Switzerland
A fairy-tale design hotel above car-free Braunwald, where the funicular delivers you to classical concerts in the grand ballroom and a rooftop glass pavilion floating over the Glarner Alps.
The Märchenhotel sits at 1,300 meters in car-free Braunwald, reachable only by the Braunwaldbahn funicular. Snow-covered Glarus Alps fill every glass-walled conservatory and balcony frame. Inside, Arne Jacobsen Swan chairs face the peaks. Cove-lit rooms layer natural fur throws against clean modern lines. The grand ballroom carries over a century of acoustic memory in its walls.Josef Durrer built this hotel in 1907 as the Grand Hôtel Bellevue, complete with elevator and tennis court. It earned the name Märchenhotel because management told a fairy tale every evening. Switzerland's first classical music festival weeks began here and still fill the grand ballroom each season. That founding impulse, storytelling through sound and Alpine stillness, remains the hotel's core identity.
Märchenhotel Braunwald sits in a car-free Alpine village, ensuring safety for children to play freely outdoors. Inside, a fairy-tale treehouse and colourful ball pit keep the smallest guests entertained between adventures. The Erlebnisbad offers a heated outdoor pool framing the Glarus peaks, plus a 32-degree children's pool with waterfall and splashing water dwarf. Each evening, the fairy godmother or fairy tale uncle leads storytelling for young guests. In spring, families join llama walks through Braunwald's awakening meadows. Summer opens sunny hiking trails across the Glarus mountain region. Winter brings horse-drawn sleigh rides and gentle family descents. The Braunwaldbahn funicular carries guests up through Alpine forest to the village, setting the tone before arrival.
Explore additional experiences in the surrounding area.
Route length: 4.6km loopEstimated time: 1hLoop routeHinter Klöntal is a protected nature reserve classified as a Naturschutzgebiet (nature protection area). It is designated with a protection class 4, highlighting its environmental significance. The area is recognized for its natural environment and is managed to maintain the local ecosystem.
Area sceneryRoute length: 1.2km linearEstimated time: 5minDifficulty: EasyLinear routeSenda Pass dil Veptga is a track with a mountain bike scale rating of 0, indicating it is easy for cycling. It is classified as grade 5 and marked as a highway track.
Route length: 14.8km loopEstimated time: 3.5hLoop routeHoch-Ybrig is a winter sports area operated by Hoch-Ybrig AG. It offers facilities dedicated to skiing and is reachable via contact for emergencies. The location is well-managed with a dedicated website providing information.
Brüggler is a climbing area featuring a total length of 250 meters and multipitch routes of 50 meters. The climbing grades vary from 4a to an average of 6a in the French grading system.
Route length: 0.5km loopEstimated time: 7minLoop routeLochsite is a nature reserve and protected area open 24/7, designated as a Naturdenkmal with protection class 5. It is recognized as an attraction and forms part of the Glarner Hauptüberschiebung, a notable natural heritage site listed on the UNESCO World Heritage website.
Route length: 68km routeEstimated time: 5hThe Alpenpanorama-Route is a cycling route that spans 68 kilometers. It connects the towns of Glarus and Flüelen, offering scenic views of the Alps along the way. This route is part of the national cycling network of Switzerland.
Route length: 48km routeEstimated time: 3.5hThe Suworow-Route is a regional bicycle route connecting Schwyz and Glarus with a distance of 48 km. It is part of the Veloland Schweiz network.
Route length: 1.2km linearEstimated time: 6minDifficulty: EasyLinear routePlattenweg is a path suitable for hiking with a hiking scale according to SAC standards. The trail is also rated for mountain biking at scale 3, indicating a challenging mountain biking trail.
Route length: 2.2km linearEstimated time: 29minDifficulty: MediumLinear routeVorab is a dirt path with a 20% incline, designated as a mountain biking route with a scale of 3. It is also suitable for mountain hiking and allows bicycle access without restrictions.
Route length: 2.6km linearEstimated time: 12minDifficulty: EasyLinear routeThis section of Murgtalweg has a 2-meter wide gravel surface with very horrible smoothness. The incline is upward, and the track is rated grade2 with a hiking sac_scale and mtb scale 0.
Chef Dominik Hergenhan leads the kitchen at Märchenhotel Braunwald with playful precision. Each evening, a five-course menu draws from French, Swiss, and Italian traditions. Breakfast arrives with theatrical flair, the Egg-xpress, a miniature cable car gondola, delivers freshly prepared eggs to the table. The midday restaurant Clariden serves both adults and children until 17:00. Young guests dine in the Saal für Könige, considered the second coolest children's dining room in Switzerland. Evenings split into parallel rituals: adults explore a Weinmärchen, a guided wine tale, while children gather for fairy tales. The kitchen treats every meal as storytelling.
The rooftop glass pavilion at Märchenhotel Braunwald holds the Wellness On The Top, a child-free zone above the Glarner Alps. Steam rises in the Finnish sauna as dry heat builds against timber walls. The bio-sauna offers gentler warmth, while the aroma steam bath fills with herbal scent. Step outside and sink into the infinity pool. Water meets the mountain skyline, snow-capped ridges sharp against open sky. Cool alpine air presses against warm skin. Below, the Erlebnisbad brings families together around a 32-degree children's pool, where a waterfall splashes over playful gnome fountains. Braunwald's stillness wraps every pause between heat and cold.
Märchenhotel Braunwald sits in a car-free Alpine village accessible only by funicular from Linthal. This traffic-free setting in Glarus eliminates road emissions across the entire community. The hotel occupies a historic building maintained over generations, preserving original materials rather than demolishing and rebuilding.Braunwald's car-free status means guests arrive via the Braunwaldbahn funicular, reducing transport footprints from the start. Specific certification and energy source details for Märchenhotel are not publicly documented at this time.
m-rchenhotel-braunwald offers 5 accommodation types.
Family Suite
A spacious family-focused suite with a modern design and mountain views, offering separate sleeping areas that work well for parents and children. Listings indicate layouts such as a queen bed combined with bunk beds or multiple single beds, making it…
Double Room with Balcony
A simpler room category for couples or small families who want a private balcony and the comfort of a standard double setup. Public listings show that the hotel’s double rooms are compact compared with the suites, but still include the…
Junior Suite
A mid-sized suite option that bridges the gap between the hotel’s standard doubles and the larger family suites. It is presented as part of the hotel’s suite selection and is likely intended for guests who want more space and a…
Duplex Suite
A multi-level suite designed to feel more like a private residence than a standard hotel room. Source listings show that the hotel offers duplex-style accommodations among its suite options, which suggests added separation between sleeping and living spaces and a…
Family Room with Balcony
A family room with a balcony that combines practical space with outdoor access and is one of the few room types with a published size. Agoda identifies this room as 28 square meters and notes a choice of a king…
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