Day Trip to Jungfraujoch
Day trip to Jungfraujoch is mandatory when visiting Switzerland. If not for the snow, or for being Top of Europe, just for the views: on one side of the Mittelland up to the Vosges, on the other the Aletsch glacier, bordered by four thousand metre peaks. Jungfraujoch is the connecting platform between the two 4000mtr high peaks of Europe: Jungfrau and Monch. Jungfraujoch was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Check out this perfect itinerary for 7 days in Switzerland with kids. You can plan for a day trip to Jungfraujoch from Lucerne or plan for a day trip from Zurich to Jungfraujoch.
How to reach Jungfraujoch
Base for Jungfraujoch is Interlaken. There are 2 ways to do this day trip to Jungfraujoch: 1. Via Grindelwald and 2. Via Lauterbrunnen, both being very scenic train routes.
You can take one route while going and the other while coming back too to enjoy both sceneries.
Both the trains (via Grindelwald and Via Lauterbrunnen) will take you to Klein Scheidegg, from where you will take the world’s highest cogwheel to Jungfraujoch.
I recommend reserving a seat in the cogwheel train from Klein Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, otherwise the waiting lines are really long and you may not even get to catch the train you intend to. The seats can be reserved at €10 per head for both kids and adults.
You should definitely plan for a one day trip to Jungfraujoch as less than 1 day will be difficult. Be ready for a very long day if you’re planning a day trip from Zurich to Jungfarujoch.
Tickets and reservations
Going to top of Europe is not going to be cheap but it can be always made cheaper. Opt for the Swiss pass or Swiss travel card depending on the rest of your itinerary.
Irrespective of which one you choose, both offer 50% discount on mountain trips including Mt Titlis and Jungfraujoch. Its best to take the train and access tickets from any station on the morning of your day trip to Jungfraujoch, after seeing the weather conditions. I recommend using their webcams to see how sunny it is before you buy the tickets.
Which train to opt for
The happy morning train from Klein Scheidegg is highly recommended for 2 reasons. You avoid crowded travel and crowded sightseeing at Jungfraujoch for one, and the views are much better in early morning than later during the day.
Train journey: Scenic views and Swiss Engineering
At 3,454 meters, jungfraujoch railway station is Europe’s highest altitude railway station. More amazing is that the last stretch of this journey from Klein Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch is made through the Mt Jungfrau – a prime example of Swiss engineering. During the initial part of the train journey, make sure to look out of your window to catch the scenic locales of Eigerwand and Eismeer
What to see during your day trip to Jungfraujoch
– Sphinx Observatory and Viewing Platform: The view looks just out of the Bond movies. I vaguely remembered that I’ve seen it in one of the action thrillers most likely a james bond movies but a google search on same didn’t reveal anything. The views from this observatory’s viewing platform are amazing, making the one day trip to Jungfraujoch worthwhile.
– Alpine sensation & Ice Palace: Sculptures in Ice and that’s about it. There is not as much to do in Jungfraujoch as in Mt Titlis. Except of course the charm to reaching the top of Europe.
– Lindt Chocolate Heaven: Just a Lindt chocolate shop to try some of their new and exciting flavours you wouldn’t find in the shops yet. If you are doing a day trip from Zurich to Jungfraujoch, you can compare the flavours in the Lindt shops in Zurich vs the new flavours launched in Jungfraujoch.
Be prepared for the cold and headaches
If you are fortunate, your day trip to Jungfraujoch will be on a sunny day, but there are other repurcussions of direct sunlight. Make sure to carry sunglasses and sunhats as after a while in the snow and sunlight, there is a very high probability of having a headache. According to some people its because of the altitude but based on my experience it was to do with squinting out eyes in the sun for too long.
Although August is the time of pleasant weather in Switzerland, don’t forget that you’re visiting a mountain (or a saddle between 2 peaks) where its bound to be windy and cold. Layer appropriately.
