Eggishorn viewpoint: look out over the Great Aletsch Glacier
Intro
The Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Swiss Alps seems close enough to touch, as 20 kilometres of the Aletsch Glacier stretch out right in front of your eyes. This is a viewpoint where you will want to take your time and marvel at the sights before you.
From the village of Fiesch in the Aletsch Arena, the gondola will take you to the Fiescheralp, at a height of 2,212 metres. Then you can continue by cable car to the viewpoint high above the Great Aletsch Glacier. Here at the Eggishorn viewpoint, you can enjoy a spectacular mountain panorama. On certain dates in the summer, you can even experience the dawn from on high with a sunrise excursion. You can see almost the entire length of the Great Aletsch Glacier, plus views of Concordia Place and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. You can even spot the Matterhorn.
The Eggishorn viewpoint is quite an adventure in itself, starting with the circular route: the actual walking time is 20 minutes, but you can spend a good hour here. With a total climb of just 24 metres, it is also perfect for families and takes you to some especially impressive vantage points with “Glacier Lounges”. These are perfect spots to pause for a moment and admire the forty 4,000-metre summits and the Great Aletsch Glacier. Information boards along the route provide interesting facts about the Great Aletsch Glacier and the Aletsch Arena. Sections, but not all, of the circular route are suitable for pushchairs and are accessible.
On the way, you will encounter “power points”, and it comes as little surprise that a powerful force is at work here in this breath-taking landscape. Pausing at these “power points” and allowing yourself to slow down is an experience that will stay with you for a long time.
On the sun terrace of the cosy Horli-Hitta, you will find tasty Valais specialities and panoramic views – the perfect way to round off the Eggishorn viewpoint experience.
Good walkers should not miss the 20-minute mountain walk to the main summit of Eggishorn, where you can enjoy a spectacular 360° panorama.
From the upper station, mountain hiking trails lead back to the Fiescheralp, to the Great Aletsch Glacier, to the Märjelensee and Vordersee lakes and to the Bettmerhorn. Mountain bikers can hire bikes at the Fiescheralp. Tandem paragliding flights are also available. Or would you prefer to stay up there for the night?
Cube Aletsch – Spend the night with a view of the stars and the Great Aletsch Glacier
What could be more romantic? The Cube is a simply furnished accommodation container where two people can sleep at an altitude of 2,869 meters in the heart of the mountain landscape of the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a glass of wine together on the Cube’s small terrace while the last rays of sun light up the Great Aletsch Glacier. By night, the stunning starry sky can be seen through the expansive glass frontage of the Cube: far away from cities and other light sources, the stars shine especially brightly here.
More information:
Information
Altitude: 2,926 metres above sea level
How to get there: By train from Brig to Fiesch, then cable car to the Eggishorn via Fiescheralp
Views: You can see almost the entire length of the Great Aletsch Glacier, the Jungfraujoch with the Mönch and Jungfrau, the Fiescher Glacier and Simplon Pass, and into the Mattertal Valley with the Matterhorn
Attractions: Views of the Great Aletsch Glacier, Eggishorn via ferrata, UNESCO panorama trail to the Bettmerhorn (for experienced mountain hikers), themed circular route on the Eggishorn with information on the glacier and the UNESCO World Heritage Site
Food and drink: Horli Hitta, Eggishorn: seats 36 indoors and 160 on the terraces, serving Valais specialities
Accommodation: Cube Aletsch – Million Stars Hotel (summer only) next to the Eggishorn upper station, hotels on the Fiescheralp, and the Gletscherstube mountain hut by Märjelensee lake (summer only) with 34 beds across three rooms
Groups: Seminar packages at hotels on the Fiescheralp
Winter: The Aletsch Arena winter sports area is home to the idyllic car-free mountain villages of Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp
Special highlights: Sunrise excursions, wooden ramp from the upper station to the viewpoint (accessible for wheelchairs/pushchairs), the Eggishorn is a major centre for paragliding and hang-gliding
