The Jungfrau Region is a popular mountain destination near Interlaken, well known for beautiful places like Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren and Wengen.
One of the easiest ways to explore this region is with Jungfrau Travel Pass, a multiday ticket covering many trains, buses, boats, and mountain railways in the region.
We often recommend this pass because it’s very convenient, saving the hassle of buying individual tickets for each journey. The pass can also save you money, especially if you visit for at least five days or have children who get a very inexpensive pass.
But this pass is pricy and doesn’t cover everything. So it’s important to do a little math and consider other passes that might be better fit.
This guide explains what’s covered in the pass, how to get the maximum value, and suggests the best excursions to do with the pass. By the end, you should have all the information you need to decide if you should get the Jungfrau Travel Pass for your Switzerland trip.
Contents
Note: The Jungfrau Travel Pass price, map of validity, and terms and conditions may change at any time without notice. Review the exact terms before purchasing and using your pass. If you have questions about the pass, contact the Jungfrau Region tourism office.
What’s included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass
The Jungfrau Travel Pass is unlimited travel pass for 3 to 8 days for the Jungfrau Region.
The map below shows what transport is included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass: regular trains, cable cars, funiculars, mountain trains, and boats.
The grey lines on the map are not free with the pass. The two with % symbol get a discount with the pass.
Free with Jungfrau Travel Pass
The following trains, boats, gondolas, mountain trains and funiculars are free with the Jungfrau Travel Pass. You get unlimited rides as long as the pass is valid.
Regular trains (red lines)
- Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen
- Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald
- Interlaken Ost to Brienz
- Grindelwald Bus around town (but not buses that go to the alpine villages)
Boats (blue lines)
- Lake Thun boat to destinations like Speiz and Thun
- Lake Brienz boat to destinations like Giessbach, Iseltwald, Brienz
Mountain railways (black lines)
- Grindelwald First gondola
- Männlichen: includes both the Grindelwald Terminal-Männlichen gondola and the Wengen-Männlichen cable car
- Kleine Scheidegg: includes the mountain trains from either Lauterbrunnen/Wengen or Grindelwald Grund
- Eiger Express gondola
- Schynige Platte mountain train
- Harder Kulm funicular train
- Mürren: includes the cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp and mountain train from Grütschalp to Mürren
Discounted with Jungfrau Travel Pass
The Jungfraujoch is not completely covered by the pass. You ride free as far as the Eigergletscher station. Then you pay a supplement for remaining journey to Jungfraujoch, CHF 75/adult in summer 2024.
The Pfingstegg cable car has the only summer toboggan in this region, as well as a fun “Fly Line” in the forest and nice views of Grindelwald. With the Jungfrau Travel Pass, you only get a tiny discount on the cable car ride. This cable car is free with the Berner Oberland Pass.
NOT included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass
Despite the marketing messages, the Jungfrau Travel Pass does not cover everything in the Jungfrau Region. The following are not included:
- Mürren via the Stechelberg-Gimmelwald cable cars. With the Jungfrau Travel Pass, instead travel to Mürren via the Grütschalp cable car and Mürren BLM mountain train.
- Schilthorn cable car
- Allmendhübel funicular to flower park playground
- Bus service in Lauterbrunnen valley (to Trümmelbach falls and Stechelberg).
- Grindelwald bus to mountain areas Bussalp, Waldspitz, or Grosse Scheidegg
- Grindelwald Glacier Gorge: no discount with the pass
- Train from Interlaken to Thun
In all these cases, you will need to purchase individual tickets instead.
Cost of the Jungfrau Travel Pass
You can purchase the Jungfrau Travel Pass for 3 to 8 days, which must be used consecutively. The pass is a better value the more days you buy it for, as indicated by the approximate per day cost.
2024 Prices for Jungfrau Travel Pass
Here are the prices for 2024:
- 3 days – CHF 210 (~70/day)
- 4 days – CHF 235 (~59/day)
- 5 days – CHF 270 (~55/day)
- 6 days – CHF 290 (~48/day)
- 7 days – CHF 310 (~44/day)
- 8 days – CHF 330 (~41/day)
Note: there are no discount for students or seniors.
