Guide · Top of Europe

Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch: the route, the time and the price

The trip from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch climbs from a green valley floor to snow and ice in under two hours by train. Here is how the route works, what to book, and what the day really costs.

Check availabilityfrom $273 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, lauterbrunnenvalleyhiking.comUpdated October 20, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes25 sources

The matching tour From Lauterbrunnen: Ticket to Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe 4.4 (61 reviews) 6.5 hours from$322per person Check availabilityCancel for free until 24 hrs ahead

Quick answer

01Route: Train towards Wengen, change at Kleine Scheidegg, about 1 hour 45 minutes.¹
02Height: Jungfraujoch station sits at 3,454 metres, Europe's highest railway station.²
03Fares: Jungfraubahnen lists the return ticket from CHF 129.60, as read on 20 October 2026.³
04Seats: A CHF 10 seat reservation is mandatory from 1 May to 31 October 2026.⁴
05Ticket online: A return ticket from Lauterbrunnen starts from $322.

The route up from the valley

From Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch the line climbs in two stages. Lauterbrunnen Tourism describes it simply: take the train towards Wengen, change at Kleine Scheidegg, and the whole journey takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes including the change.¹ The first train is the Wengernalp Railway, the second the Jungfrau Railway.

At Kleine Scheidegg, at 2061 m, passengers switch between the Wengernalp Railway and the Jungfrau Railway up to the Jungfraujoch.⁵ ⁶ The Jungfrau Railway has run through the Eiger and Mönch since 1912, and the ride through the mountain takes 26 minutes.⁷ On the way it pauses for 5 minutes at around 3,160 m so you can look out over the ice.⁸

There is a second approach from the other valley. From Grindelwald Terminal the Eiger Express tricable gondola climbs to the Eiger Glacier in 15 minutes, and Jungfraubahnen gives 45 minutes from the terminal to the Jungfraujoch in total.⁹ ¹⁰ You can go up one way and down the other, which shows both sides of the mountain.

Up the mountain

From the valley floor to the ice

Start

Lauterbrunnen

Wengernalp Railway towards Wengen.¹
Change

Kleine Scheidegg

At 2061 m, onto the Jungfrau Railway.⁵ ⁶
In the rock

Jungfrau Railway

26 minutes through the Eiger and Mönch.⁷
Stop

Window on the ice

5 minutes at around 3,160 m.⁸
Arrival

Jungfraujoch

3,454 metres, about 1 hour 45 after leaving.² ¹

What waits at 3,454 metres

Jungfraujoch railway station lies 3,454 metres above sea level, the highest railway station in Europe.² Jungfraubahnen also calls it a UNESCO World Heritage site.¹¹ Stepping out of the tunnel, you find a complex of galleries, terraces and halls built into the rock between the summits of the Mönch and the Jungfrau.

The headline view is the Aletsch Glacier from the Sphinx Terrace at 3571 m.¹² Jungfraubahnen describes it as the longest glacier in the Alps: 22 km long, 900 m thick and 12 billion tonnes of ice.¹² On the other side, on a clear day, the view stretches over the Swiss Plateau towards France, as the railway itself puts it.¹³

Inside there is the Ice Palace, a tour through a frozen world with sculptures in its niches.¹⁴ Outside on the glacier platform, snow and ice are guaranteed every day of the year.¹⁵ Allow time to move slowly at this height. Walking briskly up stairs at 3,454 metres feels very different from doing it in Lauterbrunnen.²

The climb

Height of each point on the way, in metres

Heights from Lauterbrunnen and Wengen tourism and Jungfraubahnen, from the valley floor to the terrace above the station.¹⁶ ¹⁷ ⁵ ⁸ ² ¹²

What you pay

Published fares and add-ons, read 20 October 2026

Item	Price	When
Return ticket	From CHF 129.60	Lowest listed
Seat reservation	CHF 10	Mandatory 1 May to 31 Oct 2026
Good Morning Ticket	15% off	1 May to 31 Oct 2026
With Jungfrau Travel Pass	From CHF 63	CHF 89 in summer 2026
Unlimited Summer Pass	From CHF 449	3 April to 29 Nov 2026

From Jungfraubahnen's price pages as read on 20 October 2026; your exact fare depends on the starting station and railcard.³ ⁴ ¹⁸ ¹⁹ ²⁰

Tickets and tours

Three ways to book the Top of Europe

This page's pick

From Lauterbrunnen

Train ticket

Time: 6.5 hours
Guide: None
Price: from $322

See the ticket

From Interlaken: Guided Tour to Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe

With a guide

Guided from Interlaken

Gondola up, train down

Time: 7 hours
On top: 2 hours or more
Price: from $341

See the ticket

Jungfraujoch: Roundtrip to the Top of Europe by Train

Unguided

Via Grindelwald

Train and Eiger Express

Time: 6 to 6.5 hours
Access: Wheelchair accessible
Price: from $335

See the ticket

Decision helper

Which Jungfraujoch ticket fits you?

Pick the line closest to your plans

I am staying in Lauterbrunnen I want a guide with me I hold a Jungfrau Travel Pass I can start early I want to see both valleys

The valley ticket

Departure linked to Lauterbrunnen station.

Guided from Interlaken

At least 2 hours on top, back via Wengen.

