natureblond

Hi. I am having the most difficult time deciding
where to stay in the Valais area. Riederalp was recommended by a friend, but there are so many other villages to choose from and I am staying 3 nights so want to enjoy the choice I make. Any suggestions on hotels, spas or places to stay in the car free villages from Brig? It is my teen son and I and we like quiet hotels, great views, glaciers, not a lot of little kids and nonsmoking (hard to find!). Also, not sure how I feel about staying in Bettmeralp with the only way getting up and down is via cable cars? We just want to hike and relax for 3 days in this area in the middle of our 17 day trip around Switzerland.

Thanks so much for your ideas.

S~

natureblond

P.S. we will be there in less than 3 weeks!

enzian

Hello natureblond,

We have stayed several times in Bettmeralp. I love it there. Beautiful views from our balcony (to the Matterhorn on a clear day, and alwyas down into the Rhone valley and across into Italy). We often walk to Riederalp, which is a larger village which doesn't have so much the feel of "hanging on the edge" as Bettmeralp. For lodging, we prefer Bettmeralp. We stay at this small, family-run hotel:

http://www.panorama-bettmeralp.ch/e/

Fredy and Rahel are warm and welcoming.
They always welcome us back and we feel like it is our second home. We take half-board and the food is wonderful. The whole place feels like a non-smoking facility, although it doesn't say so on the website. Our teens loved this place and the glacier hike was pronounced their favorite hike of all time.

This hotel does not have a spa but others in the area do if you would like that. The town has a Sport center with swimming pool, tennis courts, etc.

The cable car is no problem; you ride up and stay 3 days, and then ride back down. It is one of the large, stable cars that holds many people (and luggage, dogs, and everything else that is going up to the village).

If you truly want to hike and relax for 3 days, I can think of no better place in Switzerland to do that (some that are equal, but no place better).

If you have any questions I'll check back.

quokka

I spent a couple of days on Riederalp and would love to go back for a longer hiking holiday. The advantage is that you are already at a height of 1.800 m and needn't climb up from the bottom of the valley. The panoramic view across the Rhone valley is amazing. The Aletsch glacier is close, a short hike across he mountain ridge. And the cable car works just fine. What's the problem about that, especially since you are staying for only 3 days?

natureblond

Thank you so much Enzian and quokka. It is such a toss up between the two places. I would like to go where there is less commotion going on, so sounds like probably Bettmeralp would be best? How far of a hike is it from Bettmeralp to Riederalp and then to the Glacier? Just trying to get an idea of how many minutes hikes take there. I can walk about 2 hours in Florida or the mountains north of me with no problem for hours and I try to eat granola or oatmeal everyday! Enzian and Quokka please tell me more details about what you saw and did and maybe it will help me make up my mind better. Thanks
Susan

enzian

Bettmeralp to Riederalp is a pleasant 15-to-20 minute walk along a paved path. I saw a number of people walk over from Riederalp to dine at our hotel. Both villages are pretty peaceful. Here is a link to some of our photos of the area:

http://tinyurl.com/yp7blr

I think it will let you scroll through the album---the first few pages are all Bettmeralp and the glacier hike. The church perched on the edge of the world at the top of page # 1 is the view from our balcony at Panorama.

There are various ways to do the glacier hike, some quite long and strenuous (like the one in the photos!) You need to get to the top of the ridge behind Bettmeralp and Riederalp, and there are many vantage points from that ridge. It's a bit of a climb up if you hike. But there are several lifts that would take you up---one a pretty thrilling chairlift at Riederalp (Moosfluh); one a cablecar to the top of the Bettmerhorn, and one a cablecar up the Eggishorn, which involves a walk to Kühboden a bit to the east of Bettmeralp. On a nice day it is all glorious.

enzian

You might get a feel for the look of the two villages by viewing their websites:

www.bettmeralp,ch
www.riederalp.ch

Bettmeralp has several different ones; they change if you "refresh". Basically, the bench on which these villages sit is wider at Riederalp---there is more level ground there, so it's more spread out and larger. Bettmeralp is strung out along one main path, with a few chalets above and below.

enzian

I just re-read you original post. I think you would be able to find a hotel with spa facilities at Riederalp, but not Bettmeralp. Also---can't tell when you will be there, but there is a half-marathon on June 24, and the whole week before that is promoted as a "training week", so it may be more busy than peaceful.

natureblond

Darn, looks like I planned my trip then to fall exactly during the training week. We will be there June 15-18. I still have time to switch to a different village though as no credit card reserved yet. That does explain though why so many hotels booked up during this time. Wengen is ok though, we will be on the other side of the alps June 22-24 on the end of our vacation.
What do you think about the training week? How many people? Is there a website that talks about this?
Does this also involve Wengen as well?
S~

enzian

It is on the Bettmeralp webiste. I think the "training week" is a promotin to bring people in at what would otherwise be a very quiet time (June 17 to 24). So it may not be a big deal at all. The half-marathon will take place in the Bettmeralp/Riederalp area, and won't involve Wengen at all.