SWISS NATURE EXPERIENCE Sales Manual 2016/17 Aletsch Arena – nature as far as the eye can see. The Aletsch Glacier in the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Swiss Alps is the biggest and longest glacier in the Alps. Its ice and rock masses stretch over 23km and cover a surface area of 85km2 from the north flanks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau to the Aletsch Arena in Valais. The ice sheet is up to 900m thick. Experience the glacier in WELCOME all its magnitude and fascination from the lookout points of Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn. Matterhorn Weisshorn Aletsch Forest Mont Blanc List of contents Place to be 4 The destination 6 The villages 7 History 8 Group adventures 9 Summer panorama 10 Summertime 11 Events 12 View points 13 Winter panorama 14 Wintertime 15 Transport – Glacier Express 16 Surrounding attractions 17 Brigerbad 18 World Nature Forum 19 Accommodation 20 Contact 32 Aletschhorn aletscharena.ch/phenomenon Jungfrau Jungfraujoch Mönch Eiger Aletsch Glacier Place to be Dom Matterhorn Weisshorn How to reach the Aletsch Arena How to get there with public transport Distances The Aletsch Arena is easily accessible by private and public International rail connections: Airport Public transport Car and coach transport. The roads and passes are well developed, and the Milan-Brig, Paris-Basel-Berne-Brig Milano Malpensa 2h 30min 2h 15min Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGBahn) railway line passes National rail connections: Berne-Belp 2h 40min 2h 30min through beautiful and very varied countryside. The famous By Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) Basel-Berne-Brig, Zurich 3h 15min 3h 20min Glacier Express travels through the Goms region as it plies Geneva-Lausanne-Sion-Brig, Geneva Cointrin 3h 30min 3h 30min between St. Moritz/Davos and Zermatt. Zurich-Berne-Brig. Basel 3h 40min 3h 30min Connections with the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGBahn) in Special stopover offers in Basel: Visp/Brig and from Göschenen to the Mörel, Betten valley and Zermatt approx. 2h 1h 35min Bookable at: basel.com/aletscharena Fiesch stations. Saas-Fee approx. 2h 1h 20min Regional rail connections: Half-hourly service – Zermatt/Visp/Brig/Mörel/Betten Valley Station/Fiesch General information For more information, visit: sbb.ch, mgbahn.ch Language German Currency Swiss franc (CHF) How to get there by car Time zone Central European Time (CET = UTC +1) Public From western Switzerland: Take the A9 highway from Lake holidays 2016: 1.1., 19.3., 27.-28.3., 5.5., 26.5., 1.8., 15.8., Geneva towards Brig-Furka 1.11., 8.12., 25.12. From Milan⁄Italy: Drive through the Simplon Pass, which is 2017: 1.1., 19.3., 16.-17.4., 25.5., 15.6., 1.8., 15.8., 1.11., open all year round, or use the Brig-Iselle car transport service 8.12., 25.12. From Germany: Travel via Basle-Berne-Thun-Kandersteg Door-to-door service (travel without luggage): (Lötschberg car transport service)-Goppenstein-Brigcontinue sbb.ch/baggage towards Furka; or via Zurich-towards GotthardFurka car trans- port service (Realp-Oberwald)-continue through the Goms Swiss public transport ticket finder: swisstravelsystem.com region towards Brig Timetables: sbb.ch 4 Place to be aletscharena.ch/gettinghere Deutschland Basel- Mulhouse Zürich Österreich Aletsch Arena Frankreich Luzern Bern- Fiescheralp Belp Chur Fieschertal Glacier Glacier Express Bettmeralp Express Fiesch Lausanne Interlaken Andermatt Montreux Riederalp St. Moritz Betten Lax Brig Dorf Genève Sion Visp Ried- Betten Contrin Mörel Talstation Glacier Express Zermatt Lugano Mörel Brig Italien Milano Malpensa The Aletsch Arena with the Aletsch Glacier (the largest glacier in the Alps) is one of the highlights of the Grand Tour of Switzer- land and of the Glacier Express Line. Your journey 5 The destination Eggishorn 2869 m Bettmerhorn 2647 m Hohfluh 2227 m Moosfluh 2333 m tofr 5 min au ei 5 min 10 min 7 minBlausee 2207 m utofrei utofre carfree a a i Riederalp 19281925 m Auto Car c Aletsch Express Bus arfree carfree Zug Fiescheralp 2212 m Train Bettmeralp 1950 m Parkplatz Parking tofr Autofreie Orte au ei Carfree resorts carfree Greich 1361 m 7 min Fieschertal 1096 m Ried-Mörel 1188 m 8 min 12 min Betten Dorf 1203 m Glacier Express Mörel 759 m Betten Talstation 816 m Lax 1039 m Fiesch 1049 m Glacier Express Brig Furkapass Grimselpass Milano Glacier Express Bern Nufenenpass Montreux Luzern Genève © 2015 Google Image © 2015 DigitalGlobe © 2015 Europa Technologie Zürich Season dates for railways Travel times to vantage points Transport capacities Excursion destinations − Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn, Eggishorn: Moosfluh 40 minutes Feeder line/plateau: 5'300 pers./h Summer 2016 11.6. - 23.10. Bettmerhorn 40 minutes Moosfluh: 2'400 pers./h Winter 2016 December until early April Eggishorn 25 minutes Bettmerhorn: 2'400 pers./h Summer 