Background
The Jungfrau-Aletsch property, first inscribed in 2001 and since extended to 82,400 hectares, is an outstanding example of the formation of the High Alps, including the most glaciated part of the range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. UNESCO values it both for its beauty and for what it records about the formation of mountains and glaciers, the retreat of ice under climate change, and the ecosystems that follow it.
The area lies between the Bernese Oberland and the Valais, about 25 km south of Interlaken and 20 km north of Brig, and contains the northern wall of the Jungfrau and the Eiger. Wikivoyage says the Aletsch Glacier is more than 22 km long and up to 900 m thick, but receding by as much as 100 m a year, and that the Jungfraujoch railway climbs to a col at 3,450 m, the highest station in Europe.
- 1912The Jungfrau railway reaches the Jungfraujoch
- 2001Inscribed as the first natural World Heritage site in the Alps
- 2007Extended east and west to 82,400 hectares
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1JungfraujochThe Top of Europe, by train from Kleine Scheidegg, with the Ice Palace and the view down the Aletsch.
- 2Aletsch GlacierSeen from the Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp cable cars on the Valais side.
- 3Eiger North FaceAbove Grindelwald and the Kleine Scheidegg.
- 4LauterbrunnenThe valley of waterfalls below the Jungfrau.
- 5LötschentalThe valley on the southern edge, partly inside the site.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Top of Europe
Not yet in a GoGo guide
- 08:00Train to the Jungfraujoch5 hrsUp through the Eiger to the col, the Ice Palace and the glacier view.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Jul. Freezing days in Nov–Apr. Rainy season May–Jun, Aug.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
