Day trip from Lucern to Jungfraujoch

By the way, I have also thinking about either to buy Swiss Travel Pass or Eurail Pass.

I would not buy any tickets in advance for the Jungfraujoch. Only go there if the weather is clear and then early in the morning, and we can't know the weather until at best the day before. It's not worth the time or money to go up there if the weather is poor.

That would be a very long day trip. I show the quickest route is 4 hours and 14 minutes with 4 train changes. How long will you be in Switzerland for? I'd suggest spending some time closer to the mountains. I was in Switzerland last month and liked Lucern, but I loved, loved our time in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, and Wengen.

Another option would be to see some of the mountains closer to Lucern--Titlis, Riggi, or Pilatus.

Is this trip Luzern-Jungfraujoch, the only rail trip you are taking?

You will need to leave early in the morning from Lucerne in order to do this proper. Weather is always an issue. You didn't ask but I also think the Jungfraujoch is a bit over-rated. Plus it is 5-6 hours just from Grindelwald (side note: Grindelwald Terminal is basically a shopping mall with access to the gondolas & trains and is 1.5 km from the town itself), leaving little time for much else that day. And any further excursions into the territory would be incremental train fare.

what is 5 or 6 hours from Grindelwald, Marc?

If travelling from Lucerne, the route doesn't normally go through Grindelwald. If you did end up there by mistake, the trip from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg is 32 minutes.

IMO, it's not really practical to visit the Jungraujoch as a day trip from Lucerne, as the travel time is 4H:09M each way. The first segment of the trip is by Bus and there are four changes in each direction. That trip would be an arduous and long day. It would be much easier to spend a couple of nights in Lauterbrunnen, as that would make a trip to the Jungfraujoch much easier. You could also visit the famous Schilthorn and Piz Gloria on the other side of the valley.

As others have mentioned, it's a good idea to check the webcams to make sure the weather is clear at the top, as you won't see much if the Jungfraujoch is shrouded in fog. One other caveat to mention..... the facility is located at about 12,000 feet so if you have any "altitude issues" that's something to keep in mind. I found that I was moving considerably slower there and stairs were more of an effort.

There aren't any buses involved (unless there is some work on the railway), but it is still not a great daytrip, especially since there are 4 great options nearer Luzern for mountain daytrips:
- Rigi: lovely boat+train excursion, broad views, some hiking possible at the top
- Pilatus: a steeper (impressive cog railway), more "dramatic" mountain but much less to do at the top, can be done as a half-day
- Stanserhorn: views a bit less impressive than the other two perhaps (I haven't been), but the open-air cable car looks like a treat
- Titlis: over 3,000 meters high with year-round snow and great views, perhaps the nearest equivalent to Jungfraujoch in terms of overall experience

A few years ago we visited the Berner Oberland. One of the couples went up to the Jungfraujoch (we did not). They enjoyed the experience but mentioned a lot of time was spent inside the mountain with just a few windows to see out. In my mind I wondered if they felt it was really worth the time/money when there are so many other wonderful things to do in the same area. That same couple has also been up on the Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix, France and still talk about that experience.

@ balso. The OP is undoubtedly referring to tours sold by Viator which include a charter bus from Zurich and Luzern to Grindelwald, then to the Eigergletcher by cable car, then to the Jungfraujoch on the train. They quote prices in USD.

Short answer is no, it is not worth the money for all the reasons mentioned.

Consider this tour instead. Half the price and a much easier and enjoyable from Lucerne.

https://www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/golden-round-trip

balso,

"There aren't any buses involved (unless there is some work on the railway)"

I confirmed the connections and travel time on the Bahn.de website and a bus was indicated for the first leg of that trip. I don't know if that's a temporary arrangement due to rail work?

Yes, the bus is listed as a train replacement bus, there seems to be some track work around Luzern - not relevant to the OP.

Not sure why people are saying the travel time is over 4 hours. The drive from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen is only just over an hour. Rent a car and enjoy the scenery both ways.

Darren, then it is at least another 1 1/2 hours from Lauterbrunnen to the Jungfraujoch on the train. You can't drive up there. Add in time to rent the car, time to park the car, it ain't saving all that much time.

The drive in the car between Meiringen (where the road starts or finishes going up the mountain) to nearly Luzern is almost all single lane each way with a solid yellow line down the centre. No passing for virtually the entire duration.

A couple of years ago, 2019, I was on my regular run, sometimes by train, sometimes in my own car, to Luzern via Brienz. I got behind an international tour bus which was behind a farm vehicle. The farm vehicle went as far as a farm beyond one of the alpine lakes so now all I had was the tour bus which made no effort to pull off (I might have done, the views are excellent) but kept on slowly progressing east. I guess he had little mountain driving experience. I'll say it took quite a lot longer. And we were meeting a friend. I was late.

there's also a reason why the Interlaken/Brienz/Brünig/Luzern train line is considered one of the most scenic in Switzerland. The views from the train, especially for those segments where you are on the rack or lakeside, are a picture postcard.

The road has tunnels and plenty of traffic. If you are going to make Luzern/Lauterbrunnen in less than 90 minutes you won't be stopping or looking around, or you are speeding.