Bellwald: Village Culture and Hiking Trails

Bellwald offers two distinct highlights for a hotel stay: its historic village character and several clearly described trails. When planning, it is worth considering the route, start and end points, and season. This makes it easier to decide whether you are interested in local history, want to choose a circular route, or plan a route with a fixed destination.

Village Character, History and Local Insights

The historic village character includes old houses, agricultural buildings, and traditional lanes and squares. The Church of Maria Sieben Freuden is a protected historic building. It was built in 1698 and consecrated by Bishop Franz Joseph Supersaxo on 10 September 1704. The ossuary chapel was built in 1733/1734 and is now used as a funeral parlour. Its construction history therefore spans the late 17th and 18th centuries.

At Cinema aB, visitors can learn about the way of life of parents and grandparents in Bellwald and how they lived at the time. An information point in front of the tourist office provides information about the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, including its culture, history and natural landscapes. In the hamlet of Ried stands the only surviving bakehouse from among the former bakehouses in Bellwald village and its hamlets. Baking days are held there two or three times a year, and visitors are invited to bake rye bread. You should confirm the exact dates locally.

Choose Routes by Distance and Course

The 5.3-kilometre Solution Trail “top gestärkt” starts at Cinema aB on the village square and runs via Ried, Eggen and Bodmen to the Goms Bridge in Fürgangen. The four-kilometre treasure hunt starts at the Outdoor Park, passes through the village and returns to its starting point. The routes therefore differ in more than just length: the treasure hunt returns to its starting point, while the Solution Trail ends at the Goms Bridge.

The family trail runs from the village to Ried and has seven activity stations, including a wooden marble run and a skittle alley. The Märchenweg takes about two hours and is suitable for pushchairs. In addition to routes with a fixed endpoint, there are therefore also options with activity stations or a stated duration.

The Goms Bridge is 280 metres long and 1.40 metres wide. It connects the hiking areas of Bellwald and Ernen and is accessible year-round to hikers, wheelchair users and cyclists. The Aspi-Titter suspension bridge is 160 metres long, crosses the 120-metre-deep Weisswasser Gorge and connects Bellwald with Fieschertal. It can only be reached and crossed on foot, and is open every year from 1 July to 31 October. Check seasonal opening information before your trip.

Winter Activities and Getting Here

Bellwald has more than 13 kilometres of signposted snowshoe trails through snow-covered forests and across open slopes. Other activities for visitors include winter hiking, alpine skiing and a ski school. On the Fleschen Trail, the snowshoe hike runs from Bellwald to Fleschen and back. It starts at the valley station of the Richinen chairlift, passes through snow-covered larch forests and open terrain, and ends at the Fleschen mountain restaurant, before the return journey to Bellwald. Availability may be affected by the season and weather.

The Stoneman Glaciara Hike follows a challenging ascent from Bellwald to Lake Märjelen on the eastern edge of the Aletsch Glacier. For a different kind of descent, try a mountain cart: after taking the chairlift up, the ride starts at the Richinen mountain station and follows a winding route to the valley station. This activity is seasonal.

By public transport, take the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway from Brig to Fürgangen-Bellwald station. The Fürgangen cable car then takes you directly to the village centre. Check the timetable and any scheduled service maintenance periods in advance.

Discover more destinations: Ried, Ulrichen, Fieschertal, Münster-Geschinen, Lax, Fiesch, Binn, Ernen.

To the main travel overview: Goms.