Many travellers in central Switzerland must have seen the Belvédère, every time they flashed past it, enjoying the magnificent road which is the Furka Pass. 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.
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 shows its roots, but those accustomed to modern hotels should be ready for a culture shock!
The rooms are – 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. Some of the rooms boast nothing better than a handbasin, the showers and toilets being along the corridor, but most rooms offer en suite facilities and some have a balcony overlooking the Rhône Valley far below.
While the dark oak-lined guests’ lounge and the ladies’ withdrawing room may lack comfort, they seem filled with the ghosts of Victorian climbers, and add to the overall experience.
Apart from the old-world charm inherent in the Belvédère, it is 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.
Parking for guests is off the road adjacent to the hotel, and is completely safe – no vandal or joy-rider would drag themselves up the Furka Pass, and after all, this is Switzerland.
The restaurant offers a wide range of traditional meals at reasonable rates, not to mention a wonderful view. Two people on half-board, in a double room (at 2006 prices) with bathroom and balcony, costs £102, payable only in Swiss Francs.
This is, of course, expensive by European standards, but there are few other hotels at an altitude of 2,300 metres. This factor also means that the hotel is snow-bound for over six months, only opening between mid-June and mid-October.
To be absolutely honest, the Belvédère does not represent great value, but it does provide an experience which cannot be found elsewhere, although it should only be used by those with a good sense of humour!
It is, however, a good place to stop for morning coffee or lunch.
Old Swiss Hotel - on the Furka Pass
Old Swiss Hotel - on the Furka Pass
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