2017 Mid-June until en of October Eggishorn: 500 pers./h These journey times include the travel time from the Mörel val- Feeder cableways (Riederalp, Bettmeralp, Fiescheralp): ley stations (Moosfluh), Betten valley station (Bettmerhorn) and Parking Operate all year round. aletscharena.ch/timetable Fiesch (Eggishorn) to the respective viewing point. For buses and cars at the valley stations in Mörel, Betten valley station and Fiesch. Free coach parking. For groups: trips to the viewing points with prior reservation can be booked all year round! For details & prices, see: aletscharena.ch/cableways 6 The destination aletscharena.ch/destination Tranquil / away from it all Authentic / vivacious Passionate about sports / easy to reach Overview Hotels Facts Facts Facts Category Beds At an altitude of between 718m and 2.333m At an altitude of between 1,200m and 2,647m At an altitude of between 1,050m and 2,869m 4 stars **** 244 1'230 inhabitants (Riederalp-Mörel-Breiten) 412 inhabitants (Bettmeralp) 1'607 inhabitants (Fiesch Eggishorn) 3 stars *** 892 14 hotels, 650 holiday apartments, 10 hotels, 843 holiday apartments, 18 hotels, 369 holiday apartments, 2 stars ** 118 1 group accommodation facility 3 group accommodation facilities 13 group accommodation facilities No category 320 300'000 overnight stays per year 350'000 overnight stays per year 370'000 overnight stays per year Accommodation Quantity Highlights Highlights Highlights Group accommodation 2'356 View point/new Gletscherbahn Moosfluh lift Bettmerhorn view point Eggishorn view point Pensions 28 New lift middle station at Blausee Energy spot Bettmerhorn Energy spot Eggishorn Youth hostel 1 platform & energy spot Moosfluh Glacier World exhibition at Bettmerhorn viewing point Circular trail Eggishorn (from summer 2016) Swiss Olympic Training Base 1 Switzerland’s first nature conservation centre Sports centre Fiesch sports and holiday resort, Camp sites/tent parks 3 established in 1933 Rope park certified Swiss Olympic training base Protected Aletsch Forest Landmark: the “Maria zum Schnee” Via ferrata & ropes park Holiday apartments Aletsch Pro Natura Centre/villa Cassel (Mary of the Snows) chapel Mecca for hang gliders and paragliders Suspension bridge Bettmersee Lake 14 km sledding run Category Beds Alpine Museum Skiing by night Obergoms cross-country paradise 5 stars ***** 252 Salina Maris, the only Swiss-accredited Snowpark/halfpipe with over 100 kilometres of ski runs 4 stars **** 1'075 Alpine therapeutic brine bath Bars and night spots Villages own bell founder 3 stars *** 3'791 Skiing by night Childrens entertainment programme Childrens entertainment programme 2 stars ** 550 Childrens entertainment programme 1 star * 92 Celebrities Celebrities Celebrities Art Furrer: the inventor of acrobatic (freestyle) skiing Bernhard Stucky: former Spa Director at Bettmeralp Kilian Volken: extreme mountaineer The villages 7 History Historic milestones 1203 First mention of Fiesch as a locality 1243 First mention of Bettmeralp as a locality 1314 First mention of Riederalp as a locality 1697 Construction of the Maria zum Schnee chapel, the Bettmeralp landmark 1812 First ascent of the Finsteraarhorn 1856 Hotel Jungfrau was built on the Fiescheralp 1884 Construction of the Riederfurka – the oldest hostelry in the Aletsch region 1902 Villa Cassel was built by Sir Ernest Cassel, the banker 1933 Aletsch Forest became a nature conservation area (Bettmeralp); 20 huts, inhabited in summer only 1949 Construction of the first railway on the Bettmeralp 1974 Switzerland’s first Nature Conservation Centre opened © Zentrum Pro Natura Aletsch 8 History aletscharena.ch/groups Group experiences / Available tours Aletsch Arena Inside Relax Active Culture For groups and tour operators Viewing points (Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn, Eggishorn) Hiking (summer) & winter hiking Alpine Museum with cheese- The Aletsch Arena provides individual tour guides for groups on Glacier World exhibition at Bettmerhorn Guided hiking and glacier tours making dairy, butter production request. The guides are local, authoritative and extremely viewing point Glacier panorama trail Aletsch Pro Natura Centre knowledgeable about the landscape, people and history of Alpine therapeutic brine bath Via ferrata and rope parks Alphitta (mountain inn) Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiesch-Eggishorn. Aletsch Arena Bettmersee Lake (lake for bathing & boat rental) Culinary tour for gourmets Guided tour of the locality Inside: a big plus for all group and excursion operators. Lake Blausee Paraglider and tandem flights (circular tour of Fiesch village) Energy spots on the viewing peaks of Mountain bikes, scooters Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn Moosfluh, Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn Marked snowshoe tours art exhibition Aletsch forest Marked walking routes Wellbeing-