Zermatt is located at an altitude of 1620 m (5310 ft) above sea-level in the south-west of Switzerland. This car-free, idyllic village in the Matter Valley in the canton of the Valais, nestles amongst fabulous scenery of mountains and glaciers offers visitors a fantastic panorama of 38 peaks (four thousand meters high).
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From Zermatt offers a great view of the Matterhorn, which is one of the most famous symbols for Switzerland. |
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Zermatt is a great place to explore on foot as it is car free, one can comfortably move around by foot. |
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From the Gornergrad, stunning views of the Matterhorn and the surrounding mountain summits can be enjoyed. |
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The Klein Matterhorn is the highest cable car station in Europe. |
How to Get There
Good rail connections run to Brig/Visp from all major gateways, including Geneva and Zürich airports. From either direction, a change of trains is required at either Brig or Visp. At Brig (or Visp) you will changes to the romantic little MGB (Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn) cog-wheel train for an 80 minute journey up the valley.
Sightseeing
The Matterhorn, of course, is always worth a visit. The Alpine panorama with magnificent glacier fields and the village with its beautiful wooden chalets and luxury hotels, looks like the typical postcard from Switzerland. Take a walk trough the fragrant Swiss pine and larch forests. If you are lucky you may even see a marmot. Enjoy an exquisite meal and do a bit of shopping.
Matterhorn
It is Switzerland's most famous landmark, the most beautiful mountain in the world and considered by many true mountaineers to be the peak of all peaks: the Matterhorn. Each year hordes of climbers from all corners of the globe attempt to scale the Matterhorn. And it is a genuine challenge, too: those venturing up the peak don't just have to be very fit and have prior mountaineering experience, but above all they need a good head for heights, because the route to the top is highly exposed.
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
The Matterhorn glacier paradise (3,883 metres above sea level) is the highest sightseeing point in Europe, which is accessible by cableway! The yellow-green electric bus, leaving at the entrance of Zermatt, takes travelers to the bottom station of Matterhorn glacier paradise. The 8-seater Matterhorn-Express cable railway takes them up to the Furi station. From here the cableway takes them further up to Trockener Steg, where they will find a restaurant. The highest cableway in Europe transports visitors up past giant crevasses to the Matterhorn glacier paradise and into a breathtaking mountain landscape of glaciers and permanent snow. The exciting tour from Zermatt to the Matterhorn glacier paradise takes about 40 minutes. They will always find snow here; 365 days a year. So anyone venturing up to the Matterhorn glacier paradise will also find him or herself in Europe's largest summer skiing area.
Gornergrat
Travel through aromatic stone pine and larch forests and across alpine meadows in summer time full of flowers and in winter time deaply snow-capped you arrive in the midst of 29 snow and ice-covered four-thousand-meter-high mountains including such famous greats us Matterhorn (4478 m), Liskamm (4527 m) and Dufour-Spitze (4634 m). The Kulmhotel Gornergrat, the highest hotel in the Swiss Alps (3100 m), and other restaurants located along the route treat guests to the very best food and drink.
Insider Tip
There are a lot of small, cozy mountain restaurants in Zermatt where great food for good value of money is served. At one of the restaurants like the Chez Vroni, one can relax on the wooden canvas chairs and enjoy breathtaking views of the Matterhorn.
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