Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn...undecided

They're both first class attractions and if you have the time and money you should do both. The Schiltorn is mostly a mountain-top panorama attraction, Jungfrau is mostly an engineering marvel/glacier experience. If had to choose just one it would be Jungfrau. While it takes longer to get to the top and is more expensive, it also has more to do. In addition to the commanding views of the glacier valley at the very top, you can also walk on the glacier where their are activities like a zip-line and mini-luge. Then you can take the elevator down and walk inside that glacier and explore the ice-gallery, the network of tunnels in the complex also have lots of exihibts about the region. Hard to put into words but Jungfrau seems more "Mount Everest" to me.

If you've only got 1 day I would do neither...and I've been to both many times. From Interlaken Ost you'll travel by train to Lauterbrunnen which is in a valley surrounded by the giant alps. As you arrive into Lauterbrunnen the mountain villages of Murren will be on your right and Wengen on your left. You will transit through Murren to go to Schilthorn and through Wengen to go to Jungfrau.

The villages are exquisite and because daylight will be short in February you should spend the daylight hours seeing Lauterbrunnen and the surrounding alpine villages. If you just must go to one of the peaks then choose the Schilthorn because it is so much quicker and will require less of your remaining daylight sightseeing hours.

If it is cloudy at the top then do not go to either. The Jungfrau is a feat of engineering - but a "once in a lifetime attraction" it is not. The Swiss Alps - now THERE'S a once in a lifetime attraction!

I totally agree with Tim. You don't have to do either. With so little time, I would not go to Jungfraujoch because a huge portion of your time will be spent on transportation and part of it will be in a tunnel.

I've been to both and hands down, Schilthorn is the one I would choose. As said, the Jungfrau is a world class engineering feat if you are interested in technical things. However, it is one and a half hours each way mostly in a dark tunnel. That's three hours just in transit. The Schilthorn trip has magnificent views all the way up the mountain, and open vistas all around at the top.

But the real bottom line is that the weather makes a difference for either sight. It can change quickly and you'll end up seeing a lot of fog and clouds.

Mike-
I agree with Tim that Schilthorn would be a better choice, given your limited time (especially if I've talked you out of the panoramic restaurant at Hoher Kasten!). But I'd suggest in addition the you skip the check-in at Interlaken, and instead hop on a train to Lauterbrunnen. Book a hotel for the night in either Lauterbrunnen or Murren and check in. Then, based on the weather at the top, you can decide whether to go up or not. If you can't, you can explore these towns, plus Gimmelwald, Wengen or Grindelwald if you wish. And if you do go to the top, you will still have plenty of time at the end of the day to explore whichever town yo stay in- they're all small!

However, it is one and a half hours each way mostly in a dark tunnel.

Journey time from Kleine Scheidegg to the the mountain top is just under one-hour (52 minutes).. Along the way the there are stops at a couple viewing stations dug out of the mountain which give you commanding views of the valley below. It's not like one is traveling in a moving dungeon:) Even quicker on the way back as there are no stops along the way.

And from Interlaken Ost, it is about 2 hours each way. You can choose to up via Grindelwald and return via Lauterbrunnen for different mountain views. On that way, you can stop in Wengen for an hour or two. Apres-Ski will be in full swing.

The train from Interlaken Ost splits along the way, with half going to Grindelwald and the other half going to Lauterbrunnen. The individual cars will be marked as such.

Here are two videos that show you the ride up to Jungfrau and will give you an idea of what you will see.

Jungfrau from Interlaken & Grindelwald, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_7wVrhyOcE

Interlaken to Jungfrau, May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9jlX6yfDNI

Switzerland is on my list of places to visit after my London trip in a year or so. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks guys!
I am still trying to digest all your comments here
I will def. take into consideration and it looks like based on the comments here, most likely we are going to do the Schilthorn....esp I just learnt going for Jungfrau is very time consuming for the dark tunnels that eats alot of time opposed going to Schilthorn, you get the nice views are you go up. I guess if we stayed for 2 nights, we could afford to both excursions

Also, just to add a few notes, we are def. going excursions on Mt. Rigi, Mt Titlis, Gornergrat, Glacier Paradise AND possibly Roche de Nay @ Mountrex, so therefore I am not sure if it is too many for 10 days......and if one may be similar to Jungfraujoch anyways which I suspect the closest would be Mt Titlis due to similar activities/glacier views (but probably the downgrade version based on what I have heard)

Ottawanderer......I agree what you said and would love to do that but unfortunately, I already booked the hotel in Inetrlaken and I have to anyway because on the next morning, I will be going to Mountrex by Golden Pass early in the morning so therefore it would be inconvenient on the other way around if we were to leave to the train station. Or otherwise if we stayed for 2 nights, YES, I would def. stay 1 night either Lauterbrunnen or Murren as suggested.

