The Jungfrau Railway

Often called the 'Top of Europe', the Jungfrau Railway (Jungfraujochbahn), climbs from the exposed mountain saddle of Kleine Scheidegg to the highest railway station in Europe, Jungfraujoch. At 3,454 metres above sea level, the station is carved into rock and sits in a world of ice, far above the treeline. In less than an hour, the journey carries you from alpine pasture to permanent snow, threading its way through the heart of the Eiger and the Mönch before emerging above the vast sweep of the Aletsch Glacier.

Much of the route runs inside tunnels blasted directly through solid rock. When the railway opened in 1912, it was the culmination of sixteen years of work in extreme conditions. Construction began in 1896, and progress was slow and dangerous. Workers drilled through granite and ice at altitude, contending with avalanches, cold and limited oxygen, to create a rack railway capable of climbing gradients of up to 25 per cent. Electric traction was chosen long before it became standard, one of many decisions that pushed the limits of what was technically possible at the time. Today, despite its height and complexity, the journey can be completed as a day trip from Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, making it one of the most accessible high-altitude rail experiences anywhere in the Alps.

This guide explains the journey step by step. It covers train timings and routes, ticketing, how the ride works, and what you will encounter at each stage of the ascent.

Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv/Daniel Anker/Public Domain

Map of the Jungfrau Railway project in 1903.

The Jungfrau Railway: the train

Overview and schedule

The Jungfrau Railway is operated by Jungfraujochbahn AG and runs between Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch, a distance of 9.3 kilometres. The full ascent from Kleine Scheidegg takes around 35 minutes, with intermediate stops at Eigergletscher (Eiger Glacier) and Eismeer. All of the Jungfraujoch Railway trains follow the same timetable, leaving from Eigergletscher station or Kleine Scheidegg after 08:00, and departing from Jungfraujoch before 18:00. 

To reach the Jungfrau Railway by train, you need to connect from one of two valley villages: Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Both routes require a change in Kleine Scheidegg to join the Jungfrau Railway. The full journey looks like:

• From Grindelwald: take the mountain railway up to Kleine Scheidegg, and change to the Jungfrau Railway.

• From Lauterbrunnen: take the mountain railway to Wengen, then continue on to Kleine Scheidegg and change to the Jungfrau Railway.

From Grindelwald there is also the option of the Eiger Express, a high-speed tri-cable gondola running from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletscher in about 15 minutes. It shortens the overall journey time and brings you directly to the point where the railway enters the tunnel under the Eiger. Many travellers choose a mixed route, ascending with the gondola and descending by train for a change of perspective.

Daniele La Rosa Messina

Jungfrau Railway train.

Facilities

The Jungfrau Railway is served by modern electric units built for steep gradients and high-altitude operation. Carriages are enclosed with large windows, heated in winter and ventilated in summer. There are toilets on board and level boarding at stations. There is no separate catering carriage, but stops have places to eat and you can always bring along a picnic. 

Yu Chen Lin

Seats on the Jungfrau train.

Tickets and passes

Tickets can be bought at valley stations, at Kleine Scheidegg, or online in advance. A day ticket to Jungfraujoch starts from CHF 70, though prices vary by season. The Jungfraujoch Travel Pass (from CHF 165) provides unlimited travel for three to eight days on much of the surrounding network and offers a 50% reduction on fares for the Jungfrau Railway. Holders of Interrail passes do not travel free on the line as it is a private mountain railway. 

Breaking the journey

Passengers are free to step off at the intermediate mountain stations, and it’s worth it for the vantage points. The stops offer impressive vistas: Eigergletscher has open views beneath the Eiger’s north face, and Eismeer provides a window cut directly into the rock looking out onto the ice slopes below. 

Himmel S

The Jungfrau Railway: the journey

The easiest way to get to the Jungfrau Railway is to travel up the valley by regional train toward Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Grindelwald sits beneath the north face of the Wetterhorn and has a compact centre with shops and cafés clustered close to the station. It is a good base for walks such as the path to the Gletscherschlucht gorge, or for taking the gondola to First for the short path to Bachalpsee. For a pre-departure coffee, EigerBean near the station roasts on site and offers seating that looks out toward the valley and the mountain line beyond.

Ruth Georgiev

Grindelwald.

Lauterbrunnen has a quieter feel. The village lies in a steep glacial valley where waterfalls drop from the cliffs above. The walk to Staubbachfall takes around twenty minutes, and Trümmelbachfälle, a series of cascades inside the rock, is a short bus ride away. Before the journey up to Wengen, visit Airtime Café for homemade pastries, soups and pies with colourful interiors and outdoor benches.

Maximilian Jaenicke

Lauterbrunnen.

