Hotels in Central Switzerland

HOTELS OF EUROPE                                                                                             Mike Fishwick

Central Switzerland

Hotel Belvedere:

Heather and I always had a fascination with the Hotel Belvedere, as like so many travellers, we had  seen the Belvédère every time we had flashed past it, enjoying the magnificent road which is the Furka Pass, and promised ourselves that one day we would stay there.  Positioned close to the summit of the Furka – the best road in Switzerland – the Belvédère enjoys a unique location, its rooms looking down onto the village of Gletsch far below.  We finally stayed there a few years ago . . .

The hotel was built in 1857 to accommodate the intrepid alpinistes of the period, these generally being upper-class Britons who demanded the best.  It still showed its roots, and those accustomed to modern hotels had to  be ready for a culture shock! 

The rooms were – well – old-fashioned, and as the hotel was built for summer use only (it is snowed in during the winter) it lacks comforts such as central heating.  Electricity was added in the 'twenties, in the form of bare copper bars running along the ceilings of the corridors! Some of the rooms boasted nothing better than a handbasin,  the showers and toilets being along the corridor, but most rooms offered en suite facilities and some a balcony overlooking the Rhône Valley far below.  While the dark oak-lined guests’ lounge and the ladies’ withdrawing room may have lacked comfort, they seemed filled with the ghosts of Victorian climbers, which added to the overall experience.

A piece of history - the Hotel Belvedere, with the Rhone Glacier in the background

Apart from the old-world charm inherent in the Belvédère, it was sited on one of the many hairpin bends of the Furka Pass, opposite the Rhône Glacier.  A 100-metre long tunnel is cut through the living ice every year to the Eisgrotte, involving the removal of 350,000 kg of ice.

Even though the Belvedere was a little expensive, there were few other hotels at an altitude of 2,300 metres.  This factor also meant that the hotel was snow-bound for over six months, only opening between mid-June and mid-October.  These factors eventually led to its demise, and last year I saw it was closed and boarded up - perhaps someone will take it over and modernise it, for it represents a piece of British history.

Hotel Astoria:

In contrast, a thoroughly modern hotel which offers excellent value is to be found to at Ulrichen, to the west of Gletsch, where the road from Brig joins that leading to the Neufenen Pass – the Hotel Astoria is opposite the junction.  A campsite and a petrol station are nearby.

The Astoria is a typical Swiss hotel, with excellent rooms, and a fine restaurant, even their half-board menu being a five-course marathon!  As with most Swiss hotels, restaurants, and petrol stations, credit cards and Euros are readily accepted.  Needless to say, the hotel has central heating, as it caters for skiers during winter.  There is a large car park in front of the hotel.

The Astoria represents excellent value, with very reasonable prices, two people in a double room with balcony (during 2011) at half-board costing 100 Swiss Francs (about £85) per day.

The Astoria - modern and good value

Other attractions in the area include, of course, the Furka Pass itself, and also Switzerland’s other great passes, such as the Grimsel and (the old) St. Gotthard.  After a short drive to Oberalp, one can take the local rack and pinion railway, hauled by a small steam engine, which makes its way around and under the mountains on a very scenic route to Andermatt between mid-July and the end of September. 

For those who fancy a car-free day, Ulrichen has a railway station with hourly trains to Brig, where a connection can be made for Zermatt and the Gornergrat Glacier, opposite the Matterhorn.

With a favourable exchange rate for Sterling and the Euro, Switzerland now represents good value for the discerning traveller.  Petrol is almost the cheapest in Europe, the roads are well-surfaced, the hotels offer good value and great hospitality, and better still – it has some of the finest alpine passes. 

The best route is to travel via France, avoiding the crowded Col de Forclaz by means of the Petit St. Bernard pass into Italy and Aosta, and then the Grand St- Bernard Pass into Switzerland to Martigny and Brig.  Use of the Swiss autobahnen (at £25 for a full year's worth of vignette) is not necessary, unless travelling north/south.

 

 

Hotel Astoria.

Web: astoria-obergoms.ch      Email: hotelastoria@bluewin.ch

 

Edited by Mike Fishwick - 07 Mar 2012 at 5:16pm