By the way, if we do get to do Schilthorn, on the way back, do you think it is possible to do to stroll along the the towns in Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald and/or Wegen? (of course provided its flowing on the way back smoothly not having to go out of the route or too far each other) Or its impossible and I can only choose one/two (before they get dark at 6pm)? We would like to be in a town that is less touristy, no cars, more of a swiss village view or with valley surrounded by the beautiful alp etc if you get what I mean. If we intend to go for Schilthorn, we will probably start the excursion very early at 8:30am (thats after checking in/drop the bagge)...and then maybe finish at 12-1pm before strolling to the town(s) mentioned? Not sure if it is doable though depending how long average people stay in Schilthorn

Tim....you also seem to be very logical as well, perhaps we will go WITHOUT the Schilthorn excursion and go to the towns you mentioned when the weather is really bad because if the weather is really clear and beautiful, we would feel guilty not to go if you know what I mean and we dun wanna miss the golden chance esp if we never been one before and we are just that close.....lol

Mike
Muerren is on the way up to the Schilthorn, so certainly easily accessible for a visit and stroll. You can walk to Gimmelwald from there, which as you may note is one of RS's backdoor favorites. Lauterbrunnen is also on the way, on the valley floor (Muerren is up the mountain from there). Wengen is in a different valley (the one leading to Jungfraujoch). I think either Muerren or Lauterbrunnen or both will satisfy your mountain view urge. From Muerren, you will be looking out over the valley, so its a more stunning place, weather permitting.

These places are not that far apart as the crow flies, in that you can see one from the other, so it will make more sense when you see things in person.

Like Stan said, coming home from Schilthorn you pretty well have to pass through both Murren and Lauterbrunnen. You will take a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen (see previous post about getting on the right half of the train). From Lauterbrunnen, you can take a Post Bus along the floor of the Lauterbrunnen valley to Stechelberg, and catch the lift all the way up to Schilthorn, with stops at Gimmelwald and Murren on the way up. Or, from the Lauterbrunnen train station you can cross the road (or use the walkway under it) to the lift station up to Grutschalp, where (in the same building) you get on the little two-car train to Murren, less than ten minutes away. There, you get on the same lift as in the first option. If you're travelling on a pass, you can always linger at any of the stops and explore the town (village) you're in. (If travelling on a single ticket, check what your options are before hopping off.) I'd absolutely recommend wandering around Murren at least, and Gimmelwald if possible. The town of Lauterbrunnen is on the valley floor, is not as scenic, but worth a walk through if time permits. Also, I'd recommend going one way, and coming back the other. The valley bus ride between Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen is also pretty amazing!

As for Wengen, you're not going to be able to get there if you go to Schilthorn- which is fine. However, if you get to Lauterbrunnen and find out the both peaks are socked in, you can always add a train ride to Wengen to your list, as well as Grindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg for that matter. These three towns are all on the Jungfrau side of the valley, and on the same train line. If you end up in Grindelwald, you can go directly back to Interlaken without returning to Lauterbrunnen- in fact, the trains that split on the way in join up again and arrive in Interlaken as one. Aren't Swiss trains amazing!

I was going to say try to do both, but then I saw that you're coming in February and only have one day. Given those constraints, I agree that you shouldn't plan on doing either. If you want a "Schilthorn light" experience, do the Allmendhubel, which takes you up from Mürren much less high than the Schilthorn, but is also much less expensive, and still gives a good view of the tops of the three mountains (you can't see the tops from Mürren itself). If the weather at the top isn't good, don't waste money on any high-priced mountaintop ride (check webcams before you go).

