Ice Caves In Switzerland (Unmissable Icy Adventures)

ice caves switzerland

Deep inside the earth where geological conditions keep below-freezing temperatures year round, ice caves are among the most unusual and spectacular phenomena of nature. You’ll find ice caves in many parts of the world, but the most popular and easily accessible ones in Switzerland are not natural— they’ve been burrowed out of ice glaciers. Mind you, this doesn’t mean they’re less spectacular. In fact, they’ve been embellished to become top tourist attractions with features like ice bars, nearby revolving restaurants, and observation decks.

Due to climate change and global warming, Switzerland’s glaciers and ice caves are rapidly changing in size and shape. So now is the time to visit Switzerland’s beautiful ice caves.

Ice Palace Jungfraujoch

Ice Palace Jungfraujoch
Ice Palace Jungfraujoch © Jungfraubahnen Management AG

The Ice Palace Jungfraujoch and its treasures are located 30 meters deep below Alage, the longest glacier in Europe, between the Jungfrau and the Monch peaks. Its frosty halls and aisles were yielded by mountain guides in the 1930s using picks and saws.

One of Switzerland’s most unique travel destinations, its snowy tunnels and narrow passageways greet over a million visitors yearly. Every nook and cranny is packed with realistic icy sculptures of penguins, bears, eagles, and ibexes created by artists.

The Ice Palace is open 365 days a year, from 7:30 am until the railway operates at 4:15 pm. The only way to get there is by train or gondola. Take the train from Zurich to Grindelwald via Interlaken and then go to the Eiger Station. From there, take the cogwheel train to the Jungfraujoch.

Be sure to stop and drink at the Ice Bar, which has a counter made of ice. Also, visit the Sphinx observation deck, the second-highest in Switzerland, for fantastic views of the Aletsch glacier.

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Titlis Glacier Cave

The Glacier Cave is at the top of Mount Titlis and is a great way to combine two adventures in one. You can get to the top of Titlis and see the ice cave for free while you are there.

It is not as spectacular or filled with sculptures as the Jungfraujoch, but if you only manage to make it there, it is worth a short visit anyway, especially if you have never been under a glacier before!

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Rhone Glacier Ice Grotto

Rhone Glacier Ice Grotto
Rhone Glacier Ice Grotto © 2023 Andermatt-Urserntal Tourismus

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One of the most accessible ice caves to visit in Switzerland, the Rhone Glacier Grotto, can be reached with an exciting journey across the Furka pass. You’ll get to see the Rhone glacier up close, as high as 3630 meters above sea level. Once at the grotto, you’ll see the entrance to the Belvedere Hotel.

The most exciting fact about this glacier is that it is hewn from new ice every year, ending in the summer and has been since 1870. The process takes about four weeks. The tunnel-like cave has a 100-meter-long path inside of icy blue. You can visit the Rhone Grotto with or without a guide. Be sure to wear warm clothing as it will be pretty chilly inside.

Scientists say the Rhone glacier may be slowly disappearing. It has receded tremendously over the last 150 years. The ice cave is covered with “ice blankets” each summer to slow down the melting by blocking the sun’s rays from hitting the glacier.

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Mittelallalin Ice Pavilion

Mittelallalin Ice Pavilion
Mittelallalin Ice Pavilion © 2023 Valais Wallis Promotion

Thought to be the largest in the world of its kind, the Mittelallalin Ice Pavilion is located 3,500 meters above Sass-Fee near the Swiss-Italian border. The more than 5,500 cubic meter grotto was dug inside the Fee Glacier in thousands of years old ice. A 70-meter-long lighted tunnel leads to a network of caves featuring ice sculptures and exhibitions. Visitors can also experience a thrilling avalanche simulation with a reverberating shock wave and lighting effects.

You can reach this attraction via Metro Alpim, the world’s highest underground railway. During your visit, stop by the highest-revolving restaurant in the world, Drehrestaurant Allalin, for national and international dishes served with a 360-degree panoramic view that changes by the hour.

Aletsch Glacier Ice Caves

Aletsch Glacier Ice Caves
Aletsch Glacier Ice Caves © Aletsch Arena AG

The Aletsch Glacier Ice Caves are among Switzerland’s natural ice caves. They are formed by geothermal heat (spring thaw) in the Great Aletsch Glacier, a massive corridor of ice that is 23 kilometers long and covers around 86 square kilometers. The UNESCO-listed glacier is the largest in the Alps and a remarkable display of nature.

The Aletsch Glacier is one of Switzerland’s most popular attractions. Many tours are offered, and some of them offer ice caving. You can take a guided hike from the Moosfluh viewpoint, which is reachable by gondola. Because the glacier tends to shift, you can only explore the entrance of the deep blue caves.

The Ice Cathedral

The Ice Cathedral
The Ice Cathedral © Gstaad 3000 AG

Although Switzerland’s notorious Ice Cathedral is closed to visitors due to dangerous access, visiting any ice cave will pique your interest in this unusually large and imposing one. It’s located at Les Diablerets in West Switzerland in the Glacier 3000 ski area. Named for its large size, the space inside covers at least 20 meters with a height of 5 meters.

Formed by a siphoning effect, these natural ice caves can collapse in the spring and leave behind a cave of melted ice water.

Every year brings different conditions. At one time, visitors were allowed in the cave at their own risk.

Written by Ashley Faulkes
As a twenty-year resident of Switzerland, I am passionate about exploring every nook and cranny of this beautiful country, I spend my days deep in the great Swiss outdoors, and love to share these experiences and insights with fellow travel enthusiasts.

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