Kleine Scheidegg, at 2,061 metres, is the transfer point from Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen where you board the Jungfrau Railway. Perched between valleys with the Eiger’s north face rising abruptly above the tracks. It has long served as a base for mountaineers tackling the Eiger and still holds a sense of staging and anticipation, with equipment-laden climbers and day-trippers sharing the same platforms. Trains arrive from two directions, pause briefly, then disappear again into higher terrain, while workshops and sidings just below the station hint at the constant work required to keep the line operating in such an exposed environment.

David Gubler (bahnbilder.ch)/CC BY-SA 3.0

Jungfrau Railway train between Kleine Scheidegg and Eigergletscher.

Eigergletscher
Leaving Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfrau Railway begins to trace the base of the Eiger. The first stop, Eigergletscher at 2,320 metres, sits close to the edge of the ice and offers open views across ridges and snowfields.

Ricardo Gomez Angel

Eigergletscher station viewing platform.

Eigergletscher is also the point where the modern Eiger Express gondola from Grindelwald Terminal meets the railway, funnelling passengers directly into the high mountain section of the route. In clear weather, a short walking trail leads beneath the Eiger’s cliffs, allowing you to step briefly into the landscape before returning to the same platform to continue the ascent.

Stan Shebs/CC BY-SA 3.0

Eismeer viewing window.

Eismeer

Shortly after departing Eigergletscher, the train enters the long tunnel that climbs beneath the Eiger and the Mönch. The tunnel stretches for roughly seven kilometres, cutting through the mountain interior and shielding the railway from snow, wind and rockfall. Midway through the ascent, the train stops at Eismeer at 3,158 metres. Here, a viewing gallery has been carved straight through the rock, opening suddenly onto a sheer drop above the glacier below. The contrast is striking: enclosed tunnel behind you, raw ice and crevassed terrain far beneath the window. The stop is brief, but it marks a turning point, where the scale of the mountains becomes clear and the summit feels close.

Polina Kuzovkova

The Sphinx Observatory, Jungfraujoch.

Jungfraujoch

The arrival at Jungfraujoch is unexpected. The train does not emerge into open air but comes to rest deep inside the mountain itself, at a station hollowed out of rock and ice. From here, lifts and tunnels carry you upward to the Sphinx Observatory terrace at 3,572 metres, where the landscape opens out in full. The Aletsch Glacier flows away beneath you in a long, frozen river, while the peaks of the Jungfrau and the Mönch dominate the immediate skyline. On clear days, the distant line of the Valais 4 000-metre summits forms the far horizon, reinforcing just how far above the valleys you have travelled.

Christopher Politano

Ice tunnel at the Ice Palace.

Within the complex, you can walk through the Ice Palace, a tunnel carved into the glacier, or step outside onto marked snow paths in suitable weather. Those wanting a longer stretch can follow the waymarked trail to the Mönchsjochhütte, a high-altitude mountain hut reached by a snow path that usually opens from spring into early autumn. Back inside, the highest Lindt shop in the world sits near the main concourse and is a popular stop for chocolate tastings or gifts before heading back down. If you want to pause and take in the views more slowly, Restaurant Crystal offers a full meal with quiet indoor seating and broad windows looking out towards the snowfields. For something more relaxed, the Pikantus Lounge by Erdinger is a good place to settle with a coffee or a beer and watch the flow of visitors moving between the Sphinx terrace and the glacier plateau. 

Patrick Robert Doyle

Walking at Jungfraujoch.

Onwards from Jungfraujoch

Trains descend to Kleine Scheidegg, where you choose a route back to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. If you are continuing further, Interlaken Ost provides connections toward Bern, Zürich and Basel, and for travel south the line from Interlaken runs to Spiez and onward to Brig, where you can connect into Italy. Interlaken is also a junction for several of Switzerland’s most scenic routes. From here, you can join the GoldenPass Line toward Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva, or continue south from Brig to travel the Glacier Express route to St. Moritz, a full-day crossing of the high Alpine valleys. 

If you prefer to extend your time in the Jungfrau region rather than travel on immediately, the cable-car from Lauterbrunnen up to Mürren gives access to the Schilthorn and the high ridge above the Lauterbrunnen valley. Another option is the route from Wilderswil to Schynige Platte on a historic cog railway, a good starting point for ridge walks with views across Lake Brienz and the surrounding peaks. Staying a night in Wengen or Grindelwald lets you explore valley paths and the quieter slopes once the day-trippers have left, rounding out the experience at a gentler pace.

Travel by train to Grindelwald and take a day trip on the Jungfrau Railway, or check out other other slow travel holidays to Switzerland.

Read about Switzerland's most scenic train rides, or learn about the art of slow travel, and why we love the local train.