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Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

I was in a Swiss Air flight to Zurich, Switzerland. To say I was excited, would be an understatement. I was visiting the country after 18 years! I was to go to Interlaken and then to Jungfrau region for some awesome activities. It was going to be a nostalgic trip for me. A lot would have changed, a lot would have remained the same; these thoughts crisscrossed through my mind. It was for me to see it myself, now. 🙂

top things to do in Jungfrau region

I knew it would be cold in December with snow all around, but I have lived in those temperatures and have also visited several countries in winters. So, the weather was not in my mind. It was the reminiscences that made me smile.
We went by road from Zurich to Interlaken. The route was picturesque with inviting mountains standing at a distance. I kept smiling looking out of my window. Next day I would go there.

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

By the time we reached Interlaken, it was evening past 4 PM. It was Christmas month in Europe. All streets, shops and markets were decked up to welcome the festival. Everywhere I turned, I could see the Christmas fever. No marks for guessing that my luxurious five star hotel, Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, too, was with resplendent Christmas decorations, colorful lights and the fervor to match.

After a quick cup of coffee in the lounge, I went to my room, and then to the balcony where the Alps greeted me again. Just a few hours and next day I would meet them.

Taking the Jungfrau Railways train

Next morning I walked to Interlaken Ost station to board my train to Jungfraujoch. In the train, I hurriedly grabbed a window seat as I could not afford to miss the breathtaking views on way to the Top of Europe. I love train journeys and this one was going to be one of the best I had ever taken.

The Yellow train to Grindelwald

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

It looked as if somebody had sucked out all the colors from nature. Everything was white, black and to some extent gray. Once in a while, I could see some moving specks of colors; they were actually people indulged in outdoor activities.

On reaching the top it was as beautiful as it could be! A winter wonderland with a beautiful sunny day welcomed me. We warmed up with a cup of hot chocolate and then next thing I wanted to do was to play out in the snow. The outside temperature was in minus but it was not that cold. Probably, I was too excited to feel it. 🙂 Of course, I had my winter gear including Quechua jacket on, which could save me upto minus 10 degrees!

Playing in snow has its own pleasure. There were many school kids playing and in no time I became one of them. They were dressed as Charlie Chaplin whose ice sculpture was to be inaugurated that day. The children posed for me, and it was a great fun to interact with them in my broken French. The enchanting panoramic view of surrounding mountains added to the joy.

What is Jungfraujoch?

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters
Behind me is Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, the first World Natural Heritage site.

Located between mountains Mönch and Jungfrau, Jungfraujoch is an alpine attraction and viewing point. It is in the heart of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage property “Jungfrau – Aletsch – Bietschhorn”. The cogwheel train, which runs all through the year, is the only way to get there. At an altitude of 3454M (11,332 ft) above sea level, Jungfraujoch is the highest railway station in Europe, and is close to the summits of the Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch mountains.

Activities in Jungfraujoch

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Alpine Sensation jungfrau @lemonicks.com

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Once in Jungfraujoch, there are plenty of activities to do, some of them indoors as well.

Among outdoor activities, if the weather is with you; you can opt for the following.
• Go out and play in the snow like I did and enjoy the view of the Grosser Aletsch glacier and other surroundings.
• Hiking across the glacier to the Mönchsjoch hut is another activity I like very much. It takes approx. an hour to do it.
• You reach 117M further up the Sphinx observatory by a lift. Here you can enjoy a 360° view, both from the terrace and from the comfort of a building with panoramic windows.
• In summer you can also go for sledging, skiing, snow tubing or snowboarding in the Snow Fun Park (not included in the train ticket).

You can enjoy following indoor activities.
• Explore the Ice Palace with many ice sculptures including one of the great comedian Charlie Chaplin.
• The Alpine Sensation is a moving walkway with images, light and music, maps and stories and statues of the excavators and miners who built the Jungfrau Railway network.
• Choose one of the many restaurants for a nice lunch. There are six different restaurants serving European and Asian-style food. In summer, the Bollywood restaurant is open, serving Indian specialties.
• There are several exhibitions and informative multimedia shows that are shown from time to time.
• Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven where, through a recorded film, you can learn about the history of chocolate and how it is made. Of course you can buy chocolate as well.