Cost for children
Children aged 6-15 can get a pass for just CHF 30, regardless of the number of days. The child must travel with a parent with a valid pass.
This child’s pass is a fantastic value, especially if you have more than one child. In just three days, you could easily save CHF 80+ per child with just one mountain outing per day. This savings could be the determining factor when deciding whether the Jungfrau Travel Pass is worth it for the family.
Children under age 6 ride for free and do not need a pass.
Discount with Swiss Travel Pass / Swiss Half Fare Card
If you have the Swiss Half Fare Card, GA, or Swiss Travel Pass, you get a discount on the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
- 3 days – CHF 165 (~55/day)
- 4 days – CHF 180 (~45/day)
- 5 days – CHF 210 (~42/day)
- 6 days – CHF 225 (~37.50/day)
- 7 days – CHF 240 (~34/day)
- 8 days – CHF 255 (~31/day)
If you have one of the above discount cards, you can buy the reduced fare Jungfrau Travel Pass here
However, since those travelcards already give you a 50% discount on all mountain railways, you might not save much or anything by adding the Jungfrau Travel Pass. In most cases, this 50% discount is cheaper than the per day cost of the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
For example (2024 prices), if you added the 5 day Jungfrau Travel Pass to the STP, you have an added cost of about 42 day. With just the STP, you would pay only CHF 34 to ride up Grindelwald First.
So with the Jungfrau Travel Pass, you are overpaying. But if you visited Grindelwald First in the morning and Männlichen in the afternoon, you would save money. Plus the pass is super convenient.
But if you plan to visit two or more mountains every day, then you might save some money.
How to buy the Jungfrau Travel Pass
You can usually buy the Jungfrau Travel Pass starting in late March, when prices are updated for the upcoming season.
We suggest purchasing your pass through Get Your Guide, because they offer free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance. If you buy through the Jungfrau Region website, they do not offer refunds.
When you purchase the pass online, you select the start date and the number of days. You get a ticket that you can print and the ticket is added to the Get Your Guide app on your phone.
Review the ticket carefully in case there are any special instructions, as the procedure may differ depending on where you purchase the pass.
The Jungfrau Travel Pass does not need to be purchased far in advance. It does not sell out and can be purchased last minute. You can also purchase the Jungfrau Travel Pass in person at the regional train stations and tourism office.
Note: if you have the Swiss Half Fare Card, Swiss Travel Pass, or GA, you can buy a reduced fare Jungfrau Travel Pass here.
How to use the Jungfrau Travel Pass
In most cases, you will receive a digital ticket that you can keep on your phone. If you have several people in your group that may not always be together, you may find it more convenient to print the tickets so each person can carry their own.
On trains, buses and boats, you usually do not need to show your ticket when boarding. Instead there are random ticket checks. If a ticket controller asks for your ticket, show the QR code either in the app or printed ticket.
On gondolas, funiculars, and some mountain trains, you may enter through an automated turnstile, where you can scan your QR code directly without visiting the ticket desk.
Important: Before your trip, verify the valid dates of the pass and make sure you do not use the pass to travel outside the network (see current map of validity). You can get a fine of CHF 100/person if you do not have a valid travel pass or ticket for your travel date or route.
If you have the ticket on your phone, make sure you have enough battery for your journey. If you cannot show the ticket when required, even if you have purchased a valid ticket, you may still get the fine.
Seat reservations
You cannot reserve seats on any transport in the Jungfrau Region, except the Jungfraubahn train, which travels up to the glacier.
This train is very popular with tourists and can get very crowded during summer high season, particularly on good weather days. So you can optionally purchase a seat reservation for a specific time of day on Jungfrau.ch for CHF 10.
The seat reservation gives you a guaranteed seat on the selected train connection, but it does not assign a specific numbered seat. So the seat reservation does not ensure your group all sits altogether.
