- Summits
- Jungfraujoch
- Kleine Scheidegg
Mountain pass 2,061 m · below the Eiger, Mönch and JungfrauKleine Scheidegg
Kleine Scheidegg is the saddle between Grindelwald and Wengen, right below the Eiger North Face – and the station where the Jungfrau Railway begins. From Grindelwald you are up there in 32 minutes, for a third of what the Jungfraujoch costs.
- from Grindelwald 32 min
- from Wengen 22 min
- from Lauterbrunnen 38 min
- Altitude
- 2,061 m
- to Jungfraujoch
- 43 min
- Eiger Trail
- 2 h
Prices and times checked on 2 October 2026 · Sources: jungfrau.ch price calculator, SBB timetable, jungfrau.ch, maennlichen.ch · Photo: Maria Feofilova, CC BY-SA 4.0
What Kleine Scheidegg is
Kleine Scheidegg sits at 2,061 metres on the crossing from the Lauterbrunnen valley to Grindelwald. Above it stand the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, with the Eiger North Face right in front of you. Up there you find a station, two mountain restaurants and a lodge – and the starting points of some of the best-known trails in the region.
For most people it is the place to change trains for the Jungfraujoch. The Wengernalp Railway, the green-and-yellow cog railway, climbs up from both sides of the pass. Here you change to the red Jungfrau Railway, which runs via Eigergletscher station through the mountain to the Jungfraujoch. If you travel via Grindelwald Terminal and the Eiger Express, you bypass Kleine Scheidegg altogether – the classic route via Wengen goes straight through it.
- Altitude
- 2,061 m (Jungfrau Railways)
- Railways
- Wengernalp Railway from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen and from Grindelwald; Jungfrau Railway via Eigergletscher to the Jungfraujoch
- On site
- Bergrestaurant Kleine Scheidegg with sun terrace, Lodge Kleine Scheidegg, Bergrestaurant Grindelwaldblick
How do you get to Kleine Scheidegg?
By train. Wengen is car-free, so the car stays in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald. You take the Wengernalp Railway, either from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen or from Grindelwald. Both lines run every 30 minutes, all the way up without a change. From Interlaken Ost you first take the Bernese Oberland Railway to Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald; Jungfrau Railways give 1 hour 15 minutes in total, the SBB timetable via Lauterbrunnen 1:04 hours with one change.
| To Kleine Scheidegg from | Journey time | Return | with Half Fare Card | Swiss Travel Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wengen | 22 min | CHF 64.00 | CHF 32.00 | CHF 48.00 |
| Grindelwald | 32 min | CHF 81.20 | CHF 40.60 | CHF 61.20 |
| Lauterbrunnen | 38 min | CHF 92.00 | CHF 46.00 | CHF 48.00 |
| Interlaken Ost (via Lauterbrunnen) | 1:04 h | CHF 103.20 | CHF 51.60 | CHF 48.00 |
A single costs exactly half. Lower fares apply from 1 November: for 10 November 2026 the price calculator gives CHF 87.20 return from Lauterbrunnen and CHF 75.20 from Grindelwald. Kleine Scheidegg is included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass – the pass is valid as far as Eigergletscher. Prices are in Swiss francs; the Half Fare Card is the Swiss Half Fare Card, which visitors from abroad can buy too.
Rule of thumb: Go up one side and down the other – say from Lauterbrunnen up via Wengen and down to Grindelwald. Two singles then cost CHF 46.00 + 40.60 = CHF 86.60, less than a return from Lauterbrunnen, and you see both valleys.
According to Jungfrau Railways, wheelchair users can only take the route via Kleine Scheidegg with advance notice by phone; the step-free route to the Jungfraujoch runs via the Eiger Express. Dogs travel free as far as Kleine Scheidegg, according to Jungfrau Railways; only the Jungfrau Railway from Eigergletscher costs CHF 30 return.
Up in green and yellow. On in red.At Kleine Scheidegg you change from the Wengernalp Railway to the Jungfrau Railway.
Kleine Scheidegg instead of the Jungfraujoch: is it worth it?
It is mainly a question of money. From Lauterbrunnen the Jungfraujoch costs CHF 260 return in high season, Kleine Scheidegg CHF 92 – just over a third. The rest of the way, 43 minutes on the Jungfrau Railway, costs CHF 184 return from Kleine Scheidegg, including the CHF 10 seat reservation that is compulsory from 1 May to 31 October.
| From Lauterbrunnen to | Journey time | Return | with Half Fare Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kleine Scheidegg (2,061 m) | 38 min | CHF 92.00 | CHF 46.00 |
| Jungfraujoch (3,454 m) | 1:41 h | CHF 260.00 | CHF 135.00 |
Only go as far as Kleine Scheidegg if …
- you want to see the Eiger North Face, not the glacier behind it,
- you want to hike – the trails start here, not on the Jungfraujoch,
- cloud is hanging on the Mönch and you don't want to pay CHF 260 for fog.
Carry on to the Jungfraujoch if …
- you want to stand in the snow at 3,454 metres and see the Aletsch Glacier,
- the sky is clear and you only have one day in the region,
- you already have the Jungfrau Travel Pass and only need the add-on ticket.
Honestly: Kleine Scheidegg is not a small Jungfraujoch. You stand below the peaks, not between them, and in summer the snow and ice are only on the faces. If the Jungfraujoch is your goal and the weather is right, go up – but don't spend another CHF 184 just because you are already standing at Kleine Scheidegg and everything above is grey.
