Aletsch Arena • 2 day itinerary for families

This adorable alpine village and mountain area is a great choice for families, especially those with smaller children that aren’t up for a long hike. You can ride a gondola straight up to an amazing viewpoint overlooking the Aletsch glacier (also possible with strollers). Lots of spectacular hikes start here or you can simply wander among the rocks and take a million pictures that make it look like you worked hard to get here.

Back in the village, you can do a short, easy stroll around an beautiful alpine lake, a perfect spot for a picnic and perhaps rent a SUP or paddle boat for extra amusement. At the end of our visit, we rode down the mountain on scooters, adding a little excitement and lots more amazing mountain views to an already great day.

Note: This outing was sponsored by Aletsch Arena.

Location

Bettmerhorn is a mountain peak located in southern Switzerland, accessible by gondola. See on Google Maps.

Summer hiking map

Here is the summer hiking map for Aletsch Arena, which includes three mountain areas, Riederalp, Bettermeralp, and Fiescheralp. We spent our day explore the middle section of Bettmeralp, accessed by the Betten-Bettmeralp cable car.

Getting there

Bettmeralp is a pedestrian-only village accessed only by cable car from Betten in the valley. Betten is easy to access both by car and public transportation.

By public transport

Take a train to Betten Talstation, which drops directly at the cable car station. If you have a SBB GA card, it also covers the cable car from Betten to Bettmeralp. Otherwise, purchase your mountain transport tickets here. SBB Railaway usually offers a combo ticket that gives a discount on the cable car and public transportation to reach this area.

By car

If you are coming from Zürich or Luzern, you can drive over the Grimsel or Furka mountain passes. Or you can take the Furka car train between Realp and Oberwald, saving you some stressful mountain road driving. It costs CHF 27 each way.

I recommend buying your ticket online to save hassle (we did it all wrong last time and were yelled at by a couple other cars). The ticket is good for one year from the date of purchase. On busy weekends, there may be a wait but you can check online beforehand.

Drive to Betten and park in the large lot next to the cable car station (Nussbaum 17-22, 3993 Grengiols). You take a parking ticket when you enter the lot and can pay when you leave, so you don’t have to estimate how long you will be there. The covered parking garage is the same price as the uncovered spots in the sun, but a longer walk.

Suggested 2 day itinerary

Day 1: We spent our first day doing a guided trek on the glacier. See details here.

Day 2: Ride up to Bettmerhorn viewpoint. Optional hike along panorama trail. Ride back down to Bettmeralp and walk around lake. Ride mountain scooters down mountain. All of these activities described below.

Riding up the mountain

From the valley at Betten, you’ll first ride a cable car to Bettmeralp, then walk through the village, then ride a gondola to Bettmerhorn.

Cable Car Tickets 

You’ll need a round trip ticket from Betten to Bettmerhorn. In 2020, this costs CHF 49/adult. SBB Half-fare, Swiss Travel Pass and children get a 50% discount. Children with a Junior card or under 6 ride free.

If you have a GA card or SBB Day Pass, that covers the section from Betten to Bettmeralp and you’ll only need a return ticket from Bettmeralp to Bettmerhorn, which costs CHF 32/adult full price.

Operating times

The cable cars from the valley at Betten to the village at Bettmeralp run year round because people live up there. They run about every 30 mins, starting around 6:00 until almost midnight. Check the schedule for exact times.

The gondola from Bettmeralp village to Bettmerhorn mountain peak starts summer season in early June, usually the second weekend, and runs daily through mid-October. It runs daily from 8:30 to 16:30.

In Betten, there are two cable cars (one shown below) and both will take you to Bettmeralp. One goes straight to Bettmeralp. One stops in the middle at Betten Dorf where you switch cable cars to continue the journey to Bettmeralp, meaning your journey is a couple minutes longer. It doesn’t matter which cable car you take.

When you arrive in Bettmeralp, you walk through the village about 1 km (about 10-15 mins) to the Bettmerhorn gondola. The village is super adorable, just what you imagine Switzerland to be.

You’ll pass grocery stores and restaurants on your way if you need any supplies.

At the Bettmerhorn gondola, scan your ticket again to board the gondola and ride to the top.

Here’s a view riding up the gondola. We were happy not to be walking up this mountain.

Activities

Viewpoint at Bettmerhorn

From where the gondola drops you off, it’s a short walk on a wooden walkway suitable for strollers to the viewpoint.

The wooden walkway ends at an observation deck with a fence, so your children will be safe looking over the edge. You must take a family pic here, so ask a stranger or use the handy photo automat and get your picture online later.

Even if you aren’t hiking, I recommend wandering around a bit near the viewpoint, where you can find a quiet spot to enjoy the view on your own.

Then take a bunch of pics of the glacier. If you get inspired to walk on the ice, read our post about our family trek on this glacier.

Many people were hiking up and down the panorama trail that leads to across the ridge (shown below) to the Moosfluh-Riederalp cable car (about 3km) or longer. I really wanted to do this trail, but we were a bit short on time and in late June, it still had lots of snow patches, which we weren’t prepared for. We’ll just have to go back.

