[GEOKAN]

5 March 2026 at 9:17:12 #2795867

On the occasion of our family trip to Germany, France, and Switzerland, we are planning to spend one day in the Bernese Oberland region, starting by car from Bern and ending the evening in Zurich. We have two different options in mind:

1. Leave the car in Stechelberg and take the cable cars up to Schilthorn. On the way back, stop at Birg and Mürren, visit Lauterbrunnen, and then travel to Zurich.
2. Leave the car in Grindelwald and go up to Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe.

We are a family with two children, aged 11 and 15.

Our initial thought was to follow the first route, but we were concerned by some negative comments on various websites due to the construction works taking place. On the other hand, the second route is more spectacular, but also more expensive. We are considering buying regular tickets, as we do not have anything else equally expensive planned in Switzerland (apart perhaps from a boat ride on Lake Zurich).

I would like some help in making the right decision. The difference in cost is an important factor, but you don’t visit Switzerland every year…!Additionally, we would appreciate some specific suggestions on how to plan our itinerary for either the first or the second route.

I would also like to add that our trip will take place at the end of June, and the day I am describing will most likely be June 29th. We are planning to leave Bern in the morning around 08:00–08:30 and arrive in Zurich late in the afternoon, around 19:00–20:00.

Thank you very much. George

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[Roger Sexton]

Reply 1 of 2 • 5 March 2026 at 10:08:25 #2795869

Hello again George

I would unhesitatingly do option one.  In my view the Jungfraujoch is overhyped and (grossly) overpriced.   And in my opinion, the views from Schilthorn are just as good as those from Jungfraujoch.  (And the Jungfraujoch railway is mostly in tunnel.)

You write .Our initial thought was to follow the first route, but we were concerned by some negative comments on various websites due to the construction works taking place.

I am open to correction on this point, but I believe that all the construction work at Schilthorn finished last year.

You will find that the cable car from Stechelberg to Murren is a little busier than usual.  That is because the little railway form Grutschalp to Murren will be closed for three months for engineering work.  So everyone wanting to visit Murren has to go via Stechelberg!  (Not relevant to you, but with typical Swiss efficiency the bus service form Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg will be running every 15 minutes instead of the usual every 30 minutes.)

The drive from Stechelberg to Zurich

I suggest you go via Briienz, Giswil and Luzern.

Kind regards

Roger

[Annika]

Reply 2 of 2 • 5 March 2026 at 20:08:12 #2795890

Hi George,

How lovely that you can spend a day in the beautiful Jungfrau Region! In my opinion, both trips are truly spectacular, and you can’t really go wrong with either one. From a cost perspective, you may prefer the Schilthorn trip.

The bulk of the construction works on the Schilthorn route is done now, and by the time you’d visit, the new cable cars on all segments should be running. However, there’s still work to do, and you will likely see some of that going on. I don’t expect any serious obstuctions of the views, though. You can read more under “New cable cars: the “Schilthorn 20XX” project” at https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/schilthorn/.

That same page also explains how to get there in detail.

To compare, you can check our complete Jungfraujoch guide as well: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/jungfraujoch/