Glacier 3000 day trip from Montreux: Peak Walk, prices & how to get there

Most people base themselves on the Swiss Riviera for the lake. Glacier 3000 is the reason to look up: a cable car from Col du Pillon lifts you to the Scex Rouge at 2,971 m, around ninety minutes by train and bus from the lakefront, onto a genuine glacier with a suspension bridge stretched between two peaks.

Short answer: take the train from Montreux to Aigle, the TPC local line to Les Diablerets and the PostBus to Col du Pillon (about 90 minutes total), then ride the cable car to Scex Rouge. Return tickets cost CHF 89 for adults and CHF 45 reduced/children 6–15 as of 2026, and they include the Peak Walk by Tissot, the Glacier Walk and the Ice Express chairlift.^[1]

Photo : Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Getting to Col du Pillon from Montreux

Glacier 3000’s cable car leaves from Col du Pillon, on the cantonal border between Vaud and Bern, 8 minutes above Les Diablerets and 20 minutes from Gstaad.^[2] From Montreux the public-transport route is pleasantly simple: a RegioExpress from Montreux to Aigle (around 25 minutes), the metre-gauge TPC line up the valley to Les Diablerets (about 40 minutes), and a PostBus ride of roughly 20 minutes to the Col du Pillon, Glacier 3000 bus stop.^[2] Door to door, plan on about 1 h 30 each way; there are also Glacier 3000 Express bus connections timed to the trains at Gstaad. Driving takes you over the col on a wide, well-maintained mountain road with large free parking at the cable car station.

The Peak Walk and what to do up top

The two cable car sections (about 15 minutes in total, with departures roughly every 20 minutes) deliver you to Scex Rouge (2,971 m).^[2] Here’s the highlight list, all included in the ticket:

• Peak Walk by Tissot: the world’s only suspension bridge linking two mountain peaks — a 107-metre span, 80 cm wide, connecting the lower View Point summit with the main Scex Rouge summit five metres higher.^[3] From the bridge you can see the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and in winter the panorama opens onto 24 peaks above 4,000 m.^[3]
• Glacier Walk & Ice Express: the Ice Express chairlift drops you onto the snow of the glacier plateau, where a marked, accessible walk leads across the ice; the trail (about an hour each way) ends at the Refuge l’Espace below the Quille du Diable.
• Alpine Coaster: a 1-kilometre summer toboggan with 520-degree loops, six waves and three jumps, starting within metres of the glacier edge (usually June to late September).
• Restaurants: several mountain restaurants — Le 3, the Botta restaurant and Le Carnotzet at the Scex Rouge top station, plus Refuge l’Espace at the far end of the glacier walk — fondue at 3,000 m is a serious rival to any lakeside terrace.

Prices, passes and cutting the fare

Ticket (return, Col du Pillon – Scex Rouge)	Adult	Child 6–15 / reduced*
Full fare	CHF 89	CHF 45
Group rate (from 10 people)	CHF 72	—
One-way sections (via Cabane)	CHF 36–63	CHF 18–32

* Reduced = holders of a Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA Travelcard, Half Fare Card or SBB Day Saver Pass. Children under 6 travel free.^[1]

If you’re in Switzerland for a week or more, the Magic Pass is the local winter wildcard: from CHF 419 it covers 100+ resorts across the Alps, and Glacier 3000 is included for the 2026–27 winter season (07.11.2026 – 30.04.2027).^[1] For day-trippers without a Swiss Travel Pass, the regular CHF 89 fare is what you’ll pay — which makes an early start all the more worthwhile.

When to go: summer vs winter

Summer (May–October) is the classic Peak Walk season: long daylight, all walking routes open, and the Alpine Coaster running usually from June to the end of September. Winter (roughly November–April) turns the mountain into a glacier ski area with the Snow Fun Park and sled runs, included in the Magic Pass; between 01.11 and 30.04 the local buses from Les Diablerets and Reusch to the col are free when you show a Glacier 3000 ticket.^[2] The site closes for maintenance for about a week in late October / early November. Our advice: a clear September or October morning gives the longest list of peaks you’ll ever tick off at once.

Tips for a perfect day

• Check the Glacier 3000 webcams and weather before you commit — the panorama is the whole point, and cloud caps the col quickly.
• Ride the Alpine Coaster first if the queue is short when you arrive; everyone leaves it to last.
• Dress in layers. At nearly 3,000 m it is commonly 15–20 °C colder than the lakefront, even in July.
• Babies under 15 months are not permitted on the cable car (rapid altitude gain), and visits aren’t recommended under 2 years.^[1]
• Pair the day with the village of Gruyères on the way home, or with another mountain: the Rochers-de-Naye is Montreux’s own, easier cogwheel summit.
• Coming from Montreux on the GoldenPass? The Interlaken line passes through Col du Pillon station (the rail halt, not the cable car) on the Montbovon side — most travellers find the Aigle route quicker.^[2]

Related reading: Rochers-de-Naye: the cogwheel day trip from Montreux · Gruyères & Maison Cailler day trip · Magic Pass: one pass, 100+ alpine resorts · The Montreux Riviera Card

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Glacier 3000, official ticketing and prices page — CHF 89 / CHF 45 return, group rate, inclusions, Magic Pass 2026–27 season dates, altitude rules for infants — glacier3000.ch/en/ticketing
2. Glacier 3000, official access and schedules page — train/bus access via Aigle and Les Diablerets, Glacier 3000 Express from Gstaad, free winter bus rule, driving times — glacier3000.ch/en/access-and-hours
3. Glacier 3000, official Peak Walk & activities pages — the only suspension bridge in the world linking two mountain peaks, 107 m × 80 cm, View Point to Scex Rouge; Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau visible; panorama over 24 peaks above 4,000 m; Alpine Coaster — glacier3000.ch/en/activities