Two railways climb from opposite valleys and meet at 2,061 metres, under a wall of rock and ice.
Jungfraujoch
At the Top of Europe: A mighty glacier, permanent snow and, on clear days, France.
The Jungfrau Railway took sixteen years to build. Construction began in 1896. The line opened on 1 August 1912, boring through the interior of the Eiger and the Mönch in a tunnel that climbs for 7.3 kilometres before arriving at 3,454 metres above sea level, the highest railway station in Europe.
The saddle connects the Jungfrau (4,158m) and the Mönch (4,107m). From the Sphinx Observatory at 3,571m, the Aletsch Glacier stretches south for 23 kilometres: Europe's longest glacier, a slow river of ice moving at a pace that makes trains seem hasty.
The crowds are real.
Our tip: arrive early, take the first or second train if possible. Then you have the mountain almost to yourself.