I will be staying in Lautrebrunnen with my 13 year old daughter. We want to see the Jungfrau. What advice can you give me on the best way to get up there, what kind of pass to purchase, etc? We'll be in Lauterbrunnen for 4 nights. Also, I believe there is an English speaking tour that goes to the Jungfrau, which is mentioned in Fodors tour book. Any thoughts on this as well?

As for the pass it depends on where you will be coming from to get to the Jungfrau area - if coming by car then opt for the regional or Jungfraubahn pass and buy for SF20 i think a Family Pass at stations so you daughter (and anyone under 16 traveling with a parent) goes free on everything, including the pricey Jungfraubahn (normal fare well over $100)
But if coming from Zurich or other airport or border point then strongly consider the Swiss Flexipass - which starts at three days of unlimited travel in a one-month period and then for the whole month you get a 50% discount on everything in Switzerland that moves - everything except cows!
You'd use the pass for 100% coverage to Lauterbrunnen from Zurich, etc. and then maybe use it for the wondrous trip Lauterbrunnen-Stechelberg (bus)-dramatic aerial cableway to Gimmelwald and Murren and back to Lauterbrunnen - then use your third day to return to airport or other place in Switzerland. This is probably cheaper than buying the regional passes and then having to pay full fare to get to the region.
There is also a Half-Fare card you can buy that gives you 50% off everything in Switzerland as well but no 100% travel days and these often tip the balance to the Swiss Flexipass.
Swiss passes can be bought at stations in Switzerland but currently are significantly cheaper in the U.S. thru RailEurope due to currency fluctuations - the falling dollar so if in the U.S. save by buying there - and in the U.S. you'd get a free Family Pass for your daughter, which would cost you about $16 in Switzerland.
RailEurope markets Swiss Passes in the U.S. but i always recommend BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) for their Swiss rail expertise in my years of experience with them - on their web site ask for their free European Rail Guide which has a good chapter on Switzerland and Swiss trains with special info on the Lauterbrunnen-Grindelwald area. www.ricksteves.com also has good info on Swiss rail travel and info on regional passes - www.euraide.com as well is worth a look.
With the Swiss Family Pass, free with passes in U.S. your daughter would always go free - matching your 100% days of travel on a Swiss Pass and even when you buy 50% off - like on the Jungfraubahn - kids under 16 still go free - a great deal!

Personally, i wouldn't go up the Jungfrau.

Many years ago we were in that part of Switzerland and from Lauterbrunen we went up the other side to Murren and then the cable up the Schilthorn (of James Bond fame).

Fantastic views of the Jungfrau, Eiger and Monk. It was a beautiful, clear day and we had a snack in the revolving restaurant and my wife put her purse down beside her. Ten minutes later it wasn't there. I had to walk several tables over to retrieve it as the restaurant continued it slow turn.

If I remember correctly, Garyincary will have a car for this trip, so they won't need comprehensive passes. And none of the passes give a full discount on the Jungfraubahn route. So his best option might just be a regular ticket, with a Junior Card to get a free ticket for his daughter. Gary, you could just ask at the ticket station in Lauterbrunnen what would be your best option. There may be a pass that includes other anticipated (non-car travel, such as up the Schilthorn, that you should consider. You might check the Berner Oberland Regional Pass website and read up on the 3/7 pass, which gives you 3 full-paid days (but not on the Jungfraubahn and perhaps not the Schilthorn). There is a useful map of the paid and 50% routes on the website. Whatever you choose, remember to get the Junior Card or whatever you need so that your daughter's passage is free.

The Jungfraubahn and the Schilthorn are completely different experiences; I don't know that one can substute for the other. Both are crowded and expensive, and only worth doing on a clear day. For the Jungfraubahn from Lauterbrunnen, Gary would take the train up to Kleine Scheidegg (via Wengen), and change there for the train to the Jungfraujoch (which goes through a tunnel burrowed in the Eiger, so you don't get views from that point on). Someone here mentioned that there are long lines for the train up to Wengen from Lauterbrunnen, and some people had to wait for the next train.

At the top, there is the large building you have seen in all the photos. You can explore that, but we thought the best part was the ice grotto and the views outside of the Place de la Concorde--a huge plain from which the glaciers begin their descent to the valleys. You can play in the snow or walk (on snow) out to the Mönchsjoch Hütte.

To return, you can simply reverse the train route. An alternate would be to walk from Kleine Scheidegg over to Mannlichen ( a bit uphill, but not steep), and catch a cablecar down to Wengen; pick up the train back to Lauterbrunnen from there.

