- [Announcer] Yellow Productions Presents
- A travel guide for visiting the Jungfrau,
the top of Europe in Switzerland.
I'm Chris.
- I'm Topher!
- And in this video we're gonna show you this place
that's really really cold.
- Brrrr.
- [Chris] The Jungfrau summit is one of the most famous
peaks in the Swiss Alps.
I'm pointing to it right here.
It has an elevation of about 4000 meters or
13,000 feet.
It used to be fairly difficult to access well,
until 1912 when Switzerland built the world's highest
elevation cogwheel railway.
Takes you up to about 11,000 feet.
And once you're at the top,
there's a lot of neat stuff to do.
So in this video I'll be telling you
how to take the train up to the top of the
Jungfrau mountain,
and then we'll talk about the attractions up there once
you get there.
But first, just a little more about the Jungfrau in general.
The Jungfrau is a pricey attraction.
It can be a hundred, a hundred and fifty Swiss franks
depending upon where you're coming from.
But I think it's really worth it.
A lot of people, including Rick Steve say it's
too manufactured for them,
but let me tell you, I enjoy this manufactured platform
that I can view this view from.
Otherwise I'd have to be like an ice climber and
climb up this mountain.
Which I never would.
So I think if you're coming to Switzerland
the Jungfrau should be a must see to see this
natural beauty and splendor.
It is truly amazing.
Most trips to the the Jungfrau will start at
Interlaken Okst.
It's a station at the bottom of the valley.
There's a few different ways to work your way up to the top
ultimately to the Jungfraujoch or the saddle that's
in between the two mountains.
In this video I'll be going up the way by Wengen.
You can also go up via Grindelwald.
And you can also make it a circle trip.
You can go up one way and then down the other.
The beginning of the journey up to the Jungfrau,
you take the cogwheel train.
It'll come up from Lauterbrunnen,
and it stops in Wengen.
And then it goes up to the station where you take
the main train to actually go up to the Jungfrau.
This train is kinda cool because it's a cogwheel train.
You can actually see there's a track in the middle of it
that has all these spikes on it that has the wheel
so this train can be really steep.
And I'll tell you, the train is really loud.
And what's interesting is, the windows you can actually
put your hand outside you get fresh air coming in
which is really great on a day when it's
probably not too hot.
But sitting in the sun here right now at the end of May
it's actually quite warm.
Which is weird because when we get to the top
it's going to be quite cold.
There's a really popular travel quote that says,
"It's not the destination. It's the journey."
And this is one of those trips that
it really is the journey.
I mean the destination's cool,
but the views on the journey are epic.
So enjoy the views on the train ride.
Have your camera at the ready.
Anyway you're going up,
you'll eventually arrive at this station Kleine Scheidegg.
From here, there's just a single track that takes
you all the way to the top.
If you have a seat reservation,
there's a special line you go in.
You scan your barcode and then you get on the train.
I think some of the best views are the seats
on the right side of the train
because that's where you can see the big
snowy mountain up there.
It's really odd to be in a place that has green grass
and looking up at some place that looks really cold
like glaciers might be up there.
But this train, pretty comfy.
No windows open here too.
I'm guessing it's gonna get pretty cold though.
This portion of the train ride definitely less scenic
than the last one.
A big portion of this is inside of a tunnel
making it also Europe's highest elevation subway.
There's a nice screen inside the train that shows you
where the train is at any given time.
How long it is between stops.
But then we get off here at the
first stop inside the tunnel.
11 minutes from the top is the Ice Maher station.
It's got panoramic views of the snow.
You only get five minutes for you gotta rush back on the
train.
And they're calling.
So view, here we go.
Don't worry, I wasn't going to let you miss that view.
How often do you get to see a view of a glacier?
I mean, I don't get to see glaciers all that often.
So if you are taking the train up,
make sure to take this opportunity to see the glacier.
Bring your camera because the views might actually
be better at this elevation than the higher elevation.
Higher elevation is often covered in clouds.
After briefly admiring that view, it's back on the train
to finally arrive at Jungfraujong.
The final train station.
Total travel time Interlaken to here, about two hours.
And when you get here, you'll be in a vast tunnel complex.
This is definitely underground.
The different facilities at the Jungfrau are connected
via these underground tunnels.
You come in and it's the restaurant complex.
The tunnel will take you out to
a lot of the outdoor activities.
One of the coolest places at the Jungfrau
is at the high climate altitude research station.
This is the Sphinx Terrace.
It's an altitude of 11,782 feet.
From up here you can see snow and what looks like to be
a big glacier, in this direction.
You can see down into the valley where there's no snow.
That way.
You can see the snow tubing and the snow hiking paths.
And they say the temperature's
35 degrees Fahrenheit up here.
But it's sunny.
And I think all the reflection
actually makes it not too cold.
I will say why you're up here
be careful not to drop anything small
because it's open grating and that is a long way down.
