Hotel Belvedere Rhonegletscher
The iconic Alpine hotel of the 19th-century has seen better days. Back in the early times, at the peak of its operation, tourists flocked to see Rhône Glacier's breathtaking. Hotel Belvédère is located on a majestic curvy mountain road.
The Furka Pass is a road tripper's paradise in the high Swiss Alps. It's so scenic that it was featured in the James Bond film Goldfinger.
Hotel Belvédère is located close to the top, in one of the most amazing places. To this date, tourists come here to sneak peek at the once flourishing hotel and make their way to the glacier where the ice grotto used to be.
It was a 100 m long tunnel and ice chamber that you could visit when the road opened up in the summer.
Hotel Belvédère
The iconic shape and the unique location of Hotel Belvédère make it look like it's straight out of a James Bond movie. And, in fact, it is.
Photo by Ilirjan Rrumbullaku
Furka Pass
Furka Pass, at an elevation of 2,429 meters (7,969 feet), is a high mountain pass with breathtaking winding roads in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais, with Realp, Uri.
Furka Pass is Switzerland's fourth highest mountain pass, and its top is 7,922 feet (2,436 meters) above sea level.
The road is pretty steep, which should not be a problem for your car, but it's a challenge for bikers. The climb has an average percentage of 7.3 - with a maximum rise of 11%.
Furka Pass is the legendary Swiss mountain road that became famous after the James Bond film Goldfinger.
The 1964 spy film features this gorgeous mountain pass. After the shooting, they named one of the curves on the east side the "James Bond Strasse" - the James Bond Street.
The car chasing scene on the Alpine serpentine involved an Aston Martin DB5 and a Ford Mustang in the Valais region of Switzerland.
Hotel Belvédère Closure
After 35 years, Hotel Belvédère closed its operation indefinitely back in 2016. Unfortunately, the hotel is one of the first Swiss victims of climate change.
We can hope that they find an appropriate solution to bring Hotel Belvédère back to life. Until that time comes, you can go for a visit to see this amazing historical sight that has drastically transformed during the past hundred years.
The hotel's restaurant before its closure in 2016.
The 11,000-year-old glacier that used to be right at the building entrance has been receding 10 centimeters each day, retracting farther and farther away into the distance. To make matters worse, the ice tunnel can no longer be safely carved into the glacier.
As a result, the unique sight that once attracted thousands, including famous people like Pope John XXIII and Sean Connery, is no longer.
Hairpins of the Furka Pass Route in Switzerland as seen from Grimsel Pass Route.
Rhône Glacier, before climate change that impacted the extent of the ice.