The Schilthorn trip is a cable car the whole way (with stops in Gimmelwald, Mürren, and one more)---some people like that and some don't (ask Budman's wife!) The top presents glorious views from the revolving restaurant made famous in the James Bond movie. Hiking down from there would be steep and tricky.

Personally I see no need for an organised tour. Ask at the ticket office in Lauterbrunnen station which pass is most suitable for you needs, then just go on the first day the weather is suitable. Stop off in Wengen and wander round, just change trains at Kleine Scheidegg, wonder at the view at the stops in the tunnel and take care at the Jungfraujoch, explore the ice palace, maybe have a husky ride or go sking, return to Kleine Scheidegg, and take the train to Grindelwald, again have a look at the village and return via Interlaken Ost. One happy daughter after one fantastic day out. Try the Schilthorn but remember this summer you have to go via Stechelberg and use the cable car, again break your journey here at Murren, like Wengen it's car free, enjoy the revolving restaurant and the views. Above all enjoy your four nights. but you don't need an organised tour to do either trips, unless you want to keep to a timetable.

I think the first time traveler to Switzerland should go all the way to the top of Jungfrau.

Now though, I walk up the trails just below and I enjoy that just as much.

The Jungfrau trip can be expensive as can be, but cheaper with a Swiss rail pass and 50% off on the Swiss card.

On a clear day you can see forever , I mean you san seee the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger in all their tremendous beauty from Kleine Schiedegg.

The Schilthorn is a nice excursion also, but beware of the huge crowds on the cable going up.

Helly garyincary,

Last summer my DH and I had the opportunity to take my parents (75 & 80) to Switzerland. This was their first trip to Europe ever (well, except in '44-'45 for my dad).

I will NEVER forget the day we took them up to the Jungfraujoch. The train ride alone is spectacular, especially when the train stops a couple times inside the mountain and you have your first peak at the glaciers through the windows. Then you arrive at the summit and actually take an elevator up even higher.

With walking sticks in hand, we hiked out onto the glacier, marveled at the observatory so far up the mountain, gazed for miles across the spectacular views, walked inside the glacier to the ice palace, and had a wonderful lunch on the top of Europe. Then we had to do it all again (well, not lunch) because they were so amazed by it all.

Now, one year later, they are still talking about this being a highlight of their entire life.

Good idea, though, to check the webcams at the TI before heading up. If it's a cloudy day, the views will be zilch. But if you get one of their many drop-dead gorgeous days, I highly recommend the trip all the way up.

(And as far as an English tour, I didn't even know they had one. It's very easy to do it on your own. Even on the train, you'll notice 4 or 5 different languages coming across on the speakers. And once up top, the direction signs are in several languages as well.)

I did the Jungfraujoch once and doubt I will do it again. It was expensive in terms of time as well as money. It's about 2-hours rt on a packed train. I could have gotten more wow had I done any number of glorious free hikes.

Try very hard to figure out the least crowded time to go and go then. Of course, I imagine that on a clear day, there is no least crowded time.

We were there one mid-August. When the train came, it was like that scene from Dr. Zhivago...my husband and I were holding hands, trying to stay together and the crush of the crowd was unbelievable and a bit frightening. Once we got on the train, we had the "privilege" of standing up all the way there. It's still a worthwhile thing to do, but if your daughter is on the small side, the crush of people could be frightening.

I hate to contradict what Pal Q said, but the differnce in cost of the Swiss Card, which is the half fare instrument with built-in entrance and exit journies is different only in that you don't need to pay shipping within the US.

The price from a Swiss source or from RailEurope is $133 in second class at either place. I just checked, and that price was consistent.

the Jungfraubahn pass is 190 chf, or about $152.00.
The fare up to the Jungfraujoch will cost you 50% of the ticket price from the Eigergletscher Station to the top.
This is the most expensive part of the trip and it is never free regardless of which pass you hold.

The round trip price is about 91.60 normal fare; you would pay half of that.
Or about $37 depending on the exact rate of exchange.

The Berner Oberland Pass is not a particularly good buy. If you enter and exit by train, the Swiss Card is usually a better money saver.

The Jungfraubahn website says nothing about passes for children. I assume that children 6-16 travel free with a parent. That is the usual case in most of Switzerland.

I know nothing about an English speaking tour of the Jungfrau. I never saw a tour of any kind unless it was run by a private company.

One word of caution on using the Swiss Flexipass. Apparently once you use your last free day, the pass is no longer valid after that. That is what I was told in the Zurich rail station. I thought the pass could be used for 50% off for the duration of the 30 day period.