Gletsch is small seasonal village at 1759 m asl., at the base of the Grimsel and Furka passes, which was located close to the terminus of the Rhonegletscher in the mid 19th century, at the maximum of the Little Ice Age. The Hotel Glacier du Rhone, a Grand Hotel of the Belle-Époque of Alpine tourism, has lost much of its importance as the travel habits have changed and the glacier is not visible any more from Gletsch.