There’s a 30 min climb to the actual Bettmerhorn peak, but it’s a blue/white alpine trail which requires some scrambling and can be dangerous, only for experienced hikers. 

Near the gondola station there is an indoor exhibit with lots of interesting information about the glacier and history of this area and some interactive elements. It’s very dark inside, which could be a little scary for very little children. 

Panorama restaurant at Bettmerhorn

The self-serve restaurant at Bettmerhorn the best views around, with an open air deck or indoor seating with floor to ceiling windows wrapping around the half-circle. I tried a local specialty named Cholera, which is not a disease, but a tasty potato, cheese and onion pie. 

Lake walk around Bettmersee

After lunch, we rode down the gondola from Bettmerhorn, back to Bettmeralp and walked around the little lake near the cable car station. Honestly, it didn’t look like much from afar, but up close, the lake is so charming, especially as you get views of the mountains reflecting in the lake. I’m so glad we did this little detour.

From the bottom of the Bettmeralp-Bettmerhorn gondola, it’s only a short walk to the lake, as shown in the photo below. We took the stairs up to the lake but with strollers, you take the groomed path that winds up the hill. 

The path around the lake is about 1.2 km super easy and possible with a stroller. The trail I marked below includes walking to and from the lake through the village from the top of the Betten-Bettermeralp cable car, which would be 4km for the full loop.

You can see Bettmerhorn in the distance as we start around the lake.

On the far side of the lake, there is a big picnic area with tables and grill pits and a cafe that also rents paddle boats and SUP.

If you prefer to spread out, there are lots of grassy areas all around the lake where you can lounge.

The trail narrows a bit on the far side of the lake, but still possible with strollers.

On the west side of the lake, there is a shallow pond where little kids were splashing and my son raced across the stepping stones. It was a little too chilly the day we were there for swimming, but on a hotter day, I’ll bet a few brave souls jump in.

When you are done, simply walk through the village, following signs to the Bettmeralp cable car. If you are tired, you can catch a shuttle (shown below) near the Bettmerhorn gondola. During school holidays it runs every 30 mins and costs CHF 6/adult.

But it’s a nice walk through the village. We suggest stopping at Hotel-Restaurant Panorama Betteralp for gelato on your way back, super delicious!

Scooter ride from Bettmeralp to Betten Dorf

At the end of our day, instead of riding down the gondola, we chose to ride scooters down the mountain, which was a surprise highlight of the trip. Not only is it super fun to zoom along with the scooter, but the scenery was so beautiful, riding by lush fields full of wildflowers and mountain views in all directions. I wanted to ride all day!

You rent the scooters at the Bettmernalp cable car station. They are more affordable compared to other places we’ve scooted.

Age / Height: minimum age is 10 and they don’t allow riding double

Cost: CHF 10/person + cable car fee to reach Bettmeralp

Location: Bettmeralp cable car station

Open: late June to middle of October. Not available on rainy days. Check status.

They have a variety of scooter styles, some easier to steer and lighter for small riders. With children, ask the attendant for help choosing a scooter. The scooters are well maintained but I always check the brakes carefully before heading out. Your rental includes a helmet.

The ride takes about 40 mins. The route is very well marked with a green scooter sign (shown above) placed at all turns and forks in the road.

The road is only lightly used by residents and farmers, but be very careful around curves as you may encounter an oncoming truck or tractor, which we did twice.

Your ride ends at Betten Dorf, which is the middle station. Roll your scooter into the station and inform the attendant, who will make sure the scooters get back to the top. You don’t need to sign anything upon leaving.

Then ride the cable car (without your scooters!) from Betten Dorf down to Betten, where you can catch the train or get your car.

Where we stayed

Since Aletsch Arena is quite far from Zürich, we stayed overnight in the area. We drove down Friday afternoon and stayed in Fiescheralp, because on Saturday we needed to get up early to start our glacier trek from this village. Then on Sunday, we checked out, rode the gondola down to our car and drove 20 mins down the valley to Betten, where we rode up to Bettmeralp and spent the day in that part of Aletsch Arena.

We had planned to hike from Fiescheralp to Betten and come back by train. But the trail we wanted to do was still under snow. We’ll have to do that next time.

We stayed at Hotel Eggishorn, near the Fiescheralp gondola station, just east of Bettermeralp. 

We had a lovely suite with a view across the valley. The kids had a separate sleeping area upstairs.

We had half-pension, which included a hearty four-course meal at their restaurant.

And a lovely view from our balcony, where we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets.

Fiescheralp is small and very quiet, which we liked. After staying in Fiescheralp, Bettmeralp felt so busy and crowded, even though it’s also a tiny pedestrian-only alpine village. But if you want more services, you might prefer to stay in Bettmeralp, which has grocery stores and many more restaurants. 

We also love the easy panorama trail at Riederalp, the neighboring cable car to Bettmerhorn.

See all our posts for the Aletsch Arena area.