Jungfraujoch | Top attraction in Switzerland

One of the top attractions in Switzerland is a visit to the Jungfraujoch! For us, this exhilarating journey started in Grindelwald with a panoramic train ride high into the mountains. In only 90 minutes, we passed through the famous Eiger mountain, stopped for an incredible glacier view and arrived at 3454 metres a.s.l. Unbelievable!

One of the top attractions in Switzerland is located at the “Top of Europe”

The Jungfraujoch is probably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Switzerland. Once you visited the so called “Top of Europe” you can easily understand why that is.

At 3454 meters a.s.l. one finds a miraculous world of ice and snow plus a great variety of attractions.

The Jungfraujoch is a saddle connecting the main two 4000-meter-high mountains “Jungfrau” and “Mönch”.

It belongs to the upper snows of the Aletsch glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps. It is not only a natural phenomenon, but also an outstanding alpine beauty, look at it!

In addition, the Jungfraujoch is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, a protected area and the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Alps.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in this very special location in Switzerland. If this wasn´t enough, there are further incredible facts about this area:

• The Jungfraujoch hosts the highest altitude railway station in the world
• For over 100 years the Jungfrau railway already serves this station
• It took 16 years to build Europe´s highest train station and the project cost 16 Million Franks, double the amount than planned
• The average temperate up there is -7.9 degrees
• You will also find the highest mailbox in Switzerland, highest chocolate shop in Europe and highest watch shop in the world at the Jungfraujoch!

Furthermore, over 71 different nationalities visit the Jungfraujoch each year. I am sure that this classifies the location as one of the top attractions in Switzerland!

Let the journey begin!

Our journey began in Grindelwald, one of our favourite mountain villages. Do check out our other winter and summer hikes in that one-of-a-kind region, by finding the locations on our map.

Here at the main station (Grindelwald Bahnhof), we boarded the train, ready for our next adventure.

Whilst we enjoyed the splendid views through panoramic windows, the train climbed steadily up into the mountain world. For us, the train ride alone, was already an unforgettable experience!

At 2320-meter a.s.l., where we needed to climb a few stairs whilst changing trains, we could feel the height for the first time. The change of altitudes does effect everybody in a different manner. Whilst some, like us, can feel it, others are not affected at all.

We, however, could feel the air getting a little bit thinner. In addition, climbing up the stairs became a tiny bit more exhausting than usual. No, this had nothing to do with an elaborate “Apéro” (drink and snacks before dinner) at our hotel the night prior!!

Eismeer

Before we reached the top, however, where we had a little rollercoaster-moment with the full extent of the “height-situation”, we stopped at Eismeer.

Oh my God! What a view!! Look at it!

The Eismeer viewpoint lies at an altitude of 3160 meters a.s.l. The underground railway station is bored into the famous Eiger mountain. It magically allows passengers on their way up to the Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe – to admire the Ice Sea and thereby, in just five minutes, travel back through time lasting many thousands of years. One of my favourite viewpoints during this trip!

The thing about heights…

As the Jungfrau railway arrived at the final destination at 3454 meters a.s.l., we did have our little rollercoaster-moment.

“What the heck does that mean?”, you might ask. Good point! For us personally it meant feeling a little dizzy and somehow “different” during the first moments at this altitude.

But what exactly is altitude or mountain sickness and how can it affect us?

First things first, altitude sickness occurs when one cannot get enough oxygen from the air at high altitudes. This happens most often to people who are not used to high altitudes, like us, for example. It typically occurs only above 2,500 meters, though some of us are affected by lower altitudes, too.

The other main contributor is the quick change from a lower to a higher altitude, by train, for example. Everybody responds to high altitudes in different ways. The fitness level does not lower the risk. We were particularly happy about this information as we “stumbled” along slowly, trying to get the hang of it!

A little altitude sickness & A-360-degree-visual show

Luckily, one can fully embrace the “light-headed” feeling and does not have to worry about what to do or where to go. The overview map guides you onto the right way.

The tour started with the “Jungfrau Panorama” – a four-minute-long-360-degree visual show.

As wonderfully, as this part of the programme is created (it truly is a spectacular show), it made us “rollercoasting” even more. Especially Krisztian, poor him. 

Let me try and paint the picture for you (Jungfraujoch, please don´t take it personally!)

Well, let´s assume, that we arrived at 3454 meters a.s.l. and were feeling slight symptoms of high-altitude sickness.

Now, let us further assume, that wearing a mask over nose and mouth  for 90 minutes did not help the oxygen intake.

And finally, let´s assume that the 360-degree-visual-show, would consist of fast-moving graphics from floor to ceiling. Cinematic sounds, loudly resounding. Gigantic mountain worlds circling around us. It was very impressive and personally, I enjoyed it very much! The “other one of us” made a little confession afterwards:

 “When the pictures started moving around me, I felt everything turning and started to think about the most comfortable way to fall onto the ground.” Hahahahah!

The tour

He did not fall and luckily, we could continue this wonderful tour as per plan (see above). A bit of drama, but we pulled ourselves together and happy days!

Next stop, Sphinx viewing platform at 3571 meters a.s.l. The fastest lift of Switzerland took us up to the platform in only 27 seconds. Wow! The panorama we were facing was simply incredible. We hadn´t seen anything like this before!

The Altesch Glacier, longest glacier of the Alps, with 23 km length. The Mönch mountain (4,107 metera.s.l.), striking second in the famous mountain trio – Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. We took in the incredibly beautiful and fascinating alpine world of ice and snow with all our senses.

And then, Krisztian started feeding birds with our homemade cheesy sticks, made with Swiss Gruyere cheese, of course. Do check out the video, to get a feeling of this miraculous mountain experience. A Top attraction in Switzerland, indeed!

Indoor fun at Jungfraujoch

The fun continued inside with “Alpine Sensation” and the “Ice Palace”. The experience tour “Alpine Sensation” tells in images, light and music, about the present and the past of tourism in the Jungfrau Region. The picture below, for example,  pays tribute to the miners of the Jungfrau railway. 

The next attraction follows right away, the Ice Palace.

In 1934 two local mountain guides started cutting a gigantic hall into the ice. The round trek, including its many corners and pathways, stretches over 1000 square meters today. Fascinating!

Fun fact: Because of the heat radiation of the visitors, the Ice Palace must be cooled to minus three degrees at all times.

The grand finale

For us, the final part of this tour, was the GRAND finale. The Plateau. At the foot of the Jungfrau, overlooking the glacier, the eternal snow under our shoes, we enjoyed the final moments.

It truly is incredible what has been created up here in the mountains. By nature, and by men. Jungfraujoch, you rock!