The Swiss Travel Pass takes 50% off Glacier 3000
Col du Pillon to Scex Rouge is CHF 89 return at the counter, and CHF 44.50 with the pass. That's a straight half-price discount rather than free travel, and the mountain coverage page has what the pass is worth on every other summit. The saving is worth having because the fare covers more than the ride up: the Peak Walk, the chairlift down onto the ice and the walk across it all come with it.
What CHF 44.50 covers at the top, and what costs extra
Where the CHF 44.50 stops is the single most useful thing to know before you go, because half the attractions at the summit are already paid for and the other half will ask you for money again.
| In the CHF 44.50 fare | Costs extra |
|---|---|
| The Peak Walk by Tissot | The alpine coaster, summer only |
| The Ice Express chairlift down onto the glacier | Dog sledding, booked in advance |
| The Glacier Walk | The snow bus |
| The Snow Fun Park and its sledding | Skiing, which needs its own ticket |
Children aged 6 to 15 travel free on the Swiss Family Card when a parent holds a Swiss Travel Pass, a Flex or a Half Fare Card, and without one of those they pay half the adult fare. There is no youth discount at all, so a 20 year old pays the same CHF 44.50 as everyone else.
The Peak Walk is 107 metres and starts a minute from the cable car
It's the only suspension bridge in the world joining two summits, and it stands right outside the cable car station, so you're on it within a minute of stepping off. That proximity is the good news and the mild letdown at once: there's no walk up to it, no build-up, you just turn a corner and there it is. Cross it, look, cross back.
The Glacier Walk is 3km each way and starts below the station
Scex Rouge is 2,971m, so the 3000 in the name is rounded up, and the glacier sits below the station rather than at it. Getting onto the ice goes like this:
- Take the Ice Express chairlift down from Scex Rouge onto the glacier.
- Walk across the snow towards the far edge, roughly an hour.
- Stop at Refuge l'Espace by the Quille du Diable, which looks down into the Derborence valley and the Valais.
- Walk the same 3km back, another hour, and ride the chairlift up.
It's open all year and both the chairlift and the walk are in your fare, which makes this the best value two hours on the mountain.
More than two dozen 4,000m peaks from the lookout points
The view is the reason the bridge exists, and on a clear day it delivers a genuinely absurd list of mountains.
- The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
- The Matterhorn
- The Grand Combin
- Mont Blanc, far off on the horizon
Getting to Col du Pillon by train and postbus
Col du Pillon sits between two valley towns, and the postbus that links them stops there. Which end you come in at depends on where you're travelling from.
- Les Diablerets, via Aigle. From Geneva that's Lausanne, Montreux and Aigle. From Zurich it's about 3h 30mins via Bern and Aigle.
- Gstaad, via Zweisimmen. From Zurich that's Bern, Spiez and Zweisimmen. The Glacier 3000 Express is timed to meet GoldenPass Express arrivals here, which is the neatest way in if you're coming over from the Bernese Oberland.
The Les Diablerets to Col du Pillon leg is free from 1 November to 30 April if you show a Glacier 3000 ticket, and free with the Gstaad Card or the Les Diablerets Welcome Carte. Whether the Swiss Travel Pass covers that particular bus isn't confirmed, so don't build your morning around it.
Cable car times: daily 09:00 to 16:50, every 20 minutes
The ride takes 15 minutes each way and departures come every 20 minutes, daily from 09:00 to 16:50, with the Fun Park keeping the same hours. It's open all year apart from maintenance closures, but operations can be suspended in bad weather, and when the cable car stops there is no alternative way up. No reservation is needed for the cable car itself. Dog sledding is the one thing you have to book ahead.
Three places to eat, one of them out on the glacier
You won't go hungry up here, and the three options are genuinely different from each other.
- Restaurant Botta, on the fourth floor of the summit station, with glass walls looking out at the Alps.
- Le 3, the self-service on the third floor, where you order from your table by QR code.
- Refuge l'Espace, out at the edge of the glacier by the Quille du Diable where the Glacier Walk ends.
Indoor space at Glacier 3000 is one building
The summit station is a Mario Botta building and both restaurants are inside it, and that is the entire indoor offering. The bridge, the chairlift and the glacier are all outdoors, and the cable car itself stops in bad weather, so if the forecast is grim there's no version of this day that works. Save it for a clear one; the view is the whole product.
Who shouldn't go up: under 15 months and pregnancy
Children under 15 months aren't permitted because of the altitude, and the trip isn't recommended in pregnancy. The cable car, the mountain station and the viewing platform are accessible for reduced mobility, but other areas aren't, so the Glacier Walk and the Ice Express are off the table.
The Lake Geneva-Alps Pass changes nothing here
No source shows the regional card covering Glacier 3000 outright. It gives you the same 50%, the same CHF 44.50, so if you were buying that card for this mountain alone, don't. The Swiss Travel Pass against the Lake Geneva-Alps Pass comparison goes through where it does pay off.
FAQ
Is Glacier 3000 free with the Swiss Travel Pass?
No, it's 50% off. You pay CHF 44.50 return from Col du Pillon to Scex Rouge instead of CHF 89.
Is the Peak Walk included in the Glacier 3000 ticket?
Yes. The Peak Walk by Tissot is in the fare, along with the Ice Express chairlift, the Glacier Walk and the Snow Fun Park. The alpine coaster, dog sledding, the snow bus and skiing all cost extra.
Do you need to book Glacier 3000 in advance?
Not for the cable car, which runs every 20 minutes with no reservation and no reservation fee. Dog sledding is the exception and has to be booked ahead.
How long is the Glacier Walk at Glacier 3000?
It's 3km each way, roughly an hour out and an hour back, and it's open all year. You take the Ice Express chairlift down from Scex Rouge and walk across the snow to Refuge l'Espace at the far edge.
How do you get to Glacier 3000 by train?
Take the train to Les Diablerets via Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux and Aigle, or to Gstaad via Zurich, Bern, Spiez and Zweisimmen, then the postbus that runs between the two and stops at Col du Pillon. From Zurich it's about 3h 30mins via Bern and Aigle.
Is Glacier 3000 really 3,000 metres high?
Not quite. Scex Rouge station is 2,971m, so the name is rounded up, and the glacier itself sits below the station rather than at it.
