Top 10 Glaciers in Switzerland
Swiss glaciers shrank by around 10% in the dry, hot summers of 2022 and 2023 alone. That makes seeing them now a different proposition than it was a decade ago — fronts are higher, tongues are shorter, and former tourist trails have been re-routed. But the ten listed here remain visible, accessible and spectacular.
1. Aletsch
The longest glacier in the Alps at roughly 20 km, draining the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO area. Best views are from the Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn cable cars in Valais.
2. Gorner
The second-longest in the Alps, descending from Monte Rosa to a viewpoint just above Zermatt. The Gornergrat railway puts you on the moraine.
3. Rhone
The source of the Rhone river, with a famous (and now controversial) summer ice grotto carved each year into its tongue near the Furka Pass. White geotextile sheets cover the front to slow melt.
4. Pers / Morteratsch
Two adjacent tongues in Engadin reached by a flat walk from Morteratsch station. Wooden markers track the retreat year by year and make a powerful educational visit.
5. Trift
A small glacier above Gadmen reached by cable car and a long suspension bridge across the proglacial lake. The bridge replaced the old tongue route when the ice retreated past it.
6. Plaine Morte
A flat plateau glacier above Crans-Montana that doubles as an easy ski tour in winter. Used in summer monitoring as a benchmark for high-altitude flat ice.
7. Aar / Unteraar
The classic glacier laboratory of the 19th century — Agassiz worked here. Approach is from the Grimsel reservoir along a long but level moraine track.
8. Lower Grindelwald
A famously fast-retreating glacier behind the village of Grindelwald. Once reached on foot from the village, now only visible from helicopter or from the Pfingstegg via-ferrata.
9. Findel
A southerly Zermatt valley glacier with a striking blue proglacial lake. Visible from the Rothorn cable car, easily combined with a Gornergrat trip.
10. Forno
A wide glacier in the Bregaglia, reached from the Maloja side. The CAS Forno hut at 2 574 m makes a quiet two-day visit.
When to go
July to early September is best for walking. Spring (April–May) is best for ski-touring on the high glaciers. The Rhone ice grotto opens late June and runs to early October.
See them all in one view
The interactive map plots every named Swiss glacier above 0.5 km2, plus the GLAMOS monitoring stations. Filter to Switzerland to plan a multi-canton glacier road trip.