There’s something incredibly romantic about villages that can only be reached by soaring through the air on a cable car. These remote mountain settlements represent the ultimate escape from our road-dominated world, where the journey becomes just as magical as the destination. Perched on cliffsides and mountain ledges, these communities have embraced their isolation, creating havens where the sound of car engines never disturbs the mountain silence.
When your only connection to the outside world requires ascending hundreds or thousands of feet through thin air, every visit becomes an adventure. Here is a list of 18 cliffside villages accessible only by cable car around the world.
Mürren, Switzerland
This car-free village clings to a cliff ledge 5,400 feet above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, offering jaw-dropping views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. Mürren offers stunning views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. Its remote location, accessible only by cable car or train, guarantees a peaceful environment.
The village feels like stepping into a Swiss postcard, with traditional wooden chalets and flower boxes lining every window. During winter, it transforms into a skiing paradise, while summer brings hiking trails that seem to stretch to infinity.
Gimmelwald, Switzerland
Gimmelwald, a car-free village, is accessible only by cable car or on foot. This tiny farming village of just 130 residents sits on a mountain terrace above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The cable car journey from Stechelberg is an adventure in itself, taking you from the valley floor to the mountain ledge in just six minutes.
Gimmelwald maintains its authentic agricultural character, with working farms and traditional Swiss mountain life still very much alive.
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Gspon, Switzerland
A hidden gem, accessible only by cable car, known for its seclusion and panoramic mountain views. This secluded village in the Valais region offers some of the most spectacular mountain panoramas in Switzerland. The cable car ride from the valley floor takes you to a world where time seems to move slower and the air tastes cleaner.
Gspon serves as an excellent base for high-altitude hiking and offers stunning sunrise views over the surrounding peaks.
Braunwald, Switzerland
The car-free village of Braunwald is situated in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. This is a perfect place to discover waterfalls, lakes, and alpine flowers. Accessible via a steep funicular railway, this car-free village sits on a sunny terrace overlooking the Glarner Alps.
The village offers excellent hiking opportunities and is particularly beautiful during wildflower season when the meadows burst with color. Braunwald’s compact size makes it perfect for a peaceful mountain retreat away from crowded tourist destinations.
Riederalp, Switzerland
Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Aletsch Arena, Riederalp provides direct access to viewing the massive Aletsch Glacier. Riederalp: Similar to Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp, this village offers direct access to hiking trails on the Aletsch Glacier. The cable car from Mörel in the Rhône Valley takes you up to this car-free village where electric vehicles and walking are the only forms of transportation.
The village serves as a launching point for glacier walks and offers numerous hiking trails with spectacular Alpine views.
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Bettmeralp, Switzerland
Bettmeralp is a pedestrian-only village accessed only by cable car from Betten in the valley. This charming village sits on a plateau overlooking the Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps. The cable car journey from Betten village provides stunning views as you ascend to this car-free mountain community.
Bettmeralp offers a perfect balance of mountain adventure and comfortable amenities, making it ideal for families seeking an Alpine experience.
Fiescheralp, Switzerland
Connected to the Aletsch Glacier region, Fiescheralp is accessible via cable car from Fiesch in the valley below. The village serves as a gateway to the spectacular Eggishorn viewpoint, where visitors can witness the full majesty of the Aletsch Glacier system.
The ride up to the midstation at Fiescheralp is free with the Swiss Travel Pass/GA, so a discounted return to Eggishorn would only cost you 21.40 CHF. The village maintains a quiet, peaceful atmosphere perfect for glacier exploration and high-altitude hiking.
Belalp, Switzerland
Belalp: Overlooking the Massa Gorge, Belalp is a quiet spot known for its spectacular winter and summer trails. Located at around 6,900 feet elevation, this village offers commanding views of the Dom and surrounding Pennine Alps peaks. The cable car from Blatten provides access to this mountain retreat where visitors can experience traditional Alpine hospitality.
Belalp is particularly famous for its proximity to the Aletsch Glacier and the spectacular hanging bridge connecting to neighboring Riederalp.
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Rosswald, Switzerland
Rosswald: A sunny plateau with family-friendly ski and hiking options, offering tranquility and natural beauty. This elevated village sits on a sun-drenched plateau above the Rhône Valley, accessible only by cable car from the valley floor.
