Bettmerhorn and the bend of the glacier

What you see from the top

The Bettmerhorn is the central viewpoint of the Aletsch Arena, at 2,647 m. From the platform you see the Great Aletsch Glacier from the side, just where it leaves the straight stretch that comes down from the Konkordiaplatz and begins to curve towards the Massa valley. It is the point that best shows that bend and the dark stripes of the moraines that run along it. In the distance are the Valais four-thousanders, on the other side of the Rhône valley.

The viewpoint is about 200 m from the upper gondola station, along a flat path. The Aletsch Arena describes it as barrier-free and classes it as partly accessible by wheelchair, so with a pushchair or a wheelchair it is the most comfortable of the area's four viewpoints.

How to get up

First you reach Bettmeralp, which has no cars. You take the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn train to Betten Talstation and go up by cable car to the village; if you are driving, you leave the car in the cable car car park. From Bettmeralp station you walk 1.1 km, following the signs, to the Bettmerhorn gondola, or take the Aletsch Express, the village's little electric train.

The gondola climbs in a few minutes. Allow about two hours to go up, look out from the viewpoint, see the exhibition and come down. If you stay for lunch or walk back, half a day.

Seasons and times

The gondola runs in two seasons. According to the Aletsch Arena, winter runs from 5 December 2026 to 3 April 2027 and the following summer from 5 June to 24 October 2027. Between seasons it is closed. Each day's timetable does not appear on the viewpoint's page: check it in the Aletsch Arena's lift timetable before going up, especially at the start and end of the season.

Tickets

There is a single ticket to the viewpoint, but if you are going to several points the one that pays off is the Aletsch Explorer, the Aletsch Bahnen day pass. It includes the cable cars up to Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp, the gondolas to the four viewpoints (Hohfluh, Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn) and the train between Brig, Mörel, Betten and Fiesch. Until 12 December 2026 it costs CHF 55 for adults aged 20 and over and CHF 27.50 with the Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass, for children aged 6 to 15 and for young people aged 16 to 19; from 13 December, CHF 56 and CHF 28. With a GA travelcard it costs CHF 18. There is a family ticket: two adults take their children up to age 19, and dogs travel free. It is bought in the online shop or at the Aletsch Bahnen ticket offices, not in Brig.

At the top: restaurant and exhibition

Beside the station is the Bettmerhorn panoramic restaurant, with more than 190 seats by the windows and a terrace. Next to it is the Gletscherwelt Bettmerhorn exhibition, devoted to the Great Aletsch Glacier, which is a good plan if there is fog at the top.

Walking down

Two signposted routes leave from the top. The short one goes by the Riederfurka to Riederalp: 7.65 km with barely 51 m of ascent, skirting the glacier and passing the Villa Cassel and the Aletsch Forest. The long one goes down to Lake Märjelen and returns to Fiescheralp or Bettmeralp: 14.58 km and 486 m of ascent, a whole day. Both depend on there being no snow: in June and October check the Aletsch Arena's path report.

With children, with a dog and if the weather changes

It is the easiest viewpoint with small children: the path to the viewpoint is short and flat, and there is a restaurant and exhibition. Dogs go up in the gondolas. It is cold at the top even if it is summer below; take a warm layer. If clouds cover the glacier, check the cameras and the forecast before paying for the ascent, or leave the viewpoint for another morning.