Rhone Glacier.

© font83/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Rhône Glacier

Top choice in Valais


Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which flows the length of Valais, into Lake Geneva, then south to the Mediterranean. Still 8km long, the glacier has lost 1.4km of its length since 1870. Recent frightening calculations estimate it will lose 50% of its ice volume by 2050 and be down to 10% of the present volume by 2100.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Valais attractions

1. Furka Pass

1.02 MILES

Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…

2. Grimsel Pass

2.75 MILES

From the tiny Valais village of Gletsch (1762m; 10km to the Furka Pass), a steep 6km hairpinned road climbs north to the mighty Grimsel Pass (2164m),…

3. Furka Base Tunnel

4.16 MILES

This 15km-long tunnel, opened in 1982, plays an important part in the history of the Furka Pass. It runs from Oberwald in Valais to Realp, 8km short of…

4. Nufenen Pass

7.36 MILES

At Ulrichen, 21km on the Valais side of the Furka Pass, a clearly marked road turns southeast and twists its way south out of the Valais and into the…

5. Triftbrücke

7.73 MILES

The Hasli Valley is laced with 300km of signposted walking trails. A huge hit is this 170m-long, 100m-high suspension bridge, Europe’s longest and highest…

6. Museo Nazionale San Gottardo

8.94 MILES

Once at the top of the St Gotthard Pass, visit the Museo Nazionale San Gottardo, which covers the commercial, political and cultural significance of the…

7. Gemsstock

10.92 MILES

This 2961m mountain, reached by cable car, attracts hikers in summer and skiers coming for the snow-sure slopes in winter. The region is also beloved of…

8. Robiei Dam

11.53 MILES

At the end of the Val Bavona, just after San Carlo, a cable car rides up to Robiei dam and its startlingly turquoise reservoir, tailor-made for a day’s…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "switzerland/furka-pass/attractions/rhone-glacier/a/poi-sig/1572711/1342095",
      "destination": "Valais",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Switzerland",
      "region": "Valais",
      "position": "superzone"
    }