Thank you for the feedback once again as they have been helpful and we are confirmed that we will go to Schilthorn as last decision

I had looked at the map of the Interlaken area up to Schilthorn so I am starting to kinda get the direction. I will go to your suggested places to stop by in Murren followed by Lauterbrunnen after the trip.

1)
Sorry, just to clear things up so that I understand where I am heading to in the correct order..
(i) From Interlaken, I the train to Lautebrunnen
(ii) Upon arrival, I transfer and take the bus to Stechelberg
(iii) Then I would change the cable cars/gondola (4 changes total if I am correct?) all the way up to Schilthorn and arrive there around 1/2 hour?
(iv) Returning down......From Schilthorn, maybe I stop & hop off at Birg for a while and take some photos? (unless it is only for hikers and not needed upon your suggestion)
(v) Afterwards, we take the cablecar down to Gimmalwald. Walk the town for a while
(vi) Then from there....we take the cablecar to Murren and stroll for a couple of hours?
(vii) Head back from Murren to Grutschalp to Lauterbrunnen by cable car to enjoy the view from the other direction and stroll Lauterbrunnen town for a while (if time permits and not yet dark) before heading back to Interlaken

Correct me if I have been misunderstood since i am not familar with the place

2) As Lauterbrunnen, we will have to passby before back to Interlaken anyway, so is it still nice to stroll the town after dark (after 6pm)? Or its better off going back to Interlaken and have a dinner or a walk there given there's more things to do there (and it;s only the night we have in Interlaken....). The reason why I ask is because I think probably we will spend more tiem in Murren but at the same time, we wanna spend some time in Lauterbrunnen if time permits

3) As I am aware the Swiss Pass covers up to Murren so I am wondering after the Schilthorn excursion and we come down to Gimmelwald for a walk before hopping back to Murren again, will there be extra charge calculated as one way?

4) Does the Good Morning Ticket applies extra discount for Swiss Pass if we depart Interlaken before around 8:30am? Or discount does not apply?

5) For each cable car, how long is the wait in average? I heard its 1/2 hour, correct? Because in case we can hop off for a little while from the station and take some photos or stroll along the little town. I am hope in mid Feb next year is not high season so that we don't have to queue long....

6) As we are coming in Feb, do you know all of the swiss alp including the town areas like Muerren, Lauterbrunnen, Appenzell, Interlaken, Montreux, Zermatt etc are ALL covered by snow? Because when I saw the photos that has greenland and cows, we would love the chance to see that but at the same time, we forget that they appear during the middle year but at the same time, I am not sure if its likely to happen in Feb given its a snow season..

Thanks once again

In February, it will be the height of ski season. Snow everywhere and full of skiers (and boarders).
Going down from Schilthorn, Birg will be the first stop, then Muerren. This is where the "town" is to walk around. Not much in Gimmelwald that time of year and not really much "town" to walk around in. You'll see it on the way up as it is the first stop from Stechelberg.
In Muerren, going to Lauterbrunnen, you have the option of walking to the BLM railway station and taking the train to Gruetschalp and then riding a gondola (detachable cable car) down to Lauterbrunnen station.
Everything below Muerren is free with the Swiss Travel Pass.

Here are a couple of links to webcams, not much to see when it's dark, lol!

Webcam from Piz Gloria, the restaurant at the top of the Shilthorn as well as cams from Birg and Almendhubel

http://schilthorn.ch/en/Info/Schilthorn_Live/Livecams

Muerren from the Hotel Edelweiss

http://hoteledelweiss.roundshot.com/

There is a schedule posted for the departure times for the gondolas in Birg. You have to get off the gondola anyway and walk thru to the gondola for the next section. There is a Thrill Walk in Birg where you walk onto a glass platform and some other activities. I don't know if it is open in winter. I am a big chicken with heights so I would not even look at what was offered but many of the people on my Rick Steves tour stopped there on the way back to Muerren and spent an hour or so.

http://schilthorn.ch/en/Angebot/Schilthorn/2_THRILL%3Cbr%3EBirg_2677_m_._8783_ft/Skyline_Walk_2014

I would skip stopping in Gimmelwald as your time is limited and it's pretty small. In Muerren to get from the gondola station to the station for the little train to Grutschalp you have to walk thru town. Look at this googlemap link. The Muerren Schilthornbahn (has red dotted lines going to it at the bottom left of the map) is the station for the gondola and the Muerren BLM is the train station.

https://goo.gl/maps/gR2weg1137v

At the Schithorn there is also the James Bond Experience. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the George Lazenby James Bond film, was shot here.

