Jungfraujoch: Europe’s Highest Railway Station, and the Most Expensive Day Trip in Switzerland

The Jungfraujoch sits at 3,454 metres in the Bernese Alps, on the saddle between the Monch and Jungfrau peaks. To get there, you ride a rack railway that has been boring through the Eiger’s north face since 1912 – a tunnel driven through solid rock by hand tools and early pneumatic drills, at altitudes and in conditions that killed 30 workers during construction. The line opened in 1912 after 16 years of work and has run continuously since. At the Eigerwand station midway up, windows cut directly through the cliff face give a sideways view of the wall that has killed hundreds of climbers attempting it from the outside.

The full return journey from Interlaken Ost costs between CHF 100.60 and CHF 234.80 depending on route and season, with a mandatory CHF 10 seat reservation from May through October. Swiss Travel Pass holders get 25 percent off; Swiss Half Fare Card holders get 50 percent off. The early “Good Morning Ticket” (first trains of the day) saves around CHF 60 per adult and is worth pursuing if you can manage a 6:30am departure from Interlaken.

This is genuinely expensive. Whether it is worth it depends on what the weather does.

At the Top

The station complex contains a viewing terrace, the Sphinx Observatory at 3,571 metres accessible by internal elevator, a restaurant, an ice palace carved into the glacier below, and the research station that has operated continuously since 1931. The views on a clear day extend to the Black Forest and the Vosges – roughly 200 kilometres.

The Aletsch Glacier begins just below the Sphinx terrace. At 23 kilometres, it is Europe’s longest glacier, and from here you can watch it descend toward the Rhone valley in a slow river of grey-white ice. The retreat rate has accelerated measurably since the 1990s; walking onto it involves looking at something that will be significantly smaller within a generation.

The Sphinx platform is exposed. Temperatures at this elevation rarely exceed 5 degrees Celsius in summer regardless of conditions below. Bring more layers than you think you need. The wind at the Sphinx can be sharp even on still days in the valleys.

The Eiger North Face Overlook

The Eigerwand station stop on the ascent is worth treating as a destination in itself, not just a midway pause. The windows cut into the limestone give a direct view of the climbing routes – the Heckmair Route, the Harlin Direct – that were attempted over decades before the wall was finally climbed in 1938. The upper sections of the face are visible through the glass. For anyone interested in alpine history, this is the genuinely moving moment of the journey.

Getting There and Booking

The standard route is Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald, then transfer to the Jungfrau Railway. The Eiger Express gondola from Grindelwald is the faster option in good weather. Kleine Scheidegg, where the lines meet at 2,061 metres, is a destination worth pausing at: a small cluster of hotels and restaurants with direct views of the Eiger north face and skiing terrain in winter.

Book the early trains online to secure the lower fare, especially in July and August when peak-season demand fills morning departures quickly. The first train out avoids the large tour groups that dominate the station complex by 10am.

Around Interlaken

Interlaken functions well as a base for several days in the Bernese Oberland. Beyond Jungfraujoch, the Schilthorn at 2,970 metres (accessible from Murren) has a revolving restaurant and views of 200 Alpine peaks. Brienz and the Brienzer Rothorn steam railway to the east are less visited but genuinely good. The towns of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in their respective valleys are more attractive bases than Interlaken itself if you want to be inside the mountains rather than between them.

Practicalities

Altitude sickness at 3,454 metres is not common in healthy adults but is possible. Symptoms (headache, nausea, fatigue) typically resolve quickly on descent. The gradual ascent by train helps. Do not attempt the glacier walk if you have any symptoms.

Check the live webcam on jungfrau.ch before booking. A cloudy day at Jungfraujoch is cold, white, and expensive. The investment only pays if the sky cooperates.