The Jungfraujoch is situated at an altitude of 3,463 metres (11,362 feet) above sea level. This makes this railway station the highest in Europe. It is now possible to travel to this unique destination by gondola and train. The journey is up to 50% faster than before. The views during your journey from the base station in Grindelwald to the final destination at the top of the Jungfraujoch are breathtaking.
In this blog post, we will inform you thoroughly about everything you need to know about the Jungfraujoch railway in Bernese Oberland. The Jungfraujoch is more than just an ordinary place. At the top of the Jungfraujoch, you can enjoy the outstanding beauty of our world through a panoramic view. A walk through an ice cave, have lunch at the highest point of Europe or go on an adventure on a hike through the Swiss Alps.
These are just some of the things you can do and expect while travelling with the Jungfrau express to the top of the Jungfraujoch. We are thrilled to take you on our journey with the help of this blog to prepare you for a visit to the famous Jungfraujoch in Bernese Oberland. Let’s start!
History of the Jungfrau railway
To give you some background information we start with some historical facts about the railway. The building of the Jungfraujoch railway started in 1896, all done by humans. shovels, pick axes and human workforce made the creation of the railway possible in 16 years. The official opening of the railway took place in 1912. From then it got the name “Top of Europe”. Till today the Jungfrau Railway travels through the Eiger and Mönch mountains to Europe’s highest railway station.
How to reach the Jungfraujoch
Step 1: The Eiger Express
The journey starts at the Grindelwald terminal. This is a new station, claimed is that this is the most modern train station in the Swiss Alps. We must say it looks pretty good! The Grindelwald Terminal is one station before the regular known Grindelwald train station. Good to mention is that all Berner Oberlandbahn(short: BOB) make a stop here, these trains operate from Interlaken-Ost to Grindelwald.
In around 30 minutes you can travel by train from Interlaken-Ost to the Grindelwald terminal. From Grindelwald, it only takes around 5 minutes to reach the Grindelwald terminal.
At the Grindelwald Terminal, there are plenty of parking spaces for your car, about 1000 parking spaces are available.
The starting point of your journey
So, as said, your journey starts at the base point: Grindelwald Terminal. Here you can access the brand new and most modern cable car in the world, heading towards the Eiger Glacier station. This will take 15 minutes. During this ride, you will go from an altitude of 943 metres to an altitude of 2320 metres. View the location of Grindelwald Terminal here.
The modern cable car recently opened. This opening was in December 2020. Every cabin has 26 comfortable seats. There are 46 cabins going up and down. Something many travellers will like is the time saved because of this new cable car. The average time being saved because of this new cable car is 43 minutes. This means you have more time to spend on top of Jungfraujoch. This is great because there are many activities on top of Jungfraujoch.
| Public transport connections | New | Before | Time-saving |
| Grindelwald Terminal – Jungfraujoch | 45 min | 1 hr 28 min | 43 minutes faster |
The Eiger Express cable car shrinks the journey duration from Interlaken-Ost, and most other departure points in Switzerland to Jungfraujoch by up to 47 minutes. Travelling time for example from Bern lowered from 3h20 to 2h30 and from Zurich from 4h20 to 3h30. The cable car operates daily from 8.00 Am to 17 Pm.
Step 2: take the mountain railway to Jungfraujoch
The next step of your journey to reach the highest railway station in Europe is taking the mountain railway. So the first part of your journey is nowadays way faster than a few years back. The last part of the journey stays the same. The authentic cogwheel mountain railway train takes you from the Eigergletscher to the Jungfraujoch.
After this beautiful ride in the cogwheel mountain railway train which will take you to the highest railway station in Europe you’re at your final destination: The Top of Jungfraujoch.
The total travelling time from Grindelwald Terminal to The Jungfraujoch is just over 45 minutes.
What has changed?
Many travellers nowadays use the Eiger Express cable car to reach the top station. Nevertheless, the option to take the traditional trains is still there and it is possible to freely combine the two methods of travel. Depending on the season, travel on both routes is usually possible hourly or twice hourly. Up-to-date info can be found on the information boards at the actual cable car stations.
The old options to travel to Jungfraujoch which take longer are still offered for the same price. We prefer the new option as it saves a lot of time and the journey is comfortable and the views are just as beautiful, maybe even more beautiful as you get a view from above the ground when travelling with the Eiger express.
