom of the Grund cable car, or take the train up to Kleine Scheidigg (25 minutes) and then ski down the long blue and red from Brandegg to the same point. From here there’s a shuttle bus to the First bubble lift in Grindelwald (14).  Ride the Männlichen cable car and enjoy amazing views of the Lauterbrunnen valley.  Take the lift to the First ski area. There are enough blue and red pistes here for a long morning’s skiing. The best are accessed from the high Oberjoch and Schilt lifts, with a decent 1,400m vertical descent if you want to ski all the way back to Grindelwald.  Stop for lunch at First restaurant (15), part of the top station of the cable car (0041 33 828 77 88). There’s plenty of traditional mountain fare on offer: soup of the day is 9 SFr/£6.20; a rosti with fried egg costs 14.50 SFr/£10.  Head back to Grindelwald for the bus, then rail connection to Kleine Scheidigg (16) for a few last runs before you return to base.  Wengen is a car-free resort so travel there by train or bus transfer.  1. Tourist office: wengen.ch; Jungfrau railways (jungfrau.ch). Swiss tourist board (myswitzerland.com).2. A two-day Grindelwald-Wengen ski pass costs 115 SFr/£79.3. Look out for deals and offers: for example, jungfrau.ch offers half-price rail travel with a lift pass (minimum three days).  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A guide to short ski breaks in Wengen, a village in central Switzerland, including the best bars, restaurants, hotels and things to do