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Tips and facts for preparation

• The Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station.
• The Jungfraujoch is open 365 days a year.
• There are two routes to get there: via Lauterbrunnen and via Grindelwald. Many visitors come up one way and go down the other.
• Check the weather forecast before leaving.
• Dress in multiple layers. Take along gloves, sun glasses with UV rating, sun block cream and a good pair of shoes for snow. Note that it could get very windy at the top.
• Your trip could be a half a day trip or a day trip depending on your departure time and activities. Keep at least two hours for Jungfraujoch.
• Since Jungfraujoch is at an altitude of 3454 M, you may suffer from mild altitude sickness. Going slow is the mantra. Also if you have children under 2 years, consult your doctor. In most cases staying at such altitudes for just a few hours does not create any problem.
• If you are planning to hike across the glacier, do not leave the marked trail. Also, make sure the weather is good and you are have the proper winter hiking gear.
• Activities in Snow Fun Park is not included in the train ticket.
• It’s not a cheap excursion, but very unique and worth the money.

What is Grindelwald?

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters
So many houses lit up under a cloak of snow at dusk.

Grindelawald is a village in Interlaken district. It is said that the place was first settle during the Neolithic period. Grindelwald is surrounded by several alpine mountains. At an altitude of 1034M it is accessible by train too. In summer they have the famous Alphorn Festival. And in winters, people go there to celebrate Christmas and other winter sports activities.

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

The day I went to Grindelwald, the weather wasn’t really nice. It was snowing and it was quite windy. Nevertheless, it amazed me no end. The snow blurred the otherwise spectacular views, still I could manage to catch some unforgettable moments. In no time we were in one & a half feet of fresh snow!

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Cliff walking – the world’s First Cliff Walk by Tissot at Grindelwald – was a breath-taking experience. It was really one of a kind. The views were spectacular, irrespective of the time of the year. Braving the snow and the strong wind, holding onto the strong steel railing when I looked down the valley, I was open-jawed.

At the other end, there was a buzzing restaurant called Bergrestaurant at 7100 feet, where I had lunch of pasta and salads and a glass of hot mulled wine to warm myself.

Next we had planned for snow-walk. Few steps into it, my guide said the snow was now thigh high and we’d have to abandon it. Not to worry, we had other activities! Sledging was one of them.

Activities in Grindelwald

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

• Admire the spectacular views of Swiss Alps while going up in cable cars. The window of the cable car could be opened halfway, to allow you to experience the ice cold weather and fresh air.
• Go Skiing. Grindelwald-First is a popular ski resort where all winter sports levels are welcomed.
• Try zip-gliding. If it’s winter season, make sure you have a face mask to save you from snow and chilly winds.
• Ride a Velogemel and if you master it, participate in world championship! 😀 Velogemel is a snow-bicycle to ride in large amounts of snow. The word ‘gemel’ means ‘sledge’ in the Grindelwald dialect.
• Go Cliff walking. When you walking across, the views were spectacular, irrespective of the time of the year.
• If you are not into very adventurous activities, I recommend you go for snow-walk. It’s easy and doable for any age.
• Snow shoeing anyone? I love this at any time. When you try to walk fast but walk like a penguin. 🙂 Or like Charlie Chaplin, he he.
• Sledging is a total fun activity which children and adults enjoy equally. Grindelwald is one of the best places in the world to have a go.
• Grindelwald is famous for all sorts of climbing. In winters ice climbing is the winner. There are level-specific routes and tours depending on your skills and experiences.
Note: While you can try all these activities, make sure the weather is good and you are wearing proper hiking gear.

Tips and facts for preparation

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

• Grindelwald can be reached by train and by road.
• There is a cable car to take you up.
• Once up, there is a shop to hire all your equipment, from snow pants to gloves, caps, ski, sledges etc.
• There are café and restaurants at the top.

view from Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa interlaken

In evening, it was time to return to Interlaken where it had snowed incessantly all night. Next morning I woke up to see not only my balcony cloaked in white, but the entire surrounding. Another magical moment which I wanted to etch in my mind forever.

