Munich to Jungfraujoch in 1 Day?

This is too much train riding for a one day trip and too rushed for my taste. But before spending all the money to go up be certain that the visibility up there is going to be clear. Part of the fun of going up there is hiking the snow covered glacier to the hut. You won't have time to do that

Thanks. This isn't a 1 day trip. We will be staying in Wengen for 2 nights. We originally planned 2 days, 1 for Schilthorn and 1 for Jungfraujoch. But, I am concerned the weather could ruin one of those days and I am looking for flexibility as a result. If I could use the travel day for Jungfraujoch, it gives me one more shot at the mountains being clear.

Yes it’s crazy to contemplate, sorry. After the long train ride from Munich sitting for another 2 hour roundtrip is the last thing you’re going to want to do. Pick a less involved activity to do that afternoon.

Yes, you can buy your train tickets on the SBB app. You can easily make a 4 min connection. The 2 trains are literally a 10 second walk from each other. And no they won’t check you in/scan your CC at the train station, that’s not realistic. Just leisurely get to Wengen and enjoy walking around the village or at the most go up to Mannlichen. If your itinerary is so rushed that you don’t have buffer, you may need to add a day.

First of all the Eurail Pass is valid till Wengen, so you do not need to buy a ticket for Wengen. And the 4 minutes transfer in Lauterbrunnen is 3m30s longer than you need :-) Its just a few steps across the platform from one train to the next.

Note that with the 6:54 Munich departure you will be in Wengen at 13:12 already, provided the train from Munich is not delayed. (where are you looking at schedules? Use www.bahn.de or www.sbb.ch). Do reserve a seat on Munich - Zurich though.

Usually when the hotel picks up guests at the station they will be waiting for you.

So you could technically just ask your hotel to pick up your luggage, and do the check in later when you return from the 'joch. The only issue is that with the Rail Europe pass you need to buy your Jungfraujoch ticket at a ticket window, as that is the only way to get your 25% off. So you would be on your way up at the earliest at 13:46. Be aware that you only get that reduction on days the pass is active.

Another aspect is your sensitivity to altitude sickness. Not everyone can tolerate an ascent from Munich (500 meters above sea level) to the Jungfrauenjoch (3450 meters above sea level) within 10 hours.
A night in Wengen (1300 meters above sea level) would help your body to adapt a bit.

Thanks very much for all of your thoughts. I knew this would be pushing the envelope a bit. But, I'm just worried about having a day or two with bad visibility without an alternative.

Questions: The Rail Planner app for Eurail says that the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen is not in the pass network. Are you sure that I would be covered all the way to Wengen? The app also puts me on the Lauterbrunnen to Wengen train that is 34 minutes after arriving in Laut. I am assuming it has a limit on changing trains higher than 4 minutes. If I buy the ticket on the SBB website in advance, I don't think I get the discount (assuming it is not covered as shown in the app). But, not sure the small discount would be worth the extra 30 minutes. This is relevant whether I try for the crazy first day from Munich to 'joch or not as we will be using the train to get around several times during our stay.

I am thinking maybe checking weather forecasts on the day before departure to make a final decision. Yes, it would be a big push. But, if one or two days have bad predicted visibility and the day we arrive is good, it would be very hard not to give it a try.

One more datapoint: I just checked the SBB website instead of the Eurail app and it lists a potential trip leaving Munich at 06:54 and arriving in Wengen at 13:12. It requires several train changes. But, they are mostly in small towns where the transfer should be relatively easy. That would be worth it to save an hour travel time. This would make it a little less crazy to attempt.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and does not like being called a "small town".

I heard that the trains from Interlaken Ost to Wengen are now fully covered by the Eurail Pass. Perhaps the Rail Planner is out of date.

No insult to Bern intended . . . I did say "most". :-) We will be touring Bern as well! And, we are excited to tour Switzerland's capital city!

Is there somewhere to definitively determine whether the Eurail pass covers the leg from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen? I've poked around, but I can't find a definitive clear answer.

look at the most recent synoptic map and ask the vendor of the pass

be aware that the mountains make their own weather which may be different to what an app may say.

The clouds usually start to bubble up around noon so the top may be fogged in when the base is fine. Use the cameras at the station and on camera apps to see the real picture.

Then again it takes nearly 2 hours to go up so may have changed again by the time you get there.

Have you considered saving time by using the cable car (new) from Grindelwald to Eigergletscher and the train for the last bit?

none of my advice in this case should be taken as encouraging a trip from Munich to the top of the Jungfrau in one day. I do, on the other hand, worry that it won't be successful.

You might try emailing them with your question about Eurail Pass validity. [email protected]

"Is there somewhere to definitively determine whether the Eurail pass covers the leg from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen? I've poked around, but I can't find a definitive clear answer."

I can confirm that the Eurail Pass is valid till Wengen. This is new from this year, so that is why many sources do not mention it (yet), but I have confirmed it with the WAB staff themselves.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and information. Thank you for confirming that Lauterbrunnen to Wengen is now covered by the Eurail pass. That should make things easier for all of our plans.

Also, thanks to all of you, we are now leaning toward NOT trying to go all the way from Munich to Jungfraujoch on our travel day. But, we will probably still keep an eye on the weather forecasts and potentially still go all the way if the next two days show rain/snow in the forecast and the travel day does not. If we don't go all the way on our travel day, we will stop in Bern and do the RS walk and then continue to Wengen. Should be fun and a good way to break up a long train ride.

I did check out the new gondola option. But, it appears to add 30 minutes to the trip between Wengen and Jungfraujoch.

Thanks again. This is an amazing forum.

It would add time if you stopped to drop luggage in Wengen because you then need the train to Grindelwald - the wrong direction.

But if you had stashed the luggage somewhere on route, Grindelwald or Interlaken Ost (and went back after the mountain to retrieve it), half the train which goes towards Lauterbrunnen splits off part way and turns left to Grindelwald. Locker the luggage and go the short distance to the gondola and -whoosh- up you go.....

It was only a thought... Of all the transportation the new gondola is the only transportation in the area I have not yet tried.

Thanks again. As we are now leaning toward not trying to push Munich to Jungfraujoch in 1 day, I am wondering about the weather on the 2 days we have left to tour. Is Schilthorn still worth doing with clouds/rain? Jungfraujoch? My sister went to Jungfraujoch when it was cloudy/foggy and she still said it was fun and interesting. So, I'm wondering what all of you think about wanting to go to either peak with less than optimal weather? And, a related question is how would you determine when you would go and when you would not? Thanks.

The visibility has proven to be the best early in the morning; every hotel has a webcam of what conditions look like so you can decide but ask the locals at the front desk that have seen it all. Also the ticket office has webcams and they will honestly tell you if it is good or not to go up. Base your decision only on what the locals tell you when you get there.

Thanks. We have been looking at the webcams already. So beautiful!