When you board the Jungfraubahn train, those with a seat reservation enter through the priority boarding line, getting on the train before those without a reservation.
You can book seat reservations on Jungfrau.ch for CHF 10 per person.
- Learn more about how to visit Jungfraujoch
When is the Jungfrau Travel Pass valid
The summer Jungfrau Travel Pass can be used from April through October. In 2024, the exact dates are 29 March to 27 October 2024.
When you purchase the pass, you must select a validity date range within this period.
Please note that summer hiking season is from mid June to September, fall hiking through mid October barring early snow storms. So if you visit during April and May, do not expect to be hiking in the mountains as there is usually still snow on the trails.
During spring, you can instead visit the mountain viewpoints like Grindelwald First, Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch. But check opening times carefully, as some cable cars have a short maintenance breaks in late April and early May.
Also, many restaurants and even hotels close for a few weeks after the ski resorts close in mid April and don’t open again until late May. Learn more in my Spring Guide to Switzerland.
Best Excursions with the Jungfrau Travel Pass
Here are some of our favorite destinations you can access with the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
1. Grindelwald First
This mountain high above the Grindelwald village has a wide variety of activities for all kinds of travelers.
The gondola from the Grindwald village up to the First mountain peak and cliff walk is included with the Jungfrau Travel Pass. If you paid full fare, a round trip ticket for this gondola costs CHF 72/adult in summer 2024.
At the top, you’ll find the First Cliff Walk, a metal walkway built into the side of the cliff wall. Beautiful hikes start here, including the easy walk to the Bachalpsee lake and harder climb to the Faulhorn mountain hut.
Thrill seekers will love the epic zip lines, mountain go-carts and kick scooters. Families with young children will love the big alpine playground with a view at the middle station.
- Learn more about Grindelwald First
2. Schynige Platte
Perhaps our favorite views in this region are from the ridge trail at Schynige Platte. You start by riding a vintage cogwheel train slowly up the mountain, with increasing spectacular views the higher you go.
The mountain train is fully covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass, as well as the regular train to get there from Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken. If you paid full fare, it costs CHF 64/adult in high season (2024).
Without hiking, you can enjoy the views from the alpine flower garden or restaurant with a big panorama terrace. Or stretch your legs on the 2 hour loop along the ridge, with views of the super blue Lake Brienz and countless mountain peaks in every direction.
- Learn more about Schynige Platte
3. Mürren alpine village
One of the nicest things you can do with the Jungfrau Travel Pass is visit the quaint alpine villages. With the Jungfrau Travel Pass, you can start in Lauterbrunnen and ride a cable car up to Grütschalp.
Then transfer to the Mürren BLM mountain train, that traverses through alpine meadows and drops you at the edge of Mürren.
You can spend a lovely hour strolling through the village, admiring the traditional chalets and flower boxes.
With kids, you can ride a funicular train (extra fee) up to the Allmendhubel Flower Park playground, one of our very favorite playgrounds in Switzerland with an unbelievable view. If you feel like hiking, we suggest the Mürren Mountain View trail or North Face Trail, both of which start in Mürren.
For even better views, you can ride a cable car up to the Schilthorn viewpoint and visit the Birg cliff walk. But that cable car isn’t included or discounted by the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
4. Männlichen Royal Walk
Männlichen is a mountain viewpoint right in the middle of the Jungfrau Region, with panorama views across the entire region.
Männlichen is easy to reach with a gondola from the Grindelwald Terminal station, or a cable car from Wengen, both covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
Near the gondola station, there is a viewpoint over the cliffs to the Lauterbrunnen valley, a restaurant, and fun playground with a giant cow slide.
If you don’t want to hike, we suggest at least the short Royal Walk to a beautiful panorama viewpoint. For easy hikes, you can do the Panorama trail to Kleine Scheidegg or the fun Liselotte activity trail for kids.
5. Jungfraujoch
The most popular outing in this region is the Jungfraujoch, a visitor center at 3463m overlooking the longest glacier in the alps.