Just below the Sphinx Observatory and above the Ice Palace
is the Plateau.
Named because it's a big plateau.
Some cool Swiss flags right there.
The square ones.
And this is the best place you're gonna
get your view of the Jungfrau unobstructed.
Which is just this way.
And I know you won't be able to see me and it.
But it's right there with the sun behind it.
That big mountain.
The Jungfrau or Jungfrau.
And the Plateau is also where you're gonna get your best
views of the valley down below.
I mean they were pretty good from
the observatory at the top,
but it feels more real down here.
And over here you can see the buildings
that you come out of and kinda where the
gift shops and the restaurants are.
Do make sure to check the weather before you come.
On a clear day the views are amazing.
But as you can see, this big cloud mass is moving in.
Pretty soon it's going to be cloudy,
and the views will be of clouds.
And now about times coming up here.
You should come up here early or late.
When we got here at 2 o'clock,
I couldn't get up here to take a picture with this thing.
Because there were like a hundred people as part of tour
groups in line to take a picture with this.
But now that it's five, the Plateau is almost empty.
And it's nice because when it's empty it's peaceful.
And when it's full of tour groups it's noisy.
So wake up early.
Get the early cheaper trains.
Or plan to stay late.
Maybe take the last train down.
It's not such a bad idea.
An interesting note coming from the outside when I said
it actually wasn't that cold.
In these tunnels it is quite cold.
And I probably don't need my sunglasses in here anymore.
In one of the tunnels they've got a really big
snow globe of Switzerland.
This is pretty cool.
Dig into the outdoor snow play from the Sphinx Terrace.
10 minute walk through these tunnels.
They help you out with a moving sidewalk through this
decoratively painted tunnel.
One of the tunnels they show you some
historical pictures of the construction of the tunnels here.
The labor was started by a hundred
Italian construction workers.
The Ice Palace is literally a walkway of ice.
The floors are ice and the walls are ice.
Be careful, it's slippery.
Use the handrail when you're walking.
Inside the Ice Palace you'll find,
guess what?
Ice sculptures.
An ice window, you can take pictures in.
When you're walking on this floor you'll probably not
want to pick up your feet and just slide them.
And if you're up for doing a bit of a snow walk out of the
snow play area, 45 minute walk up that way there's a house
with hot and cold dishes and beverages.
Sorry, you won't get to see the hut in this video.
But instead you might want to do some snow fun.
They've got ski and snow boards, zip line, and snow tubing.
If you get tired from all the walking up here
because the elevation is high and I do feel a little winded,
they've got these nice beach chairs you can sit on and enjoy
warm Alpine sun at the snowy beach.
I don't know, this is kinda like a ski resort thing.
I saw them in Utah.
But I think it's pretty cool.
Makes me want to sit on them.
And I am catching my breath.
This is what one of the tunnels looks like when it
emerges outside.
That looks like a bomb shelter they could close up.
And these stairs, these are the stairs
if you're taking the zip line.
They look rickety but I hope they're sturdy.
Just inside the tunnel they park the snow eating machine.
Obviously they eat their way out when it's covered in snow.
If you like chocolate, don't miss out
on Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven.
It's going to be the chocolate shop
at the highest elevation in the world.
Chocolate shop begins with an exhibition
about how chocolate is made.
Complete with realistic looking chocolate sauce.
And a wall that looks like something out of Willy Wonka's
Chocolate Factory.
They say it's the world's highest chocolate machine.
You can get the mix and match truffles.
45 franks a kilogram.
I never said it was cheap.
Stop by the official Top of Europe gift shop
to pick up something that is very interesting.
Not just something to remember your trip by
but to breathe your trip by.
Here you can bring back a can of fresh Swiss air.
That's right. Air.
And if you want to mail your postcards
they have a Japanese post office box here.
Kinda like one they might have at Mount Fuji.
If you want a quick bite to eat there's a little snack bar
right by the train stop.
Apparently really popular is the Jungfrau noodle cup.
Which they sell for eight Swiss franks.
But you could probably buy that at any Asian supermarket
for a dollar fifty.
If you brought your own and you just want hot water,
that's four thirty.
Once you're done exploring it's time to
take the train down the mountain.
Most of the signs throughout the complex
tell you how long the walk back is to the train station.
And they've also got signs all over that
tell you the times of the return trains.
Boarding to go down.
Same drill.
Come into the tunnel.
There's two lines.
One's if you've got a seat reservation and one if you don't.
Thanks for watching.
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Or consider subscribing for new videos every weekend.
Or you can follow us, myself and Topher, on Facebook,
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Or you might enjoy watching some of my other videos
on Switzerland, where I talk a lot about chocolate.
Because coming to Switzerland is all about getting
tasty chocolate and you can get it at the Lindt shop.
Eat it out here on the Plateau.
Doesn't get more Swiss than chocolate and snow.