By rail
Zermatt station, via Visp
Europe · Switzerland
Zermatt, Switzerland
The Matterhorn over a car-free village
Getting there
By air
Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA), ~3.5–4 h by train
Best time to visit
December to April for skiing; July to September for hiking
Don't miss
The Matterhorn
The Gornergrat
The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
The Riffelsee
Things to do
The Gornergrat railway
Skiing
Hiking
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: chil (Camptocamp.org); derivative work: Zacharie Grossen · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers, hiking or ski gear
A quieter corner
The Five Lakes Walk's Matterhorn reflections
Questions travellers ask
How do I get to Zermatt?
By