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Jungfraujoch

The Top of Europe - the highest railway station on the continent, reached through the heart of the Eiger to a world of glaciers, ice and snow, in the UNESCO Alps.

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Illustrative image - a scene in the spirit of the place, not a photograph of it. Real photos are below.

UNESCO World Heritage

Typemountain

WhereBernese Oberland

Nearest cityInterlaken

Best seasonYear-round; clearest June to September

Time to allowA day

Getting thereAbove Interlaken; cog railways via Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, tunnelling through the Eiger

EntryCharged; expensive railway

Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe, is a saddle high in the Bernese Alps reached by a feat of engineering: a cog railway that climbs through a tunnel bored into the heart of the Eiger to the highest railway station on the continent, at 3,454 metres. There, amid the peaks of the UNESCO Jungfrau region, lie an ice palace, viewpoints over the great Aletsch Glacier and a world of eternal snow.

What you actually see

The railway journey - the cog railway tunnelling up through the Eiger.
The Aletsch Glacier - the view over the longest glacier in the Alps.
The Ice Palace - the carved chambers within the glacier.
The Sphinx viewpoint - the observation terrace among the high peaks.

When to go

Year-round, as it is a world of ice at any season; June to September offers the clearest weather and open high trails. Check the mountain webcams and weather before you go, and book ahead, as the railway is costly and popular.

Honest expectations

It is one of the most expensive excursions in Europe, and on a cloudy day you pay a fortune to see white-out fog, so check the summit webcams first. The high altitude can leave some breathless. It is spectacular on a clear day, underwhelming in cloud.