If you had to choose between the Schilthorn or Jungraujoch, which would you recommend? If you could afford it, would you do both, or just choose one and spend the other time doing something else? How much (in American dollars) should I plan for each to cost? I'll be traveling with my 13 year old daughter.

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If only one, the Jungfraujoch, but if you can afford it, both. If the weather is bad where they are engulfed in clouds--neither. The Schilthorn has amazing views, but not much to do at the top except a mediocre restaurant and maybe hiking down. The Jungfraujoch has ice caves, skiing, and other snow-based activities. As for cost--are you traveling by train? If so, you can cut the costs greatly (see my other posts here).

I've done both and there's no question the Jungfrauhoch is FAR superior. It's more expensive but well worth it. My favorite part was the ice cave and the disc sledding, which they have year round. They also have dog sled rides. They have none of that at Schilthorn.

If I had done the Schilthorn first I might have enjoyed it, but I did Schilthorn the day after Jungfraujoch, and Schilthorn completely pales in comparison. As mentioned above, make sure to check the weather forecast before doing either. Also if you take the first train to the Jungfraujoch you will get a discount and beat the crowds.

Taxatty,
Which posts are you referring too? I have read through some but can't really see which one you mean.
Thanks

There's no comparison- definitely Jungfraujoch. The Schilthorn is just a revolving restaurant with marginal food at the top of a gondola. You can do better at many ski resorts. Jungfraujoch is a geographically fascinating place where you travel through a glacier to reach it. At the top, you can walk on the glacier, take a dog sled ride, visit an ice cave, dine, enjoy the superior views, etc. The only reason to go to Schilthorn over Jungfraujoch is if you are James Bond's biggest fan.

After two visits to the Jungfraujoch, I would do a third. After one visit to the Schilthorn, my wife and I pulled into the parking lot, looked at each other, looked at the line, and decided to leave and not go.

So I think that tells you a little right there.

The Jungfraujoch is indeed a pricey trip even if you have a Swiss Card, or a Berner Oberland Regional Pass or a Jungfraubahn pass. The Swiss Card is a straight 50% off; the other two require the holder to pay half of the round trip price from the Eigergletscher Station to the top. Because that is the most expensive part of the trip, you still pay a fairly large fee.

The undiscounted price from Interlaken Ost to the top is 172.60 chf. Right now that converts to about $145 depending on the rate of exchange at the time you acquire the funding.

The Schilthorn is 113.60 round trip from Interlaken Ost. If you have a car you can take the Schilthornbahn from the valley station near Stechelberg at the end of the valley. If you are going to the Jungfraujoch, you could park in Lauterbrunnen and go up from there. There is a fee for parking, and this is true just about everywhere in Switzerland except remote mountain villages.

There are quite a few activities for pay at the Jungfraujoch, but there is one activity that costs nothing extra after you get there: Take the hike from the Jungfrau observation building out to the hikers' shelter on the side of the Mönch, the adjoing peak.

The shelter is called the Mönchsjochhütte. Don't let the word that sounds like hut fool you. This shelter holds 125 people plus the staff.
You can have lunch there as well.

The walk out there is almost entirely in the shelter of the connecting ridge between the two peaks. On a sunny day, the walk along a groomed snow track is actually hot until you emerge behind the protective barrier of the ridge and get hit with a gale force wind!

The views from the open area, despite the wind, are staggering to say the least. You get a clear look at a long alpine glacier and the surrounding peaks.

I do suggest you plan your trips and consult the web site that gives the costs of the trips within the Berner Oberland. You might find that any one of 3 passes might be a good deal for you. I suggest investigating 2 of them:
(1) The Swiss Card if you are arriving by and departing by train, and (2) the Jungfraubahn Pass.

The latter item does not include the Schilthorn, but you get everything else in the Berner Oberland region free except for the last stage of the Jungfraujoch trip, which is sold at 50% to pass holders.

The Swiss Card provides for a free trip from the border to your first night's destination and for a free trip when you exit. (Entry and exit points may be different.) In between, you pay half price for most transportation.
I understand that you can get a pass for your daughter and she gets the half off as well.

You could plan on the following trips within the Berner Oberland area:
Grindelwald to First Gondola
Wilderswil to Schynige Platte train
Jungfraujoch
Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen to the crest of the Männlichen, the ridge that towers some 4,000 feet above Lauterbrunnen.
The Post Bus to Grosse Scheidegg
the train back to the Eigergletscher station so you can at least get a good look at the north face of the Eiger from up close.

The scenery is awesome, and the ridges and stations have decent places to eat.

http://www.gofirst.ch/en/DesktopDefa...9/86_read-158/

The above link will take you to a table of trip prices within the Berner Oberland.

It is part of the Jungfrau Railways site.

