Choose the Jungfraujoch if you are based in Interlaken or the Bernese Oberland and want the highest point you can reach by train: 3,454 m, with the Aletsch Glacier below. Choose Glacier 3000 if you are staying around Lake Geneva, Montreux or Gstaad: the cable car reaches 2,971 m in about 15 minutes, the adult return costs CHF 95 (CHF 48 with a Swiss Travel Pass), and the Peak Walk and Glacier Walk are included. Both are superb days out; where you are staying usually decides it.
Facts checked 16 October 2026
Independent guide, not the official Glacier 3000 website. Official tickets and live opening status: glacier3000.ch
These are two of the great high-mountain days in Switzerland, in different corners of the country. The Jungfraujoch is reached from Interlaken via Grindelwald or Wengen. Glacier 3000 rises above Les Diablerets and Gstaad, under an hour by car from Montreux on Lake Geneva.
| Glacier 3000 | Jungfraujoch | |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 2,971 m at Scex Rouge | 3,454 m; Sphinx terrace 3,571 m |
| How you get up | Two cable cars from Col du Pillon (1,546 m), about 15 min, one change at Cabane | Train to Grindelwald Terminal, Eiger Express gondola, then the Jungfrau Railway; or the classic route via Kleine Scheidegg |
| From the nearest big base | Montreux: 1 h 25 by train and bus to Col du Pillon, then 15 min up | Interlaken Ost: 1 h 37 by train and gondola to the top |
| Adult return | CHF 95 | From CHF 129.60 (operator's lowest advertised fare); see jungfrau.ch for your route and date |
| Children | Under 6 free; 6–15 CHF 48; free with an SBB Junior card | Up to 5 free; 6–15 CHF 20; free with an SBB Junior card |
| Swiss Travel Pass | 50% off (CHF 48) | Free to Grindelwald or Wengen, then 25% off |
| Half Fare card | 50% off | 50% off |
| Seat reservation | None; cabins every 20 min | CHF 10; compulsory 1 May–31 Oct 2026, recommended at other times |
| Signature attraction | Peak Walk, a 107 m suspension bridge between two summits | Sphinx terrace above the Aletsch Glacier; Ice Palace |
| Season | Winter 7 Nov 2026–30 Apr 2027, then summer from May; closed for maintenance 19 Oct–6 Nov 2026 | All year |
Glacier 3000 packs a lot into one ticket and a short ride. The return includes the Peak Walk, which Glacier 3000 says is the only suspension bridge in the world linking two mountain peaks; the Ice Express chairlift down onto the glacier; the Snow Fun Park; and the Glacier Walk, 3 km across the ice to the Quille du Diable. From the top you can pick out the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
It is also a mountain for doing things: dog sledding in winter from November 2026, skiing from 7 November to 30 April, and in summer the Alpine Coaster, which the operator calls the highest rail toboggan run in the world. There are no timed slots, so you simply turn up and ride.
Glacier 3000 tickets and prices for 2026/27
GetYourGuide
Return cable car ticket from Col du Pillon to Scex Rouge, including the Peak Walk, Ice Express and Glacier Walk; you make your own way to Col du Pillon.
Departs from Col du Pillon (no transport) · Ticket only, no fixed departure; cabins every 20 minutes
The Jungfraujoch is about the railway and the height. The operator bills it as the highest railway station in Europe, it lies within a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the journey up, now as fast as 45 minutes from Grindelwald Terminal on the Eiger Express, is part of the show.
At the top, the Sphinx terrace at 3,571 m looks down the Aletsch Glacier, which the operator describes as the longest glacier in the Alps, 22 km long. The Ice Palace, with its ice sculptures, is free to visit, and there is snow and ice on the Glacier Plateau all year. The operator recommends setting aside a whole day.
GetYourGuide
Guided day by bus and train from Interlaken to the Jungfraujoch via Grindelwald.
Departs from Interlaken · About 7 hours
Geography settles most choices. From Lake Geneva, Glacier 3000 is the far easier trip: 2 hours 30 from Geneva and 1 hour 25 from Montreux to the cable car, against more than four hours to the Jungfraujoch. From Interlaken it is the other way round. From Zurich the two are close, at about three and a half hours each.
