Things to Do at Jungfraujoch

Jungfraujoch, dramatically marketed as the 'Top of Europe,' sits at 3,454 meters and is genuinely one of those places that lives up to the hype. The journey itself is half the experience - you'll take a cogwheel train that climbs through increasingly dramatic Alpine scenery before tunneling directly through the Eiger and Mönch mountains. It's touristy, sure, but touristy for good reason when you're standing on a glacier surrounded by some of the most famous peaks in the Alps. What makes Jungfraujoch special isn't just the altitude - it's the accessibility to a proper high-Alpine environment that would otherwise require serious mountaineering skills. You'll find yourself in a world of permanent snow and ice, with views that stretch across to the Black Forest on clear days. The whole experience feels a bit surreal, actually - one moment you're in green valleys, the next you're walking through ice tunnels and watching climbers attempt the Eiger's notorious north face.

The journey starts from Interlaken Ost station, where you'll board a train to Kleine Scheidegg - this section passes through Grindelwald and offers increasingly dramatic mountain views. At Kleine Scheidegg, you switch to the Jungfrau Railway, which is where things get really interesting as the train enters the tunnel system through the Eiger. The total journey takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes each way, and honestly, staring out the windows never gets old. Worth noting that the final section climbs 1,400 meters in about 35 minutes, so your ears might pop.