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Jungfraujoch Tours › RoutesUpdated 2026-09-26

Jungfraujoch Routes

Hours, prices and access verified by the Jungfraujoch Tours team — last checked 2026-09-26.

There are two ways up to the Jungfraujoch, and they meet for the last stretch. One climbs from Grindelwald by gondola, the other from Lauterbrunnen by cogwheel train. Every Best of Switzerland Tours Jungfraujoch uses one or both, so here is how they differ.

Two valleys, one last railway

From Interlaken Ost, the trains split. One line runs east to Grindelwald Terminal, where the Eiger Express starts. The other runs south to Lauterbrunnen, where the Wengernalp Railway climbs through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg. Both routes reach Eigergletscher, and from there the Jungfrau Railway runs through the Eiger and the Mönch to the top.

A route ticket lets you go up one way and down the other. Many tours do exactly that, and you can too.

Up by the Eiger Express

The Eiger Express is a tricable gondola from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletscher at 2,320 metres. The ride takes 15 minutes, with 26 seats in each of its 44 cabins, and the cabin passes close under the Eiger North Face. Three support cables and one haulage cable make it more stable in wind.

Jungfrau Railways says this route saves 47 minutes. From Grindelwald Terminal the trip to the top takes 45 minutes each way; from Interlaken Ost, about 1 hour 30 minutes. It is also the step-free route.

Inside a gondola cabin, the seats facing a huge rock face through the window
Inside a gondola cabin, the seats facing a huge rock face through the window

Up through Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg

The older route leaves Interlaken Ost for Lauterbrunnen, about 22 minutes. There you board the Wengernalp Railway, a cogwheel line that climbs through car-free Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg at 2,061 metres, in about 38 minutes. At Kleine Scheidegg two cogwheel railways meet, and you change onto the Jungfrau Railway.

It is slower, but the view opens out as the train climbs. From Grindelwald station the same railway also reaches Kleine Scheidegg, and that trip takes 1 hour 26 minutes each way to the top. If you use a wheelchair, this route needs a phone booking in advance.

The Jungfrau Railway from Eigergletscher

The last railway is the one everyone rides. Building started on 27 July 1896, and the line opened to the top in 1912. It is 9.3 kilometres long from Kleine Scheidegg, and most of it runs in a tunnel through the Eiger and the Mönch. From Eigergletscher the ride takes 26 minutes, with trains every 30 minutes depending on the season.

On the way up, the train stops for 5 minutes at Eismeer, a station at 3,160 metres inside the Eiger, with windows onto the ice. It served as the railway's temporary terminus from 1905. The stop is not guaranteed if the train is late. From May to October your seat on this line is reserved; the tickets and prices page explains the CHF 10 reservation.

Which tours use which route

The guided days pick a route and loop. Some go up by the Eiger Express and come down through Wengen; others do the reverse. The railway's own ticket lets you choose.

TourUpDown
From Zurich: Day Trip to Jungfraujoch - Top of EuropeEiger ExpressThrough Wengen to Lauterbrunnen
From Lucerne: Day Trip to Jungfraujoch – Top of EuropeEiger ExpressThrough Wengen to Lauterbrunnen
From Interlaken: Guided Tour to Jungfraujoch - Top of EuropeEiger ExpressThrough Wengen to Lauterbrunnen
Jungfraujoch: Top of Europe Day Trip from ZurichThrough Lauterbrunnen and Kleine ScheideggEiger Express
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe Day Trip from LucerneThrough Lauterbrunnen and Kleine ScheideggEiger Express
Jungfraujoch: Roundtrip to the Top of Europe by TrainYour choice of routeYour choice of route
Jungfraujoch Day Visit from GrindelwaldEiger ExpressEiger Express
From Zurich: Jungfraujoch & Interlaken by Glass Roof BusEiger ExpressEiger Express
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe Private Day Trip from InterlakenEiger ExpressThrough Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen
Jungfraujoch Private Tour Top of Europe and Lauterbrunnen ValleyEiger Express, with the Eismeer stopNot stated

Want to see both valleys?

This guided day from Zurich goes up by the Eiger Express and comes down through Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, with a guide at the top.

Check availabilityTours from Zurich

When a line is closed for maintenance

The mountain railways close sections in turn for maintenance. With two routes to Eigergletscher, a closure moves you onto the other one rather than stopping your day. The guided days warn that their route can change during maintenance work, and they keep their guaranteed time at the top. Before you travel on your own ticket, check the operating information on jungfrau.ch.

Round trips that loop

If you are going on your own, loop the trip. Go up early by the Eiger Express, the faster way, while the cloud is highest. Come down in the afternoon through Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen, and break the trip in Lauterbrunnen to see Staubbach Falls. You need the same route ticket either way, and the seat reservation covers only the Jungfrau Railway.

If you want to walk part of the way down, the Eiger Trail runs from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen in about 2 hours. More ideas for the valleys are on the Jungfrau region page.

Route questions

Which is the fastest way up to the Jungfraujoch?
The Eiger Express from Grindelwald Terminal. It reaches Eigergletscher in 15 minutes, and the whole trip from the terminal takes 45 minutes.
Does the train stop at Eismeer?
Yes, the train makes a 5-minute stop at Eismeer, a station inside the Eiger at 3,160 metres, so you can look out over the ice. Jungfrau Railways says the stop cannot always be guaranteed, for example if the train is late.
Can I go up one way and down the other?
Yes. A route ticket covers either valley, and many guided days loop: up by the Eiger Express and down through Wengen, or the other way round.
Do I need a seat reservation on the Eiger Express?
No, you cannot reserve the Eiger Express or the valley trains. The reservation, mandatory from May to October, is only for the Jungfrau Railway from Eigergletscher or Kleine Scheidegg.

Where these facts come from

Tours that go up one way and down another

Next: time the trains on how to get there, plan the summit on things to do, or compare every tour on Jungfraujoch Tours.