Moni & I have just got back to Bern after spending 7 nights on the Bettmeralp mountain in the Aletsch Arena in Wallis Switzerland.

And WOW, what an amazing place the Aletsch Arena is. Vast areas of lush green land, views to snow-topped peaks of the famous Swiss Alps, the sound of cowbells all around, fresh mountain air filling our lungs, hot sunny days to warm us on our walks, typical Swiss dishes like Alpler-macaroni with apple pure, or Walliser teller, Vermicelli oh and great coffee.

I could go on and mention lots of other highlights… so let me get into this post and explore some more.

Day 1244 – July 28th, 2017

Day 1 Bettmeralp

The Aletsch Arena, The Greatest Glacier of the Alps

To get to the Bettmeralp region we took the train where we drove the car direct on to the wagon, pretty cool right.

Car transport on the train at Kandersteg

Gondola up the Bettmeralp

Once through the mountain, we made our way down the mountain and along to the Bettmeralp gondola station.

The car would stay here for the week in the overfull car park. Now to buy tickets to the top…

Bettmeralp Gondola to the Aletsch Arena

There are two gondolas that operate, one for passengers with baggage and one for those without. The ticket cost is 19.60 Sfr return. Here is the link to the Aletsch arena prices.

Gondola to the top Bettmeralp station

The trip takes 7 minutes and they run roughly every half hour.

Our accommodation on the Alp was in a wonderful Swiss Chalet called Sankt Florian. It is the one in the back in the picture below.

Swiss Chalet Bettmeralp

A little look inside the chalet

Chalet on the Bettmeralp

Two comfortable bedrooms, one with a balcony the other with big windows facing the Bettmerhorn. A cosy lounge dining room, a tiny kitchen where you bang your head on the exhaust fan, and a bathroom with shower and toilet.

Bathroom, lounge & balcony

This is the view we have from the east facing balcony. We look down to the gondola station and valley below. Directly to the right is the Waldhaus hotel and to the left the Wurzenbord peak.

Bettmeralp view from our balcony

Our first walk into the Bettmeralp village

Panorama from the main street Bettmeralp

A stunning afternoon, perfect for a slice of Swiss Wähe and coffee.

Coffee, Apple Strudel, Apricot Wähe at Hotel Panorama

Next up we shopped in the local Coop for provisions before heading back to the Chalet to settle in and discuss the plans for our first hike in the Swiss Alps tomorrow.