Eispalast Jungfraujoch

Useful Information

photography — Eispalast Jungfraujoch. Public Domain.

Location:	Jungfraujoch. Near Interlaken. (46.546704, 7.979623)
Open:	All year daily 8-16:15. See online booking for dates and times. Post-pandemic Aftermath [2022]
Fee:	See online booking for pricess. Post-pandemic Aftermath [2022]
Classification:	glacier grotto
Light:	electric and natural.
Dimension:	A=3,454 m asl., T=-2 °C.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Jungfraubahnen Interlaken, Harderstrasse 14, 3800 Interlaken, Tel: +41-33828-7233. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1912	railroad to the saddle completed.
1934	first ice cave built by two guides from Grindelwald.
1997	glacier cave artificially cooled.
13-DEC-2001	area added to the UNESCO WHL.

Description

The Eispalast Jungfraujoch (Ice Palace Jungfraujoch) is an artificial cave dug into the glacier. With ice pick and saw a huge chamber with some 1,000 m² was dug by hand. It was created by two guides from Grindelwald in 1934, and since then it is continually open, so it is probably the oldest ice grotto still in operation. The various niches and alkovens are filled with ice sculptures which are carved by artists from Interlaken. The ice of the glacier moves slowly, so the place has to be redone regularly, and it changes its size and form continually.

The Jungfraujoch is an important tourist site, and open all year. Unfortunately at this height sometimes the weather is terrible, and if you were unlucky with the weather, this is one of the places you can visit anyway. And on hot days it is a cool alternative, as the temperature is slightly below freezing.

Be aware that it makes no sense to go there, visit the ice grotto, and then do something else. There is a cable car and a train, and it takes more than an hour to get to the Junfraujoch. Most people go there for a full day experience, and the ice grotto is just one of the things to see. As a result the cable car and train are often booked out upwards in the morning and downwards in the afternoon. And there are numerous variations and packages, prices change depending on season and time. The only way to get a reservation and a valid price is by using the online booking. And it is very expensive. With prices of more than SFR 150 per adult we recommend to check the various reductions. Typically, there are tourist cards or train cards which are valid for a certain time and offer massive reductions for train and/or cable car rides. Unfortunately they change frequently. In general, if you plan to use more than one cable car during your trip, such a card is a very good bargain.

Located on the Jungfraujoch (3,471 m asl), the saddle between the mountains Jungfrau (Virgin, 4,158 m asl) and Mönch (Monk, 4,107 m asl), which is also the border between the two Kantons Bern and Wallis, this site is actually located a few meters on the Wallis side. We listed it with Bern, as the Jungfraujoch is accessible by cable car and railroad from Grindelwald in Bern, and no tourist actually cares where the border runs exactly before he looks for this place.

Gallery