To reach this viewpoint, you start by riding either the Eiger Express cable car or mountain train from Lauterbrunnen, both covered by the Jungfrau Trail Pass.
Then you transfer to the Jungfraujochbahn mountain train, which travels the last few km through a long tunnel carved through the mountain peak. With the Jungfrau Travel Pass, this section requires an extra supplement of CHF 75/adult in high season, which is still less expensive than the full fare of CHF 214/adult.
At the top, you can enjoy views of the immense Aletsch glacier, the longest in the alps, over 20 km long.
You can also enjoy a variety of amusements, like exploring the “Ice Palace” cut into the glacier, walking on glacier snow, sledding at the snow fun park, and even hiking to a mountain hut.
- Learn more about Jungfraujoch
6. Lake Brienz Cruise
If you want a break from the mountain trails, cruising the lakes is a great option. The Jungfrau Travel Pass includes the boats on both Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. Without the pass, a round trip on the lake costs about CHF 66/adult.
We particularly like Lake Brienz, where we can visit the beautiful village Iseltwald and Giessbach Falls. After visiting the falls, continue the boat to Brienz and enjoy a nice lakeside stroll. Then train back to Interlaken, which is also covered by the pass.
The boat leaves from a dock right across the street from the Interlaken Ost train station. You can check the boat schedule on the SBB Mobile App or BLS website.
7. Harder Kulm
Right from Interlaken, you can ride up to the Harder Kulm viewpoint on a funicular train covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass. Without the pass, it costs CHF 44/adult for a round trip ticket (2024).
At the top, you’ll find a big terrace overlooking the lakes and mountains. The restaurant here is popular for dinner with the sunset, watching the alpine glow wash over the peaks.
- Learn more about Harder Kulm
Is the Jungfrau Travel Pass worth it?
Everyone asks me if they should get the Jungfrau Travel Pass. My standard answer is that you have to do the math, based on the specific activities you plan to do.
But here are some general guidelines to help you decide.
Convenience
For many travelers, the convenience of the pass is worth more than the potential cost savings. A few things to consider:
- With the pass, you don’t have to hassle with purchasing individual tickets or worry that you bought the wrong ticket, as long as you stay within the covered network
- You will feel free to visit more mountains and do more activities because they are already included in the pass.
- At most mountain transport, you can skip the ticket line and scan your pass directly at the turnstile
Cost savings
If you don’t want to do the math, here are some scenarios where the Jungfrau Travel Pass usually saves you money:
- you are staying in the region five days or more, since the cost per day gets cheaper the more days you buy the pass for
- you have two or more children aged 6-15, who get the inexpensive child’s pass.
- you plan to ride up two or more mountain trains every day
- you want to visit the Jungfraujoch and you don’t have other discount travelcards (this ride costs an extra CHF 75 on top of the pass, but usually still cheaper than full price)
Otherwise, paying full price is about the same or you might even pay more with the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
If you want to crunch the numbers, here are prices for some of the popular activities (full fare, summer season 2024):
- Grindelwald First CHF 72
- Grindelwald Männlichen CHF 70
- Lauterbrunnen – Mürren CHF 22.40
- Schynige Platte CHF 64
- Harder Kulm CHF 44
- Jungfraujoch CHF 214 (from Grindelwald)
- Lake Brienz boat CHF 66
Should you get the pass if you have a car?
If you are driving to the Jungfrau Region, it’s still worth it get to Jungfrau Travel Pass for the reasons above.
The car would only be used for the journeys between the towns in the valleys like Grindelwald, Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen. Most everything else requires mountain transport, which is covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
Note that parking is expensive in the Jungfrau Region and it can be difficult to find a spot, especially in high season. You may want to leave your car at your hotel and travel around the region by public transport.
Comparing Travel Passes
Swiss Travel Pass vs Jungfrau Travel Pass
If you are visiting several destinations across Switzerland, only spending a couple days in each, the Swiss Travel Pass usually is the better pass. That pass covers your expensive train trips between destinations and gives you 50% discount on mountain excursions in each area.
Get the Swiss Travel Pass here.
