Countryside Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch Top of Europe
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Visit Jungfraujoch Swiss Alps, the Top of Europe

Sherianne Higgins·
Switzerland Travel
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Jungfraujoch Switzerland the Top of Europe

The Swiss Alps… I’ve seen so many photos of those beautiful snow-capped mountains, that I had to go! After much research, I decided the Jungfraujoch to the Top of Europe Tour was perfect. This day trip starts in Zurich, makes a stop in Interlaken, and goes on to Lauterbrunnen before heading up the mountain. The train descends on the other side of Grindelwald. This was everything I hoped to see. It was expensive and a long day but otherwise, perfect. Of course, when I read ‘sells out fast’ I booked immediately. Supply-demand statements work for me. Don’t be me!

Here’s the thing. This itinerary was perfect but the time frame was not. I am all for squeezing everything possible into a day when my time is limited but driving past something is not ‘seeing’. And, this is the Swiss Alps. It snows in May in the Alps. It would be smart to DIY this one paying close attention to the weather. No point in climbing a mountain to a whiteout.

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Countryside Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch Top of Europe
Swiss Alps

Interlaken Switzerland

We left Zurich late due to waiting for several guests to arrive.  Then we stopped in Lucerne to pick up several more guests. This gave us 20 minutes in Interlaken to use the restroom, drink a coffee, and see this adorable little ski resort town. The bus parked as far away from the city square as possible and our guide gave us a stern ‘if you are not back we will leave you’ warning as we got off. No coffee break for me.  I fast-walked to the square and made it back in time. Remember the guest who was late in Zurich?  He was late in Interlaken too. They didn’t leave him.   

Interlaken Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch day trip Top of Europe
Interlaken

Lauterbrunnen Switzerland

I still had a great attitude. The next stop was through the Bernese Oberland to Lauterbrunnen, an area known for its waterfalls. I chose this tour specifically for this stop. I am a huge fan of waterfalls and this town has a beautiful one flowing behind the city. I was so excited. Then the guide stated we were running behind and would be going straight to the train station. I attempted to protest, but he didn’t care. The cherry on top was looking up while at the train and seeing the water flowing over the mountain top. I almost cried. I pulled it together and got on the damn train.

Bernese Oberland Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch day trip Top of Europe
Bernese Oberland

Kleine Scheidegg Switzerland

The next stop was Kleine Scheidegg.  It was snowing. And cold. In May. I bet it is beautiful in the summer. I’m not sure when summer is in Switzerland and highly recommend googling that before you purchase plane tickets. We changed trains at this stop. A couple of smart guests decided not to continue up the mountain and went on to spend the day at Grindelwald. The rest of us took a cogwheel train for a 45-minute ride through a mountain to the Top of Europe.  This is a very steep climb, with a 25-degree angle at times! The train stops at two viewing windows. Eigerwand is a mountain view at 9,396 feet and Eismeer is a glacier view at 10,361 feet.  We had a whiteout view.

Kleine Scheidegg Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch day trip Top of Europe
Kleine Scheidegg

Jungfrau Switzerland

And then I was there. Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe; is an impressive 11,333 feet. I immediately jumped in an elevator that shot me 364 feet in 25 seconds and went straight out to the Sphinx Observatory viewing platform. Complete. White. Out. If I had planned better I would have been looking at the Aletsch Glacier’s 31.5 miles of ice. This is the largest glacier in the Alps and a UNESCO World Heritage site. I would have also seen snow-capped mountains all the way to France and Italy.  C’est la vie and I was off to the ice palace.

The ice palace is actually carved into the glacier and has several sculptures to view. The snow fun park was closed due to the danger of icicles melting and falling. This confused me since it was way below zero out there and nothing was melting. At this point, I was too hungry to care and headed for food.  This brings me to my next huge piece of advice: BRING FOOD. There are several expensive, not-yummy restaurants so you won’t starve if you ignore this advice. Then, I sat, on the floor, for an hour, waiting for the guide to get off the mountain. There’s not much to see or do inside of a mountain during a whiteout. Except for buying Lindt chocolate. And trying on Swiss watches.

Sphinx Observatory Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch day trip Top of Europe
Sphinx Observatory

Grindelwald Switzerland

The best part of my day was the return ride to the mountain village of Grindelwald. This was so beautiful and what I had imagined the entire day to be. On the drive back to Zurich we passed waterfall after waterfall after waterfall. We did not stop at any of the viewing areas to gaze at even one of them.

Grindelwald Swiss Alps Jungfraujoch day trip Top of Europe
Grindelwald

Day Trip to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe

I would not do this day trip again. I would stay overnight in Interlaken and DIY the train ride to Jungfraujoch paying close attention to the weather. I would also rent a car for a day to explore as many of the 72 waterfalls around Lauterbrunnen as possible. If you decide to visit the Top of Europe, check the weather! Take food, water, and dress warmly. Also, sit on the right side of the train for the best views.

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39 Responses

  1. I too loved the waterfalls at Lauterbrunnen, And I still feel we should have stayed at Grindelwald to see the village. Your blog is fun to read. I loved the way you wrote it.

  2. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen during our visit to Switzerland and loved the place. Our hotel room offered a stunning view of the Staubbach Falls – it was absolutely lovely. We went to Jungfraujoch as well and it was a complete white out! But we did enjoy the train journey.