The Jungfraubahn pass is 190 chf for an adult. It is valid for 6 consecutive days. All trips free except for the Jungfraujoch trip from the Eigergletscher station upwards and back.
(you pay 50%)

The English page for the pass is:

http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/Deskto.../172_read-696/

You can look up the prices and get a very good idea of what transportation will cost you.

Bob,
As usual, great info.

Thanks so much

Maudie--Bob said it all! No need to find the earlier posts. I do think that the Schilthorn is worthwhile and gives a much more panoramic view of the BO area than the Jungfraujoch, it's a shorter and much less crowded trip (the trains are often packed tight), and it's far easier to get to. I do agree that in good weather--absolutely go to the Jungfraujoch first, especially with a teenager (our two had a blast) as there's a lot to do there as you can see.

Slight amendment to my list of passes.
The Swiss Pass and the Swiss Flexi Pass now provide for 50% discounts on most mountain transportation routes, both rail and cable.

Depending on what your other plans are, one of the rail passes (as opposed to the Swiss Card) might well be appropriate.

In the past, my travel plans in the Berner Oberland and Zermatt areas have favored the Swiss Card.

Now that the discount yield available with the Swiss Pass has doubled, I can see more options.

I am tagging this post for my Sept. trip. Does anyone think that the weather "on top" will be iffy in Sept?

How difficult is it to get to the top of Jungfraujoch from Lauterbrunnen? What route is suggested?

> am tagging this post for my Sept. trip. Does anyone think that the weather "on top" will be iffy in Sept?

The weather up there can be iffy any time of the year, except possibly January... But you don´t want to be up there in January. really.

>How difficult is it to get to the top of Jungfraujoch from Lauterbrunnen? What route is suggested?

Umm... how difficult can it be to get inot a train and to change trains in Kleine Scheidegg station? As to route - there is only one. Unless you want to go all around the mountain to Grindelwald and ascend to Kl. Scheidegg from there. You don´t win any better views that way though. Or do you mean hiking? Then you need some high-altitude experience in rock and ice.

As Altamiro said, if you are hiking, it is a long, arduous climb.
Otherwise, change trains at Kleine Scheidegg. You will have no difficulty in knowing you are there because everybody will get off.

About the "iffy" weather on top of Jungfraujoch in September---there was a post here awhile back by someone who said that September was notoriously bad due to changing seasons or something. Made me want to rethink the whole trip. I do know that about 5 years ago, we went to Chamonix for three days. Each day was fogged in or rainy. We never did get to the top of Mont Blanc. But as soon as we left Chamonix and headed down the mountain to Annecy the weather cleared up and was sunny. Go figure. I would just hate for that to happen this Sept.

As for getting from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch--that doesn't seem too difficult. Is there a certain rail pass that is a good buy for that route?
I will not be hiking around the mountain but hope to take some of the easier walks mentioned in other posts.

>As for getting from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch--that doesn't seem too difficult. Is there a certain rail pass that is a good buy for that route?

The Swiss Pass covers the section from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen. From there on you get 50% discount on the full price. Furtheron, if you take the first train of the day you get additional discount - but to get it you will have to stay in Lauterbrunnen.

The Half-Fare Card gives you 50% discount on the whole route. The difference is not much as the price from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, even full price, is a few CHF, not comparable with the rest of the line. But the Half-Fare card is much cheaper than the pass of course.

The Eurail passes are useless in this area.

Your 13 year old daughter can travel free of charge (to the Schilthorn or all the way to the top of the Jungfraujoch) as long as she travels with you and:

a) she has a Junior Card. (available at Swiss train stations for 20 CHF)

OR

b) you get a 'Family Card' which is free when you order a Swiss Pass or Swiss Card.

(Ignore the child prices quoted for the various passes - this can be a trap! - they needn't apply to children travelling with paying parents)

I guess I am in the minority here. From the top of the Schilthorn, you get to see the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger. Go to the top as early as possible before the clouds settle in. Get a cup of coffee and some breakfast and relax while the restaurant revolves and reveals the entire panorama to you.

However, with a 13 year old, and if you are from an area with no snow, then the Jungfraujoch will probably be better.

I would try to do both, if the weather is good at the top (they have TV displays of the weather at the top in the train station in Lauterbrunnen.

There's no doubt that there is more to do at Jungfraujoch, but much of the train ride is inside the mountain, and it is usually very crowded. They do stop at viewing ports on the trip up, but because of the crowds it is hard to really enjoy the view.

The ride to Schilthorn is a cable car, one of the most scenic ways to travel, and the views at the top are excellent, although I wouldn't bother with the restaurant or gift shops; go via Murren and dine there. My wife and I still talk about the descending cable car ride, where everyone gasped as we went over the edge of the cliff, and I was so wrapped up in the scenery I forgot to take any pictures.