Grimsel Hospiz

There’s been a guest house on this spot since 1142, which is pretty amazing when you consider where it is. Perched above the Grimsel reservoir on the high alpine Grimselpass which connects the cantons of Bern and Valais, it’s isolated in winter when the pass is cut off by snow – access is by prior arrangement on a Postbus. Despite what must have been dire conditions, this was a trade route in the Middle Ages, allowing goods from Italy and the south to pass north, and vice versa. These days the Gotthard railway has replaced the need to transport goods on mules over the pass, leaving the Grimsel Hospiz to intrepid tourists looking to explore the glorious landscape of this historic area. In summer they come to hike and explore the hydro-electric plants of the Grimsel lake, while in winter ski touring is possible, though it’s enough of an experience just to enjoy the journey to get there, a dip in the hotel’s hot tub and the starry sky and thick snow of a winter’s night in the middle of nowhere.