Furka Pass and the Ice Grotto with kids - the Rhone Glacier and the hotel from a Bond film

The Furka Pass (Furkapass) is 2,429 m high in the Swiss Alps. Just below it, next to the closed Hotel Belvédère, is the entrance to the Ice Grotto, a tunnel cut 40 metres into the Rhone Glacier. A car chase from the James Bond film "Goldfinger" (1964) was filmed on this road. We were here on 9 August 2024, during our campervan holiday through the Alps.

From Mont Blanc to Switzerland

In the morning our stay with friends near Chamonix came to an end. The day before we had visited the Mer de Glace glacier. We drove 70 km to Martigny and then another 120 km up the Rhone valley to the Furka Pass. From here we travelled through Switzerland on our own.

The last kilometres are hairpin bends with a view of the whole valley below.

Hotel Belvédère and James Bond

We stopped at Hotel Belvédère, which stands on a bend of the road right above the glacier. The hotel has been closed for years, but it still attracts tourists. The car chase from "Goldfinger" was filmed in this area.

On the way we also found a bench with a cow figure.

The Ice Grotto in the Rhone Glacier

A short path from the hotel leads down to the grotto. The tunnel goes 40 metres into the ice, and the walls inside are bright blue. Part of the glacier near the entrance was covered with white sheets, and below the glacier there is a small lake with icy water.

Watch our film from the Furka Pass:

A night in Interlaken

From the pass we drove down to Interlaken and stayed at the TCS campsite next to the railway station. For the next few days the van stayed on the campsite and we travelled around Switzerland by train. We bought two Swiss Half Fare Cards, and the kids got free Family Cards with them, so they travelled with us for free.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

Ice Grotto (Rhonegletscher Eisgrotte)

• Tickets: adults 9 CHF, children 5-16 6 CHF, children under 5 free (2025 season prices).
• In 2024 we paid 36 CHF for the six of us.
• The grotto is open from June to October.
• You enter through the shop opposite the car park at Hotel Belvédère.

The road over the pass

You need a Swiss motorway vignette for 40 CHF, as a sticker or an e-vignette. The Furka Pass itself is a mountain road with hairpin bends.

Trains in Switzerland with kids

• The Swiss Half Fare Card gives 50% off trains and most mountain railways. In 2024 it cost 120 CHF for a month, today it is 150 CHF.
• Children aged 6-15 get a free Swiss Family Card and travel for free with a parent who has a valid ticket. You must add the Family Card when you buy the Half Fare Card.
• Children under 6 travel for free.