James' arrival at Piz Gloria - shows a quick look at Birg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwTI-ZWoUB4

The ski escape from Piz Gloria and the escape scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrkerh77MYY

I will also add that from Lauterbrunnen instead of taking the Post Bus to Stechelberg to take the Schilthornbahn you can also reverse the process mentioned by Sam and take the gondola up to Grutschalp, the train to Muerren, walk thru town, and then catch the gondola from there to the Schilthorn. However, the ride thru the Lauterbrunnen Valley on the bus may be beautiful.

Mike,

Regarding the questions in your last post......

1.) It sounds like you want to try both routes to & from the Schilthorn. The route you specified is basically correct but I'd suggest one slight change. How does this sound....
(i.) Travel from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen via the Berner Oberlandbahn (about 20 minutes). Be sure to check the digital display on the side of the car to ensure it's going to Lauterbrunnen and not Grindelwald (some trains split at Zweilütschinen).

(ii.) When you arrive in Lauterbrunnen, walk across the street and take the cable car to Grütschalp and then transfer to the small railway for the trip to Mürren (~15-20 minutes). This arrives at the opposite end of town from the Schilthornbahn, so do your walkabout in Mürren then. When you've seen enough walk to the cable car and ride up to the Schilthorn (that's two segments).

(iii.) Explore Piz Gloria, perhaps have a "Martini shaken not stirred" and then a hot meal in the revolving restaurant.

(iv.) Take the cable car down the mountain as far as Gimmelwald. You can certainly stop at Birg and take some photos if you want, but that will mean waiting for the next cable car down. In February most of the others there will probably be skiers. There's also a small cafe there as I recall.

(v.) Do your walkabout in Gimmelwald and when you're ready to leave take the final leg of the cable car to Stechelberg. Look for the Post Bus (bright yellow, you can't miss it), which will probably be waiting. Travel to Lauterbrunnen and re-connect with the train.

2.) You could certainly have a brief look at Lauterbrunnen before you head back to Interlaken. It's not a long walk to the Horner Pub so if it's open you could stop for a cool one.

3.) The route I listed above eliminates one trip on the Schilthornbahn (going back to Mürren from Gimmelwald), which may save you a few bucks.

4.) I'm not sure of the answer for that. Hopefully one of the others can help. If I have a planned route, I normally just pay whatever it takes.

5.) It's difficult to provide an answer on how long the wait or queues might be on the day you're there. Generally speaking the Swiss run a very efficient transportation system which is well coordinated so I doubt the waits will be very long.

6.) Whether the ground will be all covered in snow in February is another question that's difficult to answer. Who knows what this winter will be like and three+ months from now. It's also difficult to know whether there might be any cows visible on the day you're there. You may get a few clues from having a look at THIS website from one of the members who posts here on the forum.

Hope this helps.

Whether the ground will be all covered in snow in February is another question that's difficult to answer. Who knows what this winter will be like and three+ months from now. It's also difficult to know whether there might be any cows visible on the day you're there.

I can pretty much guarantee that all the cows will be holed up in the barns living of the supplies of hay the farmers harvested all summer. Maybe one of the farmers will give you a peak. Buy a kilo of cheese, its the real thing. Pricey, but worth it for the taste.

Thanks folks for the tips, they are very super helpful

PAM:
"I will also add that from Lauterbrunnen instead of taking the Post Bus to Stechelberg to take the Schilthornbahn you can also reverse the process mentioned by Sam and take the gondola up to Grutschalp, the train to Muerren, walk thru town, and then catch the gondola from there to the Schilthorn. However, the ride thru the Lauterbrunnen Valley on the bus may be beautiful."

I think I might prefer the other way, the main reason is other than the bus ride scenery, we'd like to stroll in the Murren after Schilthron without having to rush and then have afternoon tea/late lunch before taking the gondola from Murren - Grutschalp - Lauternenen (perhaps walk a while as well if not yet dark?) before heading back to the hotel, I hope what I am doing makes sense. =)

I love the thrill of heights and don't say you are chicken as you are already brave making up to the top already! My father in law doesnt like to go on a NORMAL cable ride (like in any metro cities), let alone, going to teh top of the mountain, so you are doing well!

