The days of having to saddle up a mule to get to Belalp are long gone – nowadays there’s a cable car to take you there from the valley station at Blatten bei Naters.
The journey from Blatten to Belalp takes eight minutes and is the only way to access the car-free village. It’s a 30-minute walk from the Belalp upper station to the Aletschbord viewpoint. From there, the vista opens out to include the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage site, including the region’s iconic Great Aletsch Glacier.
Blatten-Belalp is the starting point for countless activities in the Valais mountains. Winston Churchill himself spent his holidays in the Aletsch region and is said to have sent the following message home: “I sleep like a top and have not ever felt in better health.”
Information
Altitude: 2,130 metres
How to get there: Public transport to Brig, PostBus route 624 to Blatten-Belalp, cable car to Belalp
Summer: From mid-July to mid-September, Sparrhorn chair lift (up to 2,664 metres) runs from Thursday to Sunday
Views: To the lower part of the Aletsch Glacier, the Aletsch Forest with the Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn, across the Rhone Valley and Brig to Monte Leone, the Fletschhorn and Mischabel; the Matterhorn and Weisshorn from the Aletschbord viewpoint
Attractions: The tongue and retreat of the Aletsch Glacier, shepherding weekend at the end of summer (Valais blacknose sheep)
Food and drink: Valais specialities, cheese dishes, cakes in the hotels and restaurants
Accommodation: Hotel Belalp (20 rooms with 36 beds)
Hotel Aletschhorn (4 rooms, 35 dormitory sleeping spaces)
Hotel Sparrhorn (double rooms)
Hamilton Lodge & Spa Belalp (19 rooms)
Pension Chalet Sepp (double/family rooms and group dormitories)
More information Groups: Restaurant Hotel Belalp (seating for 100), Top-floor seminar room (15–20 people)
Hotel Sparrhorn (seating for 40 and 110)
More information Winter: Winter sports area at an altitude of up to 3,118 metres
Special comments: Winston Churchill is said to have sent the following message home from the Aletsch region: “I sleep like a top and have not ever felt in better health.”