If you are only visiting the Jungfrau Region, then the Jungfrau Travel Pass is usually the better choice. If you are dividing your time between Lucerne and Jungfrau Region, you could get the Lucerne Tell Pass and the Jungfrau Travel Pass to cover the two parts of the trip.
Berner Oberland Pass vs Jungfrau Travel Pass
The Berner Oberland Pass (BOP) is a similar multiday travel pass, which covers the Jungfrau Region as well as other nearby mountain resorts.
If you are visiting the Jungfrau Region for more than 5 days, you will likely want to day trips outside the Jungfrau Region to places like Oeschinensee, Brienzer Rothorn, and Hasliberg. In this case, the Berner Oberland Pass is a better choice because it covers a wider public transport network and more mountains.
It also covers all the same mountains as the Jungfrau Travel Pass, plus Pfingstegg and Stechelberg-Gimmelwald-Mürren cable cars, as well as a discount on the Schilthorn cable car.
Because it has more coverage and benefits, the Berner Oberland Pass is more expensive. For example, the 8 day pass costs CHF 395/adult vs CHF 330 for the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
Swiss Half Fare Card vs Jungfrau Travel Pass
If you are visiting Switzerland, you can get a one month Swiss Half Fare Card, which works for your whole trip, including the Jungfrau Region. The Swiss Half Fare Card is a good idea if:
- you are renting a car to travel all over Switzerland. In this case, you wouldn’t be using regular trains and buses, so you wouldn’t get the full value of the passes.
- you aren’t sure how many mountains you want to visit. The Swiss Half Fare Card can pay for itself after only 2-3 expensive mountain railways. But if you get the Jungfrau Travel Pass, you might feel pressure to get the full value of the pass by doing too many activities each day.
If you live in Switzerland, you should definitely get the yearly Swiss Half Fare Card, no question. With the card, you get a discount on the Jungfrau Travel Pass, but you’ll have to do the math to figure out if it’s worth it. I would only consider adding on the Jungfrau Travel Pass if you are spending a whole week in the Jungfrau Region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to buy the Jungfrau Travel Pass to visit the Jungfraujoch?
No. You can purchase individual tickets for the Jungfraujoch, online or at the ticket office at the nearby railway station. The Jungfrau Travel Pass just gives you discount on the Jungfraujoch train.
Can I upgrade the Jungfrau Travel Pass to 1st class?
There is no 1st class version the Jungfrau Travel Pass. Most of the transport covered by the pass doesn’t have 1st class sections anyway.
The main exception is the boats on Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. In these cases, you can usually pay an upgrade fee to sit in the first class section. Inquire at the boat dock ticket office.
Does the Jungfrau Travel Pass cover my train ticket from the airport?
No. The Jungfrau Travel Pass only covers the trains from Interlaken to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Brienz. You will need a separate ticket for the train from the Zurich or Geneva airport to Interlaken.
Do I have to buy the Jungfrau Travel Pass far in advance?
No. The Jungfrau Travel Pass does not sell out. You can purchase it online shortly before your trip. You can even purchase it at the Interlaken train station or local tourism offices on the first day of your visit.
However, many people find it easier to purchase it in advance so you don’t have to worry about it later. We suggest buying through Get Your Guide, which has a free cancellation policy up to 24 hours in advance.
Does my dog need a ticket in the Jungfrau Region?
Dogs travel for free in the Jungfrau Region on most trains, buses, and mountain transport. However, your dog does need a ticket for the Jungfraujoch train, which costs CHF 30 and must be purchased at the local ticket office.
Outside the Jungfrau Region, dogs over 30cm usually need a ticket to travel on public and mountain transport. Learn more.
Can I use the Jungfrau Travel Pass in winter?
There is a winter version of the Jungfrau Travel Pass, which can be used for visiting mountain viewpoints, winter hiking and sledding. It cannot be used as a ski pass.
The winter pass costs a bit less that summer since some mountains and attractions are closed during winter (like Schynige Platte). This winter pass is available from mid December to end of March. Learn more.
