It is touted as the number one day trip destination when visiting Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald. Personally, I had never heard of Jungfraujoch until I visited, but I’ve seen ‘Top of Europe’ signs everywhere.
Werner He Tucked away in the heart of the Alps, Jungfraujoch looks like a postcard brought to life. The highest railway station in Europe, the construction of the tunnel and railway to the Jungfraujoch was a marvel of engineering. The Jungfraujoch is a great place for families and makes a great day trip when visiting the Bernese Oberland.
The Jungfrau is a mountain in the Bernese Oberland, and the Jungfraujoch is a 3466 m (11371 ft) glacial saddle that connects the Jungfrau and Mönch mountains.
The Jungfraujoch is called ‘Top of Europe’ not because it is the highest mountain in Europe, but because it is the highest railway station in Europe. The train to Jungfraujoch passes through a tunnel between the Eiger and Mönch mountains and finally reaches the mountain station.
Not only is it great for visiting the Jungfraujoch, but the views from the train and Sphinx observatory are amazing. Take the cogwheel train to the Jungfraujoch and enjoy breathtaking views of the valley and surrounding mountains. The views from the top of Europe are also out of this world.
Jungfraujoch achieved international fame by appearing in various films such as Clint his Eastwood film ‘Eiger Sanctions’ and Bollywood musical romance ‘Dilwale Dulhani al Jaienji’. That’s why you can meet so many foreign tourists at Jungfraujoch.
Trains in Switzerland are always on time. If the departure time is displayed on the train timetable, the train will always depart at that time, regardless of whether it is one minute before or one minute after. If you miss your train, you will have to wait 20-30 minutes for the next train.
Tour groups head to the Purple Gate.
There is a stop in front of Jungfraujoch. The stop is called Icemail, where it takes 5 minutes to get off the train, use the restroom, and take pictures of the glacier through the window.
Personally, the view wasn’t that impressive due to the reflections and glare from the windows. Believe me, you don’t have to descend in icy waters, as the top offers a better view. The Jungfraujoch is open all year round. The most popular season is from June to September when the weather is nice and warm. However, the warmer weather has led all bus tours to visit the Jungfraujoch and more tourists to visit the Jungfraujoch.
Getting to the Jungfraujoch is easy and the only way to get there from Lauterbrunnen or Wengen is by train.
At Kleine Scheidegg station, you need to take the cogwheel train to Eigergletscher and change again to Jungfraujoch. The cogwheel train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes about 44 minutes and climbs thousands of meters above sea level.
If you are staying in Interlaken or Grindelwald, there are slightly different routes. In fact, the journey from Interlaken or Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch is shorter than from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch thanks to the new Eiger Express Railway.
Previously, you had to first take the train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg (38 minutes) and then change to the cogwheel train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch.
However, with the new Eiger Express Cable Car, you can take a direct cable car ride from Grindelwald Terminal to the Eiger Glacier in 15 minutes, then change to the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch.
Note that the cogwheel train from Kleine Scheidegg stops at the Eiger Glacier before heading to Jungfraujoch. At the Eigergletscher you can get off the cogwheel train and take a short photo. Anyone traveling from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch can take the new Eiger Express cable car.
I used to have to take a train from Interlaken to Grindelwald, change at Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, then change from Grindelwald to the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch.
The entire journey from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch takes about 2 hours.
The Eiger Express Cable Car can significantly reduce travel time from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch. Today, the journey time from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch is just 1 hour and 36 minutes. From Interlaken OST, take the train to Grindelwald Terminal, change to the Eiger Express to Eigergletcher, then change to the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch.
The price of a round-trip ticket to Jungfraujoch depends on the season and departure station.
To put this into perspective, visiting Jungfraujoch from Grindelwald costs CHF 222 in August, but only CHF 171 in November.
The price is the same whether you choose the Eiger Express Cable Car or traditional train travel. Jungfraujoch tickets can be pre-purchased online via the official website.
When buying Jungfraujoch tickets online, there is an option called ‘Guten Morgen Ticket’. With this ticket, if you travel on any of the first 3 connections from the Eiger glacier to Jungfraujoch, you will get special rates to Jungfraujoch.
You can check the weather forecast before you buy, so you can buy more flexibly. However, buying Jungfraujoch tickets at the station in the height of summer is risky as tickets may sell out.