Together with Klein Matterhorn/Gornergrat of Zermatt-Matterhorn, the Jungfraujoch excursion ranked as the most exhilarating moment of my trips to-date. Although the peaks of the Swiss Alps are only half as high as the Himalaya peaks and looks like miniatures in comparison, the combination of perfect weather (i.e. good luck), easy accessibility and stunning close-up mountain views makes the excursion unforgettable.
Towering over the town of Interlaken (i.e. between the two lakes of Brienzersee and Thunersee) is the Bernese Alps. It has the second highest group of peaks in the Swiss Alps after the Pennine Alps (where the Matterhorn is). The most famous and visible are the triumvirate peaks of Jungfrau ("Maiden", 4158m), Monch ("Monk", 4099m) and Eiger ("Ogre", 3970m).
Jungfraujoch is the geographical name of the saddle between Jungfrau and Monch. On the Joch rises a small peak called the Sphinx. The highest mountain station of the Jungfraubahn, at 3,454m is located here. It is also the highest railway station in Europe. Hence Junfraujoch is marketed to tourist as "Top of Europe".
The first leg of the excursion to Jungfraujoch for most people is to take a train from the Interlaken, the Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen Valleys (where there are plenty of accomodation) to Kleine Scheidegg (2,061m). The Jungfrau Railway officially begins here.
Towering over the town of Interlaken (i.e. between the two lakes of Brienzersee and Thunersee) is the Bernese Alps. It has the second highest group of peaks in the Swiss Alps after the Pennine Alps (where the Matterhorn is). The most famous and visible are the triumvirate peaks of Jungfrau ("Maiden", 4158m), Monch ("Monk", 4099m) and Eiger ("Ogre", 3970m).
Jungfraujoch is the geographical name of the saddle between Jungfrau and Monch. On the Joch rises a small peak called the Sphinx. The highest mountain station of the Jungfraubahn, at 3,454m is located here. It is also the highest railway station in Europe. Hence Junfraujoch is marketed to tourist as "Top of Europe".
The first leg of the excursion to Jungfraujoch for most people is to take a train from the Interlaken, the Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen Valleys (where there are plenty of accomodation) to Kleine Scheidegg (2,061m). The Jungfrau Railway officially begins here.
View of the Monch(left) and Jungfrau from Kleine Scheidegg bathing in the glorious morning sun.
The train enters the tunnel running eastward through the Eiger shortly after leaving Kleine Scheidegg. The train first stop at Eigerwand (2,865m), where there is a window about 8 m long and a metre high, halfway up the Eiger north face where passengers can look out to the valley below. The train then turns west, heading towards the Jungfrau. This photos shows the Eismeer ("Sea of Ice", 3,160m), the second stop which also has a window looking out.
At the Jungfrau train station, there is an elevator to the summit of the Sphinx, where there is a small viewing platform and an observatory. One can also leave the station to walk on the surrounding ice. Here is Jungfrau seen from the Sphinx.
Panorama view of the Great Aletsch Glacier taken from the Sphinx. In the far end at the center of the photo is the Pennine Alps, where Matterhorn is located.
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