The Eiger Express cut this route by nearly an hour.
Grindelwald is the larger, road-connected base town, and since 2020 it's also the fastest way onto the Jungfraubahn.
How the route actually works
From Interlaken Ost, a direct train reaches Grindelwald Terminal in around 30 minutes. From there, the Eiger Express tri-cable gondola — Switzerland's fastest of its kind — covers the climb to Eigergletscher station in roughly 15 minutes, replacing what used to be a much slower rail connection through Grindelwald Grund. From Eigergletscher, it's a further 30-35 minutes on the Jungfraubahn itself to Jungfraujoch. Total door-to-door time from Interlaken: approximately 90 minutes, versus roughly two hours on the classic Wengen route.
| Leg | Mode | Approx. time |
|---|---|---|
| Interlaken Ost → Grindelwald Terminal | Train | ~30 min |
| Grindelwald Terminal → Eigergletscher | Eiger Express gondola | ~15 min |
| Eigergletscher → Jungfraujoch | Jungfraubahn cogwheel train | ~30-35 min |
Grindelwald itself
Unlike Wengen or Mürren, Grindelwald is reachable by car and has a full-size year-round tourist infrastructure — more hotel capacity, more restaurants, and direct road access, which makes it the more practical overnight base for travellers arriving with luggage or on a tight schedule. It sits directly below the north faces of the Eiger and the Wetterhorn, and functions as its own hub for the First cliff-walk and zipline attractions, entirely separate from the Jungfraubahn route.
Trade-off versus the Wengen route
The Eiger Express replaces open-air cogwheel travel through the Lauterbrunnen valley with a fast gondola ride — quicker, but the classic above-ground climb through Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg is generally considered the more scenic half of the journey. If time is tight, Grindelwald wins; if the train ride itself is part of the point, see the Wengen and Lauterbrunnen route instead.