Zermatt

Why Zermatt works

Zermatt sits at the foot of the Matterhorn, the most photographed peak in the Alps, and remains free of combustion-engine cars — electric taxis and horse-drawn sleighs carry visitors from the station to chalet-lined streets scented with wood smoke and fondue. The Gornergrat cog railway, running since 1898, climbs to a 3,089m viewing platform framing the Matterhorn alongside 28 other peaks over 4,000m, while the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car reaches 3,883m, Europe's highest lift station, opening onto glacier caves and year-round skiing. Bahnhofstrasse's boutiques and mountain patisseries sit beside centuries-old timber barns on stilts, some dating to the 1600s. Summer brings hiking routes like the Five-Lakes Walk, where the Matterhorn reflects in still alpine tarns, and via ferrata routes for the adventurous. In winter, 360km of ski runs span three countries visible from the slopes — Switzerland, Italy and France. Evenings favour raclette scraped tableside and a Riesling-Sylvaner from the Rhone Valley below. Zermatt is reached only by train from Tasch, reinforcing its storybook, engine-free calm even at the height of season.

Trip Snapshot

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