    1. If I did it again I would stay in Interlaken with day trips to surrounding areas

  4. These shots are magical Sherianne. So mystical. I have seen more posts on Interlaken recently. Methinks the place is singing to me quite a bit.

  5. What a shame it was so rushed – sometimes tours are good for places you can’t get to alone, but independent travel means you can take your time & stay longer if you like… it’s a hard lesson to learn but next time you’ll be prepared! Still looks beautiful though 🙂

  6. I have forever wanted to visit the swiss alps. Being from India – a lot of our Bollywood movies have been shot in this setting – so growing up these were my idea of romance too. Your pics look lovely – specially because of the cloudy day <3

  7. Reading your post and seeing all the pictures brought back fond memories of a few years back. The trip to Jungfraujoch remains evergreen in m y memories. What a lovely place and the train journey on the mountain railway was really stunning. We had also done a day trip, but the weather was fine.

  9. You have painted such a beautiful picture of your experience with your words and photos. I would love to take the cog wheel train to the Top of Europe (though the 25-degree angles sounds a little scary)!

  10. This is so other-worldy! And I love your pictures. It really is a winter wonderland in there. I hope to be able to see that view as well without freezing my feet off! And from what I see, the cost is worth it!

  11. Fun! I did this after a Viking cruise one year. The cogwheel trains were a blast and I loved that the further up we got, the thicker the snow. 😉 I was expecting my besties and I to have the greatest Christmas card photo ever and when we walked outside on that platform, total whiteout. We looked ridiculous. Not only was it just a white backdrop, but for the only time in 40 some years, it was the only day ever that I forgot my sunglasses. Then we made the mistake of walking up the stairs from the cafe to the gift shop. That was treacherous.

  12. Alps are so majestic and yes driving past them would be such a shame!

    You post reminded me of my own trip to Jungfrou, and all the beautiful memories came back 🙂

  13. I was here 5 years ago and I really enjoyed ! We also lived in a cabin by the valley so it was really great.

  14. While the scenery looks beautiful I understand the frustration! I hope you get to go back on your own schedule another time!

  15. We didn’t go to Switzerland when we were travelling in Europe. I’m not even a big fan of snow, but these photos make me wish that we had gone. It looks stunning.

  16. The Swiss Alps look so dreamy! I wanted to go the last time I was in Europe, but only had 2 weeks and had to leave out a few places. I’ll be back though, and I have a feeling I’ll be here soon 🙂

  17. I haven’t been to the Swiss Alps, but your photo of Grindelwald is everything I imagine it to be. A lot of great tips here for anyone else looking to visit.

  18. The photos are so beautiful and so different than when I went. We were there in winter and the place was again beautiful but covered with snow. I remember the small train journey fully inside the mountain.

  19. Holy cow! This is unbelievably beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like this in Europe. I’d love to visit though. Those little houses built into the hills are darling – they remind me of the fairy houses in Iceland. I love all the nature in this area. It’s super high on my list now!

  20. I think I would have complained and demanded my money back if stops on the itinerary were just missed out entirely. That’s a disgrace, the alps truly are beautiful but obviously Mother Nature is in control so it’s a shame you had a whiteout

    1. I should have checked the weather. BUT the guide could have warned us, I would have gone on Grindelwald

  21. I went to the Alps last year and it was so beautiful. I love how the houses are covered with snow. You must have had an awesome time in this beautiful Winter Wonderland.

  22. I also visited Jungfraujoch in May, two years ago, but I was much luckier with the weather. It was sunny and warm, although there was a lot of snow on the top. I will never forget how difficult it was to breath on the ‘Top of Europe’

  23. I think you have some great lessons here, in terms of researching time of visit especially if there are particular sights you want to see, and also in being very picky about whether you do an organised tour, and if so, which one might be the right fit for you. Hopefully you can go back and see it again, and have better luck!

  24. Will be there in August, so hopefully the weather will be very nice then. Thanks for the food tip in the Ice Palace. 😉

  25. So glad to hear you had a fab time! I loved Jungfraujoch too! Totally agree with you though, I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone considering the same to spend a couple of days and base themselves in Interlaken. It was the highlight of my Switzerland trip! Wasn’t the ice palace crazy! Really great tip on carring food too – I found Swziterland was a pretty expensive country as a foreigner, so little things like traveling with grocery store snacks really helped my budget 🙂

  26. Wow swiss alps. I didn’t know it’s so green and beautiful. Now i know another good place for vacation and retirement!

  27. This looks like a great trip but yes it sounds like you had a lot on for one day. Your photos are so beautiful. I can’t believe there was that much snow in late spring. The ice palace sounds fun.

  28. Sometimes you get to the top of the mountain and find that you are in clouds or snow or an ice storm. That happened to me in New Zealand. Part it’s all part of the experience.

  29. I also try to squeeze as much as possible into a day when I travel. I also agree that zooming past an interesting site is “not seeing”. I usually do my own transport and spend the extra money to get what I want however, sometimes, you just have to do the pre-planned trip. Your photos are awesome (even the white-out conditions) but if I were there, I would want to see the expanses of the mountains (and skip the low visibility).

  30. How crazy the weather was in May! I wouldnt had imaged there to be that much snow! We were there in August and the weather was perfect, though we only made it has high as Murren (which is not high at all) but would actually love to go in the winter!

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