When it was time to say goodbye, I promised myself to return soon.
Have you been to Jungfrau region? What was your experience?

Related reads:

— If you are looking for stay options in Interlaken, here are some.

Besides Jungfrau if you want to explore other parts of Switzerland, there are several Day trips and activities you can do.
— If you heading towards Bern, here are ‘Things to do in Bern‘.

If it’s a summer time I suggest you head to Chamonix for some summer activities.

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Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters

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P.S.- This article, Top things to do in Jungfrau Region, Switzerland, belongs to Le Monde a Poetic Travail, an Indian Travel Blog, published by the travel blogging couple, Nisha & Vasudevan R. Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. If you are viewing this on another website rather than the RSS feed reader or our travel blog itself, then that website is guilty of stealing our content. Kindly do us a favour by letting us know via Contact Us. Thank you

38 thoughts on “Exploring Jungfrau Region in Winters”

  1. When I lived in Switzerland I spent quite a few weekends in Grindelwald. The train trip is spectacular! It is magic in winter, but I used to love it in spring when the grass was bright green and the Edelweiss flowers appeared.

    1. I absolutely agree with you !
      Winter and summer both have their own beauty and one must go in both the seasons.

      I would love to go there in summer too.

  2. I’ve never visited the Jungfrau region but from what I see, winter has definitely its perks! Especially because of the train. The views, oh gosh, spectacular! Especially because it was all black, gray and white!

    1. The train to the top runs all year round, not to mention, it’s one of the biggest attraction for both locals and the tourists.

      The winter view has its own charm. Isn’t it? 🙂

  3. I love the Jungfrau region, I done a lot of hiking and ran the marathon to Kliene from Interlaken-Lauterbrunnen-Wengen-Kliene and had a blast. I might do it again this year. 😀 Loving your photos, sure does bring back great memories.

  4. You are so right, in winters most of Europe looks like as if colors have been sucked out of it & in summers they suddenly come visiting. Cliff walk looks interesting – I am sure the view from there would have been incredible.

  5. This looked like a dream in snow! Wow. With all the layers of white, the pictures are so magical. I am sure the views from the train would be too 🙂 The sun peeping from the snowy mountains is such a sight! 🙂 The Lindt Swiss chocolae heaven indeed looks HEAVEN! YUMMYYY!! Those houses in the snow look like stars!! 🙂 Truly a memorable experience. I could bear even minimal temperatures for this experience.

  6. I went to the Jungfrau region when I was a kid, but in summer. It looks so amazing in winter. A great place for winter sports lovers for sure. And, I didn’t realise Lindt was there – definitely makes it worth a revisit in my book

  7. This is a truly breathtaking trip. The scenery on the way up to the Jungfrau is amazing and the Swiss railway engineering is mindblowing. I visited in summer so it’s great to see how it looks in winter too. What a winter wonderland!

  8. The Jungfrau railway looks amazing, I’d love to be sipping on a warm drink and looking out at the views. I got my girlfriend Raquel into travel blogging and now she is head over heals in love with the pictures of Switzerland, so I will have to show her your post! It’s definitely on the list for this (or next) year.

  9. Wow, Switzerland and Jungrau look as beautiful in the winter as in the summer, though in a very different way. I can imagine how amazing the vibe would be with Christmas in the air and celebrations and markets all around. When I went to Jungfrau, it was summer and already so cold up there that I cannot imagine how much it would be freezing in the winter. Lovely pictures 🙂

  10. I visited the Jungfrau region in summer and LOVED it!! Can’t imagine how cold it would have been during December though lol – beautiful though! So much snow! I loved the scenery from the train to Jungfraujoch, though summer was a little more green on the way up. Definitely incredible once you reach the top though, I was so glad that I did it – loved exploring the Ice Palace too. Glad you had a fab time!

