No trip to Switzerland, especially for first timers like me and Malati, is complete without a visit to some of the mountain tops. These peaks are developed into tourist spots and are accessible by some form of cog rail and cable cars. While the beautiful surroundings of the Alps makes for a feast to the eye each peak is different from the other – either in terms of cost or approach or the tourist spots in the surrounding areas. The highest peak was Mont Blanc at 4807 m above msl with Matterhorn and Jungfrau/Monch at slightly lower at 4000 + m. There were many other lower peaks such as Titlis. Pilatus , Rigi , Schilthorn in the 3000 m range and some even lower. Mont Blanc was not accessible, Rigi was free on my Swiss travel Pass, Jungfrau /Monch and Matterhorn fit in well with our other plans. These last two peaks we thought should be enough on our ten day visit to the country . The first one we visited was Jungfraudoch positioned as ” The Top of Europe”

Two questions bothered me before we set out from India. Would I be able to cope with the rarefied atmosphere at these higher altitudes. And being a Senior citizen and a habitual smoker I was particularly worried on this count. A quick consult with previous travelers belied my concerns. Unless you indulge in some heavy physical activity such as mountain climbing, trekking no need to worry. And as a consolation I was informed that emergency oxygen cylinders were handy at Jungfraudoch! The second was what woolens to carry for the trip to the mountains. I found the answer to this easily on many travel forums. Add light layers on the way up to the mountains and peel them off on the way down since the temperatures in summer are a pleasant zero degree on Jungfraudoch during day and in the twenties at lower heights.

Should we buy tickets in advance or wait till the last moment? One school of thought suggests buying tickets at the last minute based on the visibility at Jungfrau while others believe that the weather is temporal and low visibility conditions do not last for long especially in summer. We experienced both. We bought our tickets from Interlaken Ost Station the day before but only after checking out the various options on the website https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/. The site is a wealth of information and you can get an excellent understanding of the routes, options, fares and discounts as well as buy your tickets online well in advance. Essentially there are three options – Traditional Route by train and a Quick Route – a combination of cable and train all for a return fare of 238 CHF from Interlaken with discounts for the Half fare card and the Swiss travel pass or the Eurail Pass.

We opted for the Quick route on the outward journey and soon reached Grindelwald Terminal where we boarded the Eiger express cable car for the second leg of this trip. The large cable car service is a recent addition to Jungfrau tourism and takes 15 mins to get to Eigergletscher – Too short to appreciate the scenic beauty of the valley or the Eiger Face or marvel at the cableway. Eigergletscher is a transit point to board the Jungfraubahn and the terminal affords a close up view of the Alpine massif. As the train rolled in from Kleine Scheidegg I noticed that the engine was named Yash Chopra after the iconic Bollywood film maker! I later learnt that not just the engine but the entire train was named after him for his contribution in showcasing the Jungfrau region in his films thereby promoting tourism.

The Jungfraubahn enters a tunnel just outside Eigergletscher station and continues through this tunnel cut between the Monch and the Jungfrau peaks till it reaches Jungfraudoch – The Top of Europe and covers the 4 km distance in about 25 minutes. Midway at Eismeer the train stops for a few minutes to get a brilliant photo -op of the snow clad mountain peaks through large gaps cut in the ice face. From there on is just a short ride to the top .

As one disembarks at the terminal station Jungfraudoch on can’t help but marvel at the vision of Adolf Guyer-Zeller, the Swiss industrialist who came up with the idea of a train through a tunnel between two peaks almost 130 years ago. His bust adorns the entrance of the Top of the Europe complex and wall panels depict the trials and tribulations during the construction of this railway The complex at nearly 12000 ft in altitude resembles any Mall or railway station complex with snow and mountain specific attractions.

The complex is well sign posted and our first stop was the Sphinx observation deck which is accessed by a high speed elevator. From here you get an all round panoramic view of the Bernese Alps and on a clear day they say you can see as far as Germany. The chill winds add to the pleasure of viewing nature in its purest form. Our next stop was the Ice Palace – You literally walk through tunnels cut out of ice and view some amazing sculptures of the ibex, bears, birds and penguins all carved out of ice by hand. Following the arrows we reached the Alpine Sensation which has models and murals depicting the history of the railway and the people who built it. And finally we made it to the Glacier Plateau and walked some distance through the snow to feel the raw beauty of nature at 12000 feet. Some good photo-ops of the glacier and the surrounding peaks await you here. And like all tourist attractions there are shops and restaurants at the “Top Of Europe” The chocolate maker Lindt boasts of the highest chocolate outlet in the world and then there is a souvenir shop . We could not find anything interesting here and moved on to the restaurants. There is a restaurant called Bollywood serving Indian cuisine in recognition of the large Indian tourist population and a self service restaurant Crystal. Needless to say the prices are exorbitant and why would’nt they if service is 12000 ft above sea level !?

After a quick cup of coffee and some chocolates from the Lindt outlet we got our Jungfrau passport ( got it with the tickets) endorsed at the highest post office in Europe before we headed downwards by the traditional route by train to Kleine Scheidegg on the Jungfraubahn, then onward to Grindelwald . A stroll through the village of Grindelwald and some traditional cheese fondue before we got home to Interlaken, a comfortable journey of eight hours.

While the trip to Jungfraudoch was an exciting experience to remember this was all that we could cover on a day trip. Ideally I would have liked to spend a few days at one of the smaller towns like Wengen or Lauterbrunnen, explore the ski lifts, the walking trails and maybe go up the Schynige Platte railway and savour the delights of the Jungfrau countryside. Maybe a next time and at a more leisurely pace. As ever the debate continues – Stay in one place for a long time or maximise your trip by visiting many .