Jungfraujoch

Jungfraujoch – the highlight of the Swiss Alps

The pioneering railway through the mountains

The Jungfrau Railway train on its way to the Jungfraujoch

This famous excursion is a “must see” on your tour through Switzerland!

You can start from Interlaken, but also from Lauterbrunnen, Wengen or Grindelwald, depending your hotels’ location. Three different railways are combined to bring you up via the Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe. Because of its geography, one can make a kind of round tour, meaning, one way up, for example, via Lauterbrunnen and Wengen and the other way down via Grindelwald.

At the Kleine Scheidegg the final stretch starts towards the Jungfraujoch. After 2 km, the train enters a 7 km long tunnel that goes through the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau, all the way up to the station at an altitude of 3,454 m. At the stop at the station Eismeer, at 3,160 m, there is a possibility to briefly gaze to the glaciers on the south side of the Eiger. Eismeer means sea of ice, and the massive ice streams once reached all the way over Switzerland during the ice ages.

The newly opened Eiger Express gondola offers a new possibility to travel from Grindelwald to the entrance of the Jungfraujoch tunnel. During this trip, fantastic views of the famous Eiger north face are guaranteed when weather allows.

At the Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe station you will experience the altitude because the air is “thinner” here. Various sights can be explored…

The Eiger Express (opened in 2020) underneath the impressive Eiger north face

Highlight

Sphinx Observatory
A super-fast lift takes you to the observatory, an international research station. It climbs 108 metres in 25 seconds. Here you will have the best panoramic view. You will see the Aletsch glacier, the largest and longest of the Alps, 22 km in length. On the north side the sheer cliffs descend towards Kleine Scheidegg and beyond to Interlaken and further towards the Vosges- and the Black Forest mountains!

Alpine Sensation
A shudder runs down the spine of whoever enters the 250 metre long corridor between the Sphinx hall and Ice Palace. Not only because of the frosty temperatures, but also because of the sacrifices made by the miners to open up the Jungfraujoch to the railway. 30 memorial tablets bear witness to this. The music on the way also gives you goosebumps: It brings back to life the beginnings of the Jungfraubahn, together with the images from the time of the tourism visionaries. Even if visitors are more comfortable today than the miners were – they feel relieved when, at the end of the experience, they can pose in front of the giant snow globe and say: I made it!

Ice Palace
The more transient something is, the more beautiful. This is especially true of the Ice Palace and its treasures. Mountain guides created the aisles and halls in the 1930s with picks and saws in the middle of the Jungfrau firn. Today, artists create the ice – with a great deal of flair. On a mirror-smooth tour through a frosty world, visitors will discover their works of art in nooks and crannies. An eagle, penguin or bear, as though they had just turned to ice, appear quite natural. Even at minus three Celsius, they are melting.

Eating and drinking

A choice of restaurants offers fine food. Whether you prefer just a quick snack or a 3 course meal at the Crystal restaurant, there is plenty of choice. There is even an Indian-style restaurant. At the Sphinx bar you can enjoy a refreshing aperitif, a cold beer or a hot chocolate.

An hours’ hike takes you to the Moenchsjoch hut

Good to know

If you ever thought about a hike on the glacier, this would be the best opportunity to do so without the risk of falling into one of the glacier crevasses. A 1 hour hike takes you to the Moenchsjoch hut at 3,659 m. From here another glacier runs down and mounds into the Aletsch glacier. We recommend this only with fair weather and if you have plenty of time.

Duration of the trip

Included is some time at the restaurant for drinks or a meal and sightseeing.

Season

Year round