And yes, I will skip Gimmelwald if what you said is little town and not enough time

KEN:

Thanks for the suggestion. I mean the reason why we wanna see the Schilthorn first is because we wanna avoid the crowd later in the afternoon so by the time we finish strolling Murren and go up, its full of people so we wanna get there early to avoid teh crowd and then when we go to Murren, we can take our time and relax strolling however long we want before heading back. Unless my logic is wrong, correct me if i do and i will def. take into your consideration =)

PS: I heard somewhere when you arrive in Lauterbrunnen train station, there is a little supermarket you can buy ? They were advised, to buy a lunch take away to the top to eat since it is like maybe 5CHF for a sandwich meal or something, if to save money, and avoid going to the restaurant at the Piz Gloria that is super expensive and only other than maybe buying a drink and enjoy it at the relolving restaurant window. Is it easily seen at the in Lauterbrunnen anyway?

Mike,

As I recall, there's a Coop store across the street from the station in Lauterbrunnen, so that's probably the one you're referring to. It's set back a bit from the street, but has a large orange sign so it shouldn't be hard to spot. I don't know what type of snacks they offer there?

Regarding your visit to the Schilthorn, I'm not sure how much of a "crowd" there might be in the afternoon in February. Most of the people visiting will likely be skiers, so tourist traffic just to visit the Schilthorn may be limited.

Regarding my previous route suggestion, the 2017 schedules may have a bearing on which routes you'll be able to use. Have a look....

http://schilthorn.ch/cmsfiles/Fahrplan_2017_4.pdf
http://schilthorn.ch/cmsfiles/Tarif-Flyer_2017_1.pdf

Yep thats the one
Thanks for that
I just forgot the name
Its basically like a supermarket like USA = Safeway or Australia = Coles/Woolworths etc and its good if we wanna stock up have some chips, drinks snacks, buscuits or other food we can eat when we are in the hotel or in the middle of nowhere =)

Thanks for the links, they will be very helpful for us esp. for the timetable!

Regarding your visit to the Schilthorn, I'm not sure how much of a "crowd" there might be in the afternoon in February. Most of the people visiting will likely be skiers, so tourist traffic just to visit the Schilthorn may be limited.

Piz Gloria is a ski station as well as tourist attraction, so it's likely to be very crowded, probably even moreso than the summer. If the OP is coming from Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen, the skiers based in Mürren will have a headstart getting there.

Allow me to confirm as well that Gimmelwald is almost completely snowed under during the winter. And yes, snow is almost an absolute guarantee. If the weather is somewhat warm, Lauterbrunnen may not be completely blanketed, but the towns at higher elevation (Mürren, Wengen, Gimmelwald) will have several feet of snow accumulation.

And considering that skiers get free access to Piz Gloria with their lift passes, it will get busy, especially at lunch time.

Prior to arriving in Lauterbrunnen, we had done the Zugspitz and the Aiguille du Midi. Even though we had six days total in Lauterbrunnen and Murren, we decided not to do the Schilthorn as it seemed to be more similar to what we had already experienced.

We waited for a clear day to experience Junfraujoch. To me, the train ride inside the mountain went quickly. There is a lot to do at the top, and I know we missed some of it. On the way down we stopped at an outdoor bar in Kleine Scheidegg for a beer and brat. You could also get off the train at Wengen if you wish to see that town. We visited that area on a previous day.

The Coop is quite small, but you should be able to find something for lunch. If I remember correctly, they are closed mid day and all day Sunday.

Since you will have already experienced other peaks, I would vote for the Jungfraujoch if you have a clear day. Have a wonderful vacation!

Tom,

Thanks for the clarification on that. I've never been there in winter but didn't really pay attention on ski facilities at Piz Gloria. The ski function was more obvious at Birg. I had a look at a map and that looks like a long run back to Mürren from the Schilthorn, and probably only for the hard-core skiers.

From Piz Gloria it is steep and a tad icy if there has not been recent snow. When I was there a few years back, we had to download from Birg because an avalanche blocked the ski trail down to Muerren.