Abandoned Hotel Belvédère (Switzerland): History, Photos, and Travel Tips

Hidden high in the Swiss Alps along the famous Furka Pass road, Hotel Belvédère is one of the most recognizable abandoned hotels in Switzerland. Surrounded by sharp mountain peaks, winding roads, waterfalls, and the Rhône Glacier nearby, the hotel became famous for its dramatic location and isolated atmosphere.

Even though the hotel has been closed for years, people still travel here constantly to photograph it, stand above the glacier, and experience one of the most surreal landscapes in the Swiss Alps.

I visited Hotel Belvédère in June 2023 and again in July 2024 and August 2025, and honestly, this place feels even more unreal in person. Photos never fully capture the scale of the mountains, the silence around the hotel, or the strange feeling of seeing such an iconic building sitting completely abandoned in the middle of one of the most beautiful roads in Switzerland.

The History of Hotel Belvédère

Hotel Belvédère opened more than 130 years ago along the Furka Pass in Switzerland and quickly became famous because of its location directly above the Rhône Glacier.

At the time, the glacier stretched much further into the valley than it does today. Guests staying at the hotel could look directly out toward massive ice fields from their windows. Old photographs of the hotel almost look unreal compared to how the landscape appears today.

For decades, Hotel Belvédère attracted travelers crossing the Furka Pass route through the Alps. The road itself later became internationally recognizable after appearing in the James Bond movie Goldfinger, which made the winding mountain curves near the hotel even more famous.

But over time, tourism patterns changed, the glacier slowly retreated, and the hotel itself started aging heavily. Maintenance became increasingly difficult because of the isolated mountain location and the short seasonal window where the pass stays open each year.

Hotel Belvédère officially closed in 2016 and has remained abandoned ever since. Today, the building still stands above the Furka Pass road, attracting photographers, road trip travelers, urban explorers, and people fascinated by abandoned places in Switzerland.

I also looked through older reviews and archived information while researching the hotel, and in the past, one night here usually cost somewhere between $130 and $330 USD, depending on the season and the year.

What Hotel Belvédère Looks Like Today

belvedere hotel swiss alps — View of the hotel from the lower rest area

Even abandoned, the hotel remains one of the most visually striking places in the Swiss Alps.

The curved white building sits directly beside the sharp hairpin turns of Furka Pass, surrounded by steep cliffs, waterfalls, fog, glacier views, and massive mountains in every direction. The location itself almost looks cinematic.

The hotel cannot be entered legally, but the exterior alone is worth visiting. The parking area directly beside the hotel offers one of the most famous viewpoints in the region.

Standing there feels strange emotionally because the scenery is so beautiful while the hotel itself feels frozen in time. You can still easily imagine travelers arriving there decades ago after long mountain drives through the Alps.

The Rhône Glacier nearby adds even more atmosphere to the area. Even though the glacier has melted significantly over the years, the ice cave and glacier viewpoint still attract many visitors during summer.

How to Get to Hotel Belvédère

Hotel Belvédère is located directly on Furka Pass in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.

The easiest way to reach it is by car during summer when the Furka Pass road is open. The road usually closes during winter because of snow and weather conditions at higher elevation.

Driving through Furka Pass is honestly part of the experience itself. The road curves sharply through the mountains with waterfalls, valleys, glacier views, tunnels, and dramatic drops almost the entire way.

I stayed in Goms during my visit, which was about a 30-minute drive from the hotel. There is a free parking area directly beside Hotel Belvédère, which makes stopping there easy even during busy tourist months. Near the parking lot, you’ll also find a small shop selling Swiss souvenirs, drinks, snacks, postcards, magnets, and tickets for the Rhône Glacier ice cave nearby.

Visiting the Rhône Glacier

furka pass mountains — Stunning Mountains of The Furka Pass

One of the main reasons people stop at Hotel Belvédère is the Rhône Glacier located directly beside it.

Visitors can walk inside the famous glacier ice cave carved directly into the ice during summer months. The glacier entrance is only a short walk from the hotel parking area. Tickets can be bought at the small shop near the parking lot, and admission is CHF 9 as of 2026.

Walking through the bright blue ice inside the glacier feels surreal in person. The contrast between the freezing ice tunnel and the warmer mountain air outside makes the experience feel even stranger. The glacier entrance is located only a short walk from the hotel parking area.

Best Time to Visit

Hotel Belvédère becomes extremely busy during the middle of the day, especially in summer.

If you want quieter photos and fewer tourists around the hotel, late afternoon or early evening is much better. After around 5 PM, the area usually becomes calmer, parking gets easier, and the atmosphere around the hotel feels much more dramatic.

Weather changes quickly in the Alps, even during summer. Warm temperatures lower in the valley can feel surprisingly cold and windy near the hotel because of the altitude.

When I visited, temperatures were around 23°C lower down, but near the pass itself the wind made everything feel much colder very quickly. Bringing a hoodie or light jacket is definitely worth it.

Why Hotel Belvédère Became So Famous

Part of what makes Hotel Belvédère so famous is the contrast between beauty and abandonment.

The scenery surrounding the hotel looks almost unreal: glaciers, waterfalls, mountain roads, fog, cliffs, and endless Alpine views. And right in the middle of it sits a completely abandoned historic hotel slowly aging against one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe.

The hotel became internationally recognizable after appearing in the James Bond film Goldfinger, filmed along the Furka Pass road directly beside the hotel. Even today, many people recognize the sharp mountain curves from the movie immediately.

Very few abandoned places feel this surreal in person. Even years after closing, Hotel Belvédère still feels like one of the most iconic and unforgettable places anywhere in the Swiss Alps.