Hi everyone -- I have a question for people who have been to the Jungfraujoch. We plan to stay in Murren for three days in August. Originally, I had planned to take the train / lifts from Murren -> Lauterbrunnen -> Wegen ->mannlichen; then hike to Kleine Scheidegg and take the train to Jungfraujoch. However, this means we'd get to the top around noon (we are not early people). For the past few days, I've noticed that the live cam shows no visibility in the afternoon. It'd be a bummer to go up and not able to see anything, wouldn't it? The visibility seems to be better in the morning. I am not sure if this is because the visibility is low in general in the afternoon, or just these few days happen to be cloudy. Has anyone gone up to Jungfraujoch in the afternoon? Or anyone has suggestions how to get there from Murren faster? Incidentally, we will be very close to Schilthorn -- perhaps we should go there instead of Jungfraujoch? Thanks for all your advice!
Posted by
Long Beach, CA, USA
54 posts
We went up to the Jungfraujoch yesterday in the morning, afternoons seem to cloud up. It was fun playing in the snow and going in the snow cave. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen and it is so beautiful you dont want rush doing anything in that area,it is one of the most beautiful places on earth !!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9099 posts
Whether you visit Jungfrau or Schiltorn, you must go early in the morning. By noon time the clouds always roll-in making a trip to the top a waste of money. All the guidebooks recommend this.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Yes, go early for best views. Why don't you do your hike on the way down instead of on the way up? That you maybe you can arrive to the top a but earlier.
Lastly, I generally wouldn't consider noon to be too late to get to the top. I've been several times including last month, and we always arrive somewhere between 10-12, and we've always had fine weather.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I would recommend that if you really want to see the top of a mountain, why not just go up to Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn? Murren is located on the lower slopes of that mountain, so rather than catch the gondola down to Stechelberg, cross the valley and ascend up a different mountain, why not just ride up from Murren to the summit of the Schilthorn? You are right, mornings tend to be clearer than afternoons, so you can potentially save time and maximize your chances of good weather by taking the ride from Murren to Piz Gloria.
Posted by
Matthews
18 posts
My family and I visited Jungfraujoch on June 10. We also stayed in Murren at Hotel Jungfrau. I would go to Jungfraujoch instead of Schilthorn because of more things to do. You can ride the zip line, dog-sledding (before 12:00), Ice Palace, etc. My daughter skiied (bunny hill) her very 1st time on the top of Jungfraujoch. We took the trains/lifts to the top and back.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Lauren, you need to be an early bird to do this one as it will take you 2.5hrs to get from Muerren to the Jungfraujoch. And yes, it does cloud up beginning in the mid-day. I suggest that you leave Muerren at 7:30am to be up there by 10:00am. Go earlier if you can.
The best way is to take the cog train to Grutshalp and then the gondola down to Lauterbrunnen. Walk 300 feet to the train station to catch the cog train up to the Jungfraujoch. It will take 30 minutes to do this. It will take much longer if you take the gondola to Gimmelwald and then the gondola down to Stechelberg as you have to take a 20 minute bus from Stechelberg to the Lauterbrunnen train station. The bus runs every 30 minutes so if you miss one, you will lose more time.
The cog train to the Jungfraujoch takes 2hrs. I've timed it. It takes 2hrs back down as well. Surprisingly, there is really good food at the Jungfraujoch. Take in all of the views, especially from the much higher Sphinx, tour the ice palace and then have lunch. CLICK HERE to see the Jungfraujoch and Sphinx.