Jungfraujoch, Switzerland: the top of Europe

On the morning of our first full day in Switzerland we woke up at 5:30am (which we were, of course, very excited about!) to catch the first cable car from Mürren to Lauterbrunnen. From there we boarded the Jungfraubahn (a train) to the Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at an altitude of 3,434 metres above sea level, between the peaks of the Mönch and the Jungfrau.

It was dark for much of the train journey, but by the time we reached Kleine Scheidegg at the base of the three big mountains (Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau) it was light enough to see the majestic Alps looming before us. The train makes a steep ascent through tunnels cut into the Eiger, and we stopped at a few viewing points to look out from inside the middle of the mountain:

the view from halfway up the Eiger

When we arrived I immediately felt the effects of the altitude; breathing was hard, I felt dizzy and sick, and I couldn’t walk faster than a stroll – it’s such a strange sensation! We walked around inside the train station admiring the views and the enormous glaciers around us before stepping out into the crisp morning air to take some photos:

glacier on the Jungfraujoch

with Dad & Brendan

view from the top

snowy ridge

When the cold became too much to bear, we warmed up inside and explored the Ice Palace within the station:

the ice palace

look who we found!

We spent a couple of hours at the top; Dad went for a walk but I was not feeling up to it so Brendan and I stayed inside enjoying the warmth and the spectacular views (with some Swiss chocolate!). By the time we started our descent just after midday the station was packed with other tourists; so we were glad that we had chosen to take the first train up and avoided the crowds. The journey down the mountain was stunning, as it was now the middle of the day and we could see all the tiny, picturesque villages that we had passed on the way up.

Jungfraubahn

the famous north face of the Eiger

The views from the Jungfraujoch were incredible, and I’d recommend it to anyone travelling around the Bernese Alps region. One of the things that fascinated me the most about this excursion was the effect that the altitude had on me; I expected to feel slightly short of breath but feeling dizzy and nauseous came as a surprise. At least I can cross ‘mountain-climber’ off my potential career list now!!