By car, Geneva to Col du Pillon is about 102 minutes in free-flowing traffic; Geneva to Grindelwald Terminal is about 168 minutes, before the 45-minute ride up. The Jungfrau operator asks day visitors arriving by car to use the Park+Ride at Matten near Interlaken.
| From | Glacier 3000 (to Col du Pillon) | Jungfraujoch (to the top) |
|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 2 h 30 | 4 h 36 |
| Lausanne | 1 h 47 | 3 h 54 |
| Montreux | 1 h 25 | 4 h 01 |
| Interlaken Ost | 2 h 19 | 1 h 37 |
| Zurich HB | 3 h 24 | 3 h 39 |
Glacier 3000 is simple: CHF 95 for an adult return, CHF 48 for children aged 6 to 15 and for holders of a Swiss Travel Pass, GA or Half Fare card, and free for under-6s.
Jungfraujoch fares depend on your starting point and the season. The operator advertises returns from CHF 129.60, so check jungfrau.ch for your route and date. The Swiss Travel Pass covers the trains to Grindelwald or Wengen and gives 25% off beyond; the Half Fare card gives 50%. Children up to 5 travel free and those aged 6 to 15 pay a flat CHF 20, or nothing with an SBB Junior card, though from 1 May to 31 October 2026 they still need the CHF 10 seat reservation.
One rule to know for Glacier 3000: babies under 15 months are not taken up, for medical reasons linked to the altitude.
At the Jungfraujoch, the operator warns that without a seat reservation the train may well be full at peak times, and from 1 May to 31 October 2026 a reservation is compulsory. Book your return slot online before you travel.
Glacier 3000 has no timed tickets: cabins carry up to 125 people and leave every 20 minutes from 09:00, and the ticket office opens at 08:45. Buying online simply skips the queue. Allow at least half a day at the top, or a full day if you want to walk to the Quille du Diable and back, about an hour each way.
Staying in Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux or Gstaad: Glacier 3000. You are on the glacier by mid-morning and back by the lake for dinner, and if you want a guided day, coach trips leave from Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux.
Staying in Interlaken, Grindelwald or Wengen: the Jungfraujoch is on your doorstep. If you want both, the GoldenPass Express links Interlaken with Gstaad, and Glacier 3000 is 2 hours 19 minutes away.
Travelling on a Swiss Travel Pass: Glacier 3000 costs CHF 48 return with the pass. For a mountain with plenty to do beyond the view, such as dog sledding, the Glacier Walk or, in summer, the coaster, Glacier 3000 offers more. For the train ride to what the operator calls Europe's highest railway station, and the great river of ice that is the Aletsch, choose the Jungfraujoch.
Neither is better in every way. The Jungfraujoch is higher (3,454 m) and best from Interlaken; Glacier 3000 (2,971 m) is far quicker to reach from Lake Geneva, costs CHF 95 return for adults and includes the Peak Walk and Glacier Walk.
Usually, yes. A Glacier 3000 adult return costs CHF 95, or CHF 48 with a Swiss Travel Pass, GA or Half Fare card. The Jungfrau operator advertises Jungfraujoch returns from CHF 129.60, with the fare depending on route and season.
The Jungfraujoch: its station is at 3,454 m and the Sphinx terrace at 3,571 m. Glacier 3000's top station, Scex Rouge, is at 2,971 m.
Yes, on separate days. The GoldenPass Express runs directly from Interlaken Ost to Gstaad, and from there PostBus 180 reaches the Glacier 3000 cable car: 2 hours 19 minutes in all.
Glacier 3000. By train it takes about 2 hours 30 minutes from Geneva to the cable car, against about 4 hours 36 minutes to the top of the Jungfraujoch.
Sources: glacier3000.ch, glacier3000.ch, glacier3000.ch, glacier3000.ch, datocms-assets.com, jungfrau.ch, jungfrau.ch, travelswitzerland.com, travelswitzerland.com, transport.opendata.ch, router.project-osrm.org. Checked October 2026. Prices and times can change: confirm with the operator before you travel.