  11. Many years ago I visited Interlaken in summer. I remember the bright turquoise colours of the water clearly even now. I’d love to do this train journey though

  12. Last year I visited Interlaken in summer. It was a great experience. I also have a dream to explore the world just like you. You have a happy family. Lovely photos

  13. I was there with my kids and your post brought back so many sweet memories. The younger one kept rolling there till we dragged her out. The ice sculptures there were most fascinating. I couldn’t get to Grindelawald village though.

  14. Such a winter wonderland! This is actually the perfect post for me to read right now as I’ll be going to Switzerland for the first time in June! It will look totally different, but those train rides still inspire my wanderlust for sure.

  15. I’m not used to the snow at all, so I think I would suffer with the cold! The train journey looks stunning though, and I’d love to hike across a glacier – I guess it has to be cold to be able to do that! 😀

  16. What a lovely post Nisha – this reminded me so much of my own trip to the same places this winter. However, I must mention that you had so much more snow than what I saw…all the places, esp Grindlewald, look so gorgeous with the white sheet 🙂

    One place I would really like to explore next time would be Mönchsjoch hut – saw it on my first trip but had no time, and this time it wasn’t possible to hike 😛

  17. How exciting! Going back after 18 years sounds pretty cool. The comparison of the ‘then and now’ would’ve been pretty awesome, I’m sure!
    The Ice Palace sounds interesting and of course playing in the snow. haha. Glad to see that you’ve enjoyed yourself!

  18. Wow, after 18 years it must have been a real trip down memory lane for you! I love the snow – and especially the Alpine snow 🙂 I would love the Lindt factory too!

  19. I can’t stress enough the importance of checking the weather and not purchasing your ticket until the day you want to visit. I did not do this and went on a day it was snowing so bad we could not see anything or even leave the inside of the mountain.

  20. What an epic adventure! I adore Switzerland, and am glad to see you got to enjoy a train journey while you were there- in my opinion it’s the best way to get around. You’re making me want to go back now!

  21. It is in the heart of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage property “Jungfrau – Aletsch – Bietschhorn”. The cogwheel train, which runs all through the year, is the only way to get there. At an altitude of 3454M (11,332 ft) above sea level, Jungfraujoch is the highest railway station in Europe, and is close to the summits of the Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch mountains. Very brilliant introduction of a beautiful place .

  22. That’s so cool that Jungfraujoch is the highest train station! I’d love to visit it someday. It looks so fun to play in the snow and hike to see the Grosser Aletsch glacier, followed by some Lindt chocolate.

  23. Beautiful winter landscapes. Love that shot of the village in the snow. Such a pretty picture.

    The cliff walk sounds interesting, too. Thank you for the sights from Jungfraujoch, Nisha. 🙂

  24. Jungfrau is quite popular for its train.But I didn’t know that it looks that good in winters.Jungfrau seems to be quite interesting especially in winters, so I have decided that I will visit Jungfrau very soon.

  25. I experienced Jungfrau back in 2010! Such a long time ago now. But I really loved it – especially the journey up in the train! I remember it being difficult to breathe at times due to the altitude. But it was the perfect place to try snowboarding for the first time, haha! 🙂

  26. What a great trip. Is so nice to go back and revisit places that we’ve enjoyed in the past. There are so many things to do in this region. Would love to try cliff walking in Grindelwald.

  27. I wish I could have done that train ride to Jungfrau – have heard so much about it . It does have a lot of similarity in terms of activities to Mt Titlis but seems far more elaborate. I would love to walk that skywalk as well. Grindelwald reminds me of Harry Potter and the wizard so named. Guess it was based on the place. Loved reading about your adventures/

  28. Never been to Jungfrau but after reading this post is on my list. Love the scenery and the range of activities. Snowy mountain views and chocolate? Sign me up!

  29. We have no snow here but the first time I ever saw snow was in Jungfrau region. I absolutely loved that train and I remember laying on the snow afterwards and just making a snow angel— my first time ! Jungfrau was so pretty and it was so scenic as well.

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