What is the price to travel to the Jungfraujoch?
You can travel from Grindelwald Terminal towards Jungfraujoch in 45 minutes. You can take the new Eiger Express to the Eiger Glacier station and then continue your journey to the highest railway station in Europe on the Jungfrau railway. The full journey from the base station to the highest railway station and back costs 190 CHF.
On the website here, you can choose your personal journey. The price does depend on whether you are an adult, child or child under 5 years. The price does differ for Swiss Travel Pass holders as well. costs 95 CHF. Please check up-to-date prices on the website here. There is a possibility of seat reservation, on clear sunny days, this might be wise to do. Costs are 10 CHF.
Things to do on top of Jungfraujoch
Stroll through the Ice Palace
On top of Jungfraujoch, you can visit the Ice Palace. The halls were created with pick axes and saws in the 1930s. Nowadays you can view artists’ work that they create on the ice. Visitors to the Ice Palace will discover their works. A truly unique experience. Both for children and older visitors this is an awesome activity, maybe you will spot a penguin or eagle, regularly new creations because of the melting ice. (it is -3 celsius though, warm clothes are required:)
The (delicious) Lindt Chocolate shop
Switzerland is known for its great quality chocolate. So a visit without a chocolate-tasting experience is not good. On Jungfraujoch, you can buy and try delicious chocolates produced by Lindt. Nice to hop in and maybe buy some chocolate.
Simply enjoy the breathtaking views
While not only on top of Jungfraujoch, during the whole journey from Grindelwald Terminal towards the top, you can enjoy the breathtaking views. Arriving at 3000 metres, enjoy the panoramic view. Take your camera with you, hopefully, if it’s good weather, then you can take a beautiful picture.
A hike to the Mönchsjoch Hut
For a unique alpine experience, enjoy this short hike from Jungfraujoch to the Mönchsjoch Hut. The marked footpath will lead you in around 45-60 minutes to the hut. The height difference is a bit more than 200 metres. The walk is pretty challenging. Proper shoes are required. Dressing according to the colder temperature is necessary.
The reward is a breathtaking view into central and eastern Switzerland, plus the Valais mountains. The path to the hut may be closed at any time when there is a danger of avalanches, crevasses or snowstorms.
You should have great fitness before starting this hike, it’s quite tough. You can spend the night here, or have lunch. Good to mention, the hike is not open from 25.09.22 until the end of march 2023. Due to heavy snow and no safe path.
View the longest glacier – The Sphinx observation deck
Nowadays you can travel with great comfort to the observatory deck. With a fast lift, you’re brought up to the international research station. In just 25 seconds you climb 108 metres. Enjoy the magnificent view up there. You’re at an elevation of 3571 meters above sea level. The Aletsch Glacier can be spotted, this is the longest Glacier in Europe. Maybe, it can be too cold when you visit the observatory deck. You can also stay inside and view the fabulous mountain range through the glass windows.
Picture train stop
A short stop at 3160 metres. This is so cool. At the Eismeer station, the train stops for a few minutes. You can take a personal souvenir, a beautiful picture of what people say the whole of Switzerland must have looked like during the ice age. Good to mention, unfortunately, this stop isn’t always possible due to train delays.
The last activity is for snow lovers. Do you think in the lower vallyes it’s too warm? Consider the snow fun park at the Jungfraujoch. Here you can enjoy winter sports but during the hottest month of the year. The temperatures on the Jungfraujoch are regular above the zero-degree limit. So the opening times of the snow fun park are from May 11th till mid-October. Check out prices and up-to-date information about the snow fun park here.
Conclusion
All in all, we can conclude that visiting Jungfraujoch should definitely be on your bucket list. The new way of reaching Jungfraujoch in 2021 is so efficient and fast. It’s now possible to travel from Grindelwald Terminal to Jungfraujoch in just 45 minutes. The new cable car takes you up in just 15 minutes. Still, the older travel options are still possible for the same price.
In the blog, we inform you about the different activities you can perform on the Jungfraujoch as well. From the Ice Palace to the snow fun park or the hike towards the Mönchsjoch Hut. We hope you will have a wonderful visit to the Jungfraujoch!