The connecting ticket

From CHF 63, CHF 89 in summer 2026.¹⁹

Good Morning Ticket

15% off between 1 May and 31 October 2026.¹⁸

Up one way, down the other

The Eiger Express side takes 45 minutes from Grindelwald Terminal.¹⁰

From the Sphinx Terrace you can enjoy a magnificent view of the longest glacier in the Alps: 22 km long, 900 m thick, 12 billion tonnes of ice.

Jungfraubahnen (Jungfrau Railways)Source 12

Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch cost, as published

The question of the Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch cost has a published starting point. Jungfraubahnen lists the Jungfraujoch return ticket from CHF 129.60, as read on its site on 20 October 2026.³ That lowest figure depends on your starting station, the season and any railcard, and the price calculator on the railway's site shows the exact amount for your trip.

Add the seat. Jungfraubahnen states that the CHF 10 seat reservation for the journey to the Jungfraujoch is mandatory from 1 May to 31 October 2026, and strongly recommends it in good weather.⁴ ²¹ The reservation guarantees a time slot and avoids waiting when changing trains at Eigergletscher.⁴

Early risers can save. The Good Morning Ticket gives a 15% discount, valid from 1 May to 31 October 2026, as read on 20 October.¹⁸ Fares change every season, so treat these figures as a guide and check the live price before you travel, especially if you are combining the trip with other mountain lifts.

Checklist

Packed for the high ice

Bring

Warm layers, gloves and a hat
Sunglasses and strong sun cream
Water for the altitude

Book

Seat reservation in summer
Your return time on the ticket
Check the forecast the evening before

Cost calculator

Price the Jungfraujoch for your group

Enter how many are travelling to compare three bookable options.

From LauterbrunnenTrain ticketfrom $322 Guided from Interlaken7 hoursfrom $341 Via GrindelwaldUnguidedfrom $335

People 2

Total from$644

each from $322

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Group totals here multiply the lowest per-person price GetYourGuide quotes for each valley outing by the number in your party, converted at the European Central Bank's daily rate; the booking step shows the binding amount.

Video

JUNGFRAUJOCH, SWITZERLAND: Complete Guide to the Top of Europe | Highest Railway Station in Europe

The video loads only when you tap play.

Passes that change the sum

Regional passes treat the Jungfraujoch as an add-on. With the Jungfrau Travel Pass, the connecting ticket to the Jungfraujoch costs from CHF 63, or CHF 89 from 1 May to 31 October 2026.¹⁹ The pass itself costs CHF 210 for 3 days for an adult, rising to CHF 330 for 8 days, as read on 20 October 2026.²²

For a whole summer in the region, the Unlimited Jungfrau Summer Pass costs from CHF 449 for 3 April to 29 November 2026 and includes unlimited trips to the Jungfraujoch.²⁰ That only pays off for long stays, but for a week of hiking with several mountain days it is worth a calculation.

Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg are all included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass, so the first stage of the trip costs nothing extra if you hold one.²³ If you hold a national railcard instead, compare carefully: Jungfraubahnen's price calculator accepts the Half Fare Card, the GA and the Swiss Travel Pass and shows the result for each.³

Tickets and tours sold online

The ticket this page recommends starts right in the valley. It is not a guided tour but a return train ticket from Lauterbrunnen station, with your departure time linked to that station, and it starts from $322. It has 61 reviews averaging 4.35.

Read its rules. If you are late you can still go up, but you lose the seat reservation between Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch; the return is 3 hours after arriving at the top; and bad weather is not refunded. The listing estimates 1 to 2 hours for the tour at the top and 6 to 8 hours for the whole trip.

If you would rather have a guide, a guided tour from Interlaken goes up by coach and the Eiger Glacier gondola and comes down by train through Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, with at least 2 hours guaranteed on top. It starts from $341 with 1,802 reviews averaging 4.74. An unguided return via Grindelwald Terminal starts from $335.

Health, weather and timing

Altitude deserves respect. The guided listing passes on Jungfrau Railways' advice that visitors should be physically fit and healthy, and that the trip is not recommended for children under 2 or from the 7th month of pregnancy. Drink water, move slowly and come back down if you feel unwell.

Weather decides the value of the day. The trains run in rain, fog or snow, but the views can vanish, and the valley ticket's listing states plainly that there is no refund for bad weather. Check the forecast and the webcams the evening before, and keep the day flexible if your schedule allows it.

Clear mornings are often the best bet in summer, and the Good Morning Ticket rewards an early start. From Lauterbrunnen you can be at the top in about 1 hour 45 minutes, back down by early afternoon and still have time for a walk in the valley.¹ Pack warm clothes even in July; the glacier platform is a winter world all year.

Fitting it into a hiking week

A Jungfraujoch day pairs well with walking because the trains stop at trailheads on the way. Kleine Scheidegg, where you change, is one that Jungfraubahnen even markets as the Top of Hiking.⁵ Coming down, you can leave the train there and walk part of the way, saving the ride for the steep section to the valley.

One option is the Eiger Trail from Eigergletscher, which runs along the foot of the North Wall down to Alpiglen in about 2 hours.²⁴ Another is the Panorama Trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, 4.5 km, best walked before you board the Jungfrau Railway.²⁵ Both turn a sightseeing day into a mountain day.

Keep the hiking days and the summit day apart if the weather is uncertain. Spend cloudy days on low walks in the valley, then use the first clear morning for the Jungfraujoch, when the views justify the fare. The trains run in poor weather too, but the glacier panorama is the whole point of going up.

Your day above the valley