Hikes from Kleine Scheidegg
Some of the best-known trails in the region start or end here. For all of them: the times are the operators' figures, and apart from the end points there is no train along the way.
| Trail | Length | Time | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jungfrau Eiger Walk (Eigergletscher – Kleine Scheidegg) | 2.5 km | ~ 1 h | easy, downhill from 2,321 to 2,062 m |
| Panorama Trail (Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg) | 4.5 km | 1:20 h | 2 h in the other direction; mid-June to October |
| Eiger Trail (Eigergletscher – Alpiglen) | 6.1 km | 2:00 h | moderate; 78 m up, 779 m down; 2:30 h in the other direction |
| Lauberhorn Trail | – | ~ 3:25 h | from 2,316 m down to 1,098 m |
The Jungfrau Eiger Walk is the easiest way in: take the Jungfrau Railway five minutes to Eigergletscher station (CHF 16 return, CHF 8 with the Half Fare Card) and walk back on a well-built path. Boards along the way tell the stories of the Eiger North Face. Jungfrau Railways describe it as easily manageable even for inexperienced walkers.
The Eiger Trail runs from Eigergletscher below the Eiger North Face down to Alpiglen, a Wengernalp Railway station on the Grindelwald side. From there the timetable gets you to Grindelwald in 25 minutes. The Panorama Trail comes over from Männlichen, which you reach by lift from Grindelwald or from Wengen; maennlichen.ch lists the fares.
Honestly: When the Eiger Trail is free of snow and open in 2026 is not stated on the operator's page – ask at the station before you set off in trainers. According to Jungfrau Railways, you use the trails at your own risk.
Eating, sleeping and booking at Kleine Scheidegg
The Jungfrau Railways' Bergrestaurant Kleine Scheidegg has a sun terrace facing the three peaks; the menu includes Röstizza, burgers, grilled sausages, goulash soup and cream slices. You can stay overnight at Lodge Kleine Scheidegg at 2,061 metres. On the Panorama Trail there is also the Bergrestaurant Grindelwaldblick. The operators' pages do not give opening times – ask before a late descent.
You don't need to book anything for Kleine Scheidegg: buy the train ticket at the ticket office or on jungfrau.ch. A guided tour only makes sense if you want to travel from further away without changing trains.
“I'm staying in Lucerne and don't want to deal with trains and changes.”From Luzern: Mount Eiger Day Trip to Kleine Scheidegg
Honestly: On your own you pay CHF 103.20 return from Interlaken Ost, CHF 51.60 with the Half Fare Card; Lucerne to Interlaken Ost is 1:48 hours by train. With a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card, going independently is considerably cheaper. The tour has only nine reviews so far.
If you would rather stay in the valley, the Trümmelbach Falls are at the foot of the Wengernalp Railway, and Grindelwald First is on the other side.
Kleine Scheidegg: quick answers
How do you get to Kleine Scheidegg?
Only on the Wengernalp Railway: 32 minutes from Grindelwald, 38 minutes from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen, every 30 minutes without a change. From Interlaken Ost it takes 1:04 hours with one change.
Is Kleine Scheidegg worth going to instead of the Jungfraujoch?
If you are after the Eiger North Face and hiking, yes: from Lauterbrunnen you pay CHF 92 instead of CHF 260 return. Glacier, snow at 3,454 metres and the view of the Aletsch Glacier you only get on the Jungfraujoch.
How long is the train ride to Kleine Scheidegg?
22 minutes from Wengen, 32 minutes from Grindelwald, 38 minutes from Lauterbrunnen and 1:04 hours from Interlaken Ost. On from Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfraujoch takes another 43 minutes.
How much is the train to Kleine Scheidegg?
Return from Grindelwald CHF 81.20, from Lauterbrunnen CHF 92, from Interlaken Ost CHF 103.20. With the Swiss Half Fare Card you pay half, and the Jungfrau Travel Pass covers the route.
Where the figures come from
| Item | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude 2,061 m, journey time from Interlaken Ost 1 h 15 min, Eiger Trail, Jungfrau Eiger Walk, Lauberhorn Trail, restaurant, lodge, Travel Pass validity | jungfrau.ch – Kleine Scheidegg | 2 October 2026 |
| Eiger Trail: 6.1 km, 2:00 h / 2:30 h, moderate, 78/779 m ascent/descent, own risk | jungfrau.ch – Eiger Trail | 2 October 2026 |
| Jungfrau Eiger Walk: 2.5 km, ~1 h, 2,321–2,062 m, easy | jungfrau.ch – Jungfrau Eiger Walk | 2 October 2026 |
| Bergrestaurant Kleine Scheidegg: sun terrace, menu | jungfrau.ch – Bergrestaurant (German) | 2 October 2026 |
| Jungfrau Travel Pass: Kleine Scheidegg included | jungfrau.ch – Jungfrau Travel Pass | 2 October 2026 |
| Panorama Trail Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg: 4.5 km, 1:20 h / 2 h, mid-June to October, Bergrestaurant Grindelwaldblick | maennlichen.ch – Panorama Trail | 2 October 2026 |
| Fares to Kleine Scheidegg from Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken Ost, with Half Fare Card and Swiss Travel Pass (travel dates 5 October and 10 November 2026); Kleine Scheidegg – Eigergletscher and – Jungfraujoch | Jungfrau Railways price calculator | 2 October 2026 |
| Lauterbrunnen – Jungfraujoch CHF 260 / 135, seat reservation CHF 10, dogs, wheelchair only with advance notice, Lucerne – Interlaken Ost 1:48 h | Fact sheets daten/jungfraujoch.json and daten/jungfrau-region.json (jungfrau.ch, SBB) | 21 September 2026 |
| Journey times and frequency Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken Ost – Kleine Scheidegg; Kleine Scheidegg – Eigergletscher – Jungfraujoch; Alpiglen – Grindelwald (travel date 5 October 2026) | SBB timetable, queried via transport.opendata.ch | 2 October 2026 |
| Offer title, price, reviews | GetYourGuide, partner data | 2 October 2026 |