Aletsch Arena & Brig
Car-free mountain villages at the foot of the Aletsch Glacier, the longest in the Alps, with the Eggishorn overlooking the ice and Brig below as the transport hub for the Glacier Express and the Simplon Pass.
The Aletsch Arena lies on the north side of the Upper Rhône Valley in the Swiss canton of Valais. It's made up of three car-free mountain villages at around 2,000 m – Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp – facing the Aletsch Glacier, the longest in the Alps and part of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site. Down in the valley, Brig is a transport hub where the Glacier Express, the Simplon line and the railway to Zermatt meet. Highlights: ride cable cars up the Eggishorn, Bettmerhorn and Moosfluh to look out over the glacier; walk through the Aletsch Forest and cross the suspension bridge to Belalp; take a guided glacier hike; ski with the family from the car-free villages in winter; and down in the valley, visit Brig's Stockalper Palace, soak in the Brigerbad thermal baths, or head out to the Simplon Pass, the Binn Valley and the Rhône Glacier. Jun–Oct is hiking season, with high trails mostly snow-free Jul–Sep; Dec–Apr is ski season; in spring and autumn there are maintenance closures when cable cars stop running. Getting there: take the train from Zurich or Geneva to Brig (about 2–2.5 hours), change to the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn to Mörel, Betten or Fiesch, and ride the cable car up to the villages. Plan on 2–3 days. Mountain weather is changeable, so bring windproof warm layers and sun protection.
Top sights
- Great Aletsch Glacier – The longest and largest glacier in the Alps, a river of ice about 20 km long winding down from the Jungfrau region. It is a core part of th…
- Eggishorn – A classic lookout peak at 2,927 metres where you can take in the main body of the Aletsch Glacier at a glance, along with the Jungfrau and…
- Bettmerhorn – A lookout peak above Bettmeralp with a glacier exhibition at the summit station, overlooking the middle section of the Aletsch Glacier.
- Moosfluh – A viewpoint above Riederalp with the glacier almost within reach. You can walk down through the Aletsch Forest, making it one of the most c…
- Bettmeralp – A car-free mountain village at about 1,950 meters, the main base for the Aletsch Arena, with picturesque wooden chalets and a small chapel.
- Bettmersee – A high mountain lake above Bettmeralp that mirrors the surrounding peaks. In summer you can swim and go boating, and the lakeside trail is…
- Riederalp – A car-free mountain village on the west side of the Aletsch Arena and the gateway to Moosfluh, Villa Cassel and the Aletsch Forest.
- Villa Cassel / Pro Natura Centre Aletsch – A Victorian mountain villa built in the early 20th century for an English banker, now home to the Pro Natura Aletsch Centre.
- Aletsch Forest – An ancient forest of pine and larch beside the Aletsch Glacier, with trees up to a thousand years old. It is one of Switzerland’s earliest…
- Aletsch Suspension Bridge (Riederalp–Belalp) – A 124-meter pedestrian suspension bridge spanning the Massa Gorge, with the end of the Aletsch Glacier below. It links two mountain village…
- Märjelensee – An ice-edge lake on the east side of the Aletsch Glacier. It once held floating icebergs and is now a classic destination for glacier hikes.
- Fiescheralp – A mountain resort on the east side of the Aletsch Arena, the transfer point for the Eggishorn, and popular for paragliding and hiking.
- Belalp – A mountain village on the west side of the glacier, facing the end of the Aletsch Glacier and linked to the suspension bridge hiking route.
- Massa Gorge & Gibidum Reservoir – A deep gorge carved by Aletsch Glacier meltwater, with the turquoise Gibidum Reservoir. The Massa Trail runs from the reservoir to the glac…
- Stockalper Palace, Brig – A 17th-century Baroque palace built by a wealthy trader on the Simplon trade route. Its three onion-domed towers are a landmark of Brig.
- Thermalbad Brigerbad – A natural hot spring park near Brig, with outdoor thermal pools, a long water slide and cave pools. It is a good place to relax after a mou…
- Simplon Pass & Hospice – A historic pass at 2,005 meters, with a road built by Napoleon, a giant stone eagle sculpture from World War II and a hospice run by the Gr…
- Ernen – A well-preserved wooden village in the Goms Valley that won the Wakker Prize and is known for its summer classical music festival.
- Binntal Nature Park – A remote valley nature park famous for its minerals, with old stone bridges, wooden hamlets and mineral treasure hunts.
- Rhône Glacier Ice Grotto – The glacier at the source of the Rhone River. In summer you can walk into a man-made blue ice cave, and parts of the glacier are covered wi…
Where to eat
- Schlosskeller – An old-town restaurant inside the Stockalper Palace complex, praised for its fish dishes and pepper steak, and one of B…
- Brasserie des Cheminots – An Art Deco French brasserie converted from a former railway workers' canteen, listed by GaultMillau and much loved by…
- Walliserstuba – A Valais-style eatery beside the station, popular for cheese fondue, raclette and its signature Blue Ribbon pork chop…
- Jungfrau-Aletsch Restaurant – A highly rated restaurant in Naters where the chef uses local Valais ingredients such as dried meat, Hérens beef and Va…
Itineraries
- Grand Tour of Switzerland Self-Drive – A clockwise self-drive journey through four language regions, crossing high mountain passes to connect snow-capped peak…