Rosswald offers excellent family-friendly activities throughout the year, from skiing and snowshoeing in winter to hiking and mountain biking in summer. The village provides a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation with stunning valley views.
Melchsee-Frutt, Switzerland
Melchsee-Frutt is a picturesque, car-free region in Kerns, Obwalden, with 142 residents, mostly in the tourism industry. This mountain resort sits beside beautiful alpine lakes at over 6,000 feet. The cable car from Stöckalp takes you to this serene location where hiking trails wind around pristine mountain lakes.
The area offers exceptional opportunities for photography and peaceful contemplation among some of Switzerland’s most beautiful mountain scenery.
Stoos, Switzerland
Stoos is famous for its stunning accessibility—visitors reach the village via the world’s steepest funicular railway. This mountain village is reached by the world’s steepest funicular, with a gradient of up to 110 degrees that feels more like a vertical elevator than a train. Stoos, a family-friendly spot, is accessible by bus or car to the Schwyz Stoosbahn.
The village offers panoramic views of Lake Lucerne and the surrounding peaks, making it a popular destination for both winter sports and summer hiking.
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Gstaad-Eggli, Switzerland
While Gstaad itself is accessible by car, the mountain villages reached by the cable car system above town offer a completely different experience. The cable car network takes you to elevated settlements where traditional Alpine farming continues much as it has for centuries.
These high-altitude communities provide access to extensive hiking networks and offer stunning views across the Bernese Alps.
Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
This mountain settlement sits directly beneath the north face of the Eiger at 6,762 feet. Accessible via the cogwheel railway system, this location serves both as a railway junction and a small mountain community.
The area offers spectacular close-up views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks, making it one of the most dramatically situated settlements in the Alps.
Männlichen, Switzerland
In 1978, the Grindelwald-Männlichen Gondola Cableway opened to connect the village of Grindelwald-Grund, at just over 900 meters, with the village of Männlichen, at just over 2300 meters. This mountain station and small settlement provide panoramic views of the Jungfrau region.
The cable car journey takes 30 minutes and offers riders stunning views throughout the ascent. Männlichen serves as a starting point for numerous hiking trails and offers one of the best viewing platforms in the Bernese Oberland.
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Mottarone, Italy
Accessible via cable car from Stresa on Lake Maggiore, this mountain settlement offers commanding views over the Italian Lake District. The cable car journey takes you from the lakeside to the mountain peak in about 20 minutes, rising through different climate zones.
The village area at the summit provides restaurant facilities and serves as a hub for hiking trails that offer spectacular views of multiple Italian lakes.
Kronplatz, Italy
Located in South Tyrol, this mountain settlement is accessible via multiple cable car lines from the valleys below. The area serves as both a skiing destination and a summer hiking base, with the settlement offering mountain restaurants and facilities.
The cable car systems provide access to extensive trail networks and spectacular Alpine panoramas.
Nesaksla, Norway
The Romsdal gondola, a state-of-the-art electric cable car, takes you 1679 metres up the mountainside from the fjord in Åndalsnes to Nesaksla mountain, 708 metres above sea level. This Norwegian mountain destination offers 360-degree views of the famous Romsdalshorn peaks and emerald Rauma River below.
Norway’s longest cable car was built with innovative and sustainable installations. The settlement includes Eggen Restaurant and provides access to spectacular fjord and mountain hiking.
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Mount Hoven, Norway
Loen Skylift is one of the steepest cable cars in the world and lifts you a thousand meters almost straight up—to the restaurant on the edge of Mt. Hoven. This dramatic mountain location near Loen offers one of the world’s steepest cable car rides, ascending almost vertically from the fjord to the summit restaurant.
The settlement provides spectacular views over the Norwegian fjord landscape and serves as a base for high-altitude hiking in the region.
Where Sky Roads Lead to Timeless Places
These cable car villages represent more than just remote destinations—they’re living proof that some places are worth the extra effort to reach. Switzerland’s car-free villages and towns offer an escape into environments where nature and quietude take center stage. Each settlement tells a story of communities that chose isolation over convenience, preserving ways of life that would have disappeared if they’d been connected by roads.
The cable cars that serve them aren’t just transportation—they’re lifelines that maintain the delicate balance between accessibility and preservation. In our hyperconnected world, these elevated communities remind us that the most rewarding destinations often require us to leave the ground behind and trust in the engineering marvels that carry us to places where silence still has meaning.
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