Zermatt
Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn, is simply a must for any traveler to Switzerland. Reached only by a train that winds its way around mountains and over gorges with breathtaking scenery, Zermatt is traffic-free. Upon spotting the Matterhorn, you will be overwhelmingly excited by its impressive beauty.

Despite its status as a world-class resort Zermatt has not lost its authenticity as a Swiss mountain village. Chalets, old half-timbered houses and cabins, restaurants or shops, line the streets with geraniums spilling out window boxes in the summer. In winter, the snow is clean and white and the sun shines bright. Sleighs jingle through the streets. Skiers are in paradise, with gondolas and cable cars to peaks and glaciers from which the fabulous descents are as long as 8 miles. Mountain top chalet restaurants and rugged cabins make great après-ski stops, and happy groups often ski down the last stretches to town by moonlight.

Besides the fabulous skiing including glacier skiing in summer and extensive off-trail terrain and powder skiing, there are indoor tennis and squash courts, pools and gyms, and of course shopping. In summer, the mountaineering and hiking opportunities are probably the best in the world. There are 250 miles of marked footpaths through varying terrain for short, easy walks in the valley or steep hikes to the surrounding peaks of Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the Rothorn and the famous Matterhorn.

For some magical vistas of the Matterhorn and surrounding peaks, take the popular cogwheel railway to Gornergrat. It's easy to get around Zermatt on foot (the town is car-free) and its well worth exploring the Hinter Dorf area, which is crammed with traditional tumbledown wooden Valais homes.

Zermatt provides for a unique nature experience! Mountains, glaciers, larch forests, flowers, mountain lakes and game animals are to discover. It is a paradise for skiers with snow guaranteed even in summer. Zermatt's wind-protected southern location, embraces three skiing areas that enjoy superb snow conditions and the longest skiing season in the Alps. Four summits are accessible by mountain railways and Zermatt is excellent for family vacations!

Mountain Excursions

Gornergrat Mountain
Discover a top-class natural paradise: the Gornergrat Bahn takes you from Zermatt up the 3089 m high Gornergrat. 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.

Matterhorn glacier paradise (3'883 m / 12'736 ft)
The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is the highest sightseeing point in Europe and accessible by cableway! There is a yellow-green electric bus leaving at the entrance of Zermatt, if arrival by shuttle bus from Täsch or from the train station in Zermatt, to the bottom station of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.

Rothorn Paradise «Best View of the Matterhorn»
The bottom station of Rothorn Paradise is about five walking minutes away from the train station or the entrance of Zermatt. The name of the middle station on your way to Rothorn is called Sunnegga, which means «sunny corner». A gondola for four people takes you from Sunnegga to Blauherd (2'588 m) From there a panoramic cable car takes you up to Rothorn (3'100 m) and its lovely mountain restaurant with a beautiful terrace.

Hiking around Zermatt
For the descent from Gornergrat to the Bärghüs Grünsee you can take the same trail going over Riffelberg and Riffelalp in the direction of Grünsee or you can take the direct but steeper trail from Gornergrat over "Kelle" to Bärghüs Grünsee. From here you can hike to Findeln and Sunnegga.

The new Matterhorn Museum
Zermatt can now lay claim to one more major attraction: the new Matterhorn Museum is telling the exciting story of the Matterhorn - from its origins in Africa and the terribly dramatic first ascent to the present day. However, it also tells the story of Zermatt, the small farming village that became an internationally famous health resort.

Alpine Museum
On the ground-floor the visitor finds a unique collection of documents which bears witness to the heroic first ascents of the mountains around Zermatt beginning with the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise which was first climbed by the scientist H.B. de Saussure from Geneva in 1792, and ending with the triumphal and tragic first ascent of the Matterhorn on 14th July 1865. Further exhibits on the ground floor draw the visitor's attention to the fact that few places in the Alps have such a rich variety of different rock types in such a small area as Zermatt. This section, devoted to natural history, also has a wonderful collection of butterflies found in the local area, and representations and exhibits of alpine flora and fauna. The rooms on the top floor are devoted to the history of life in the Alps. Numerous artefacts and utensils provide insights into everything from the simple life of alpine farmers to the equipment of the first skiers. The main attraction is a fully equipped kitchen as it would have appeared around 1770 the beginning of alpine tourism.