Descending from Jungfraujoch & Schilthorn on foot?
A traveler named Gasdev is planning a trip to Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn and wants to know if it’s possible to hike down from these peaks instead of taking the train. They also inquire about one-way tickets and the Swiss Travel Pass discounts for their excursions.
- You can't hike down from Jungfraujoch without a guided 2-day tour, but you can hike down from Schilthorn in summer if there’s no snow.
- You can purchase a one-way ticket to Schilthorn, allowing you to walk back whenever you want.
- Using the Swiss Travel Pass is flexible and does not affect the Good Morning fare, making it a smart choice.
AI-generated summary-
Do you have to necessarily go back from both tops with the same ride as you came up? Can’t you hike down by feet or hire a bike and spend a couple of hours getting down on your own?
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Hi Gasdev,
Jungfraujoch: the only way down on foot is a 2-day guided tour along the Aletsch glacier. You’ll end up in Fiesch in the canton of Valais. Only practised mountaineers can climb down via other routes. This no terrain for bikes.
Schilthorn: in summer, if there are no snow fields, one can walk down. I would prefer hiking up because that’s better your knees. It’s 1300 m down if you only go as far as Mürren, so be sure to be prepared for that! Trying this on a bike is pretty risky I think.
Hi Gasdev,
As Arno has already explained, the walk down from the Jungfraujoch takes 2 days, stopping overnight at the Koncordia hut, but the walk down from the Schilthorn is quite straight forward. The first couple of hundred metres may still have snow, but that’s no problem. Use plunge steps (use your weight to push through the snow, rather than trying to walk on top of it) and for the steeper sections you can glissade (the technical term for sitting down and sliding on your backside). You’ll need waterproof overpants for this. In any event, you’ll need a hiking stock to help take the weight off your knees.
Have fun,
Alan
Arno and Alan, thank you for replying and for the useful hiking info.
I do not really have the time or will of power to do the 2 day guided tour down Jungfraujoch, eventhough the idea of hiking along Aletsch glacier sounds INCREDIBLE. I will rather get up and down by train and spend the rest of my stay there exploring the valley and ride a bike to First instead, for example. What else can I do with a bike there?
Then, in Schilthorn’s case, would it be possible to buy a one way ticket? Regardless if I walk down or up. Or you are obliged to buy the return ticket even if you please to walk back from whatever point in between? I mean, am I making all this trouble figuring this out for nothing because I am still going to be charged the same?
One last thing: Does the Swiss Travel Pass discount affect the Good Morning fare on either excursion?
Hi Gasdev,
You can certainly buy a one-way ticket to Schilthorn. The Swiss Travel Pass does not affect the Good Morning price – it is a better offer (and more flexible) to use the Swiss Travel Pass.
Lucas
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