The Schilthorn, from the valley floor

The Schilthorn is the mountain on the western wall of the valley, the one you see from Lauterbrunnen when you look up and left. It tops out at 2,970 m, it carries the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant, and for the last two years it has been the subject of the biggest infrastructure project in the region.

What changed, and when

The Schilthornbahn 20XX project rebuilt the whole line from the valley to the summit. It is now finished.

• December 2024 — the new Stechelberg–Mürren line opened. It is the steepest cable car in the world.
• 2 April 2026 — the final section, Birg–Schilthorn, went into service, completing the project. All four Funifor cars on the Mürren–Birg–Schilthorn route are now running.

The whole network, from Stechelberg through Gimmelwald and Mürren to Birg and the summit, is new and operational, and the project was completed on schedule. If you last came here before 2024, this is a different journey.

What it costs

From our own published fare data, verified 8 July 2026:

• CHF 115 return from Lauterbrunnen to the Schilthorn, adult second class.
• Around 50% off with either the Jungfrau Travel Pass or the Berner Oberland Pass. Neither covers it outright.

For comparison, the Jungfraujoch is CHF 210 return from Lauterbrunnen on the cheapest ticket, and no pass covers the final leg — every one of them leaves a supplement of CHF 63 in winter or CHF 89 in the high season on top. So the Schilthorn is a little over half the price, and the discount you get with a pass is better.

Two ways up

Via Mürren. Cable car out of Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp, then the ridge train along the cliff edge to car-free Mürren, then the cableway up. The ridge train is not a connection to be endured; it is one of the best twenty minutes in the region.

Via Stechelberg. Postbus up the valley floor to Stechelberg, then straight up the new world’s-steepest line through Gimmelwald to Mürren. Faster, and the more dramatic ascent.

Going up one way and back the other costs the same and makes a considerably better day.

What is at the top

• Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant at the summit.
• The viewing platform, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lined up across the valley.
• Spy World, the exhibition in the summit building.
• The Thrill Walk at Birg, the walkway pinned to the cliff face on the way up or down.

Every other guide to this mountain leads with the film. We have left it out, because you will find that story on a hundred other pages and it is not the reason to go up. The reason to go up is that it is the best view of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau you can buy, for about half what the Jungfraujoch costs.

Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch?

The honest version, since we have a whole page on whether the Jungfraujoch is worth it.

Go to the Schilthorn if you want the view of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau rather than the view from between them. It is half the price, the ascent is more dramatic, it is far less crowded, and the panorama is the one on the postcards, because you are looking at the famous three rather than standing on them.

Go to the Jungfraujoch if the point is the altitude and the glacier. At 3,454 m it is the highest railway station in Europe, and the Aletsch Glacier from the Sphinx is a thing the Schilthorn cannot offer at any price.

Do not do both on a short trip. They are both big mountain days and the second one is always a disappointment, because you have already had the feeling. Pick one, and spend the other day on the valley floor or a hike.

If the weather is bad, do not go

The Schilthorn is a view. In cloud you will pay CHF 115 to stand in a grey room at 2,970 m. Check the summit webcams in the morning; the mountain will still be there tomorrow. This is what a second night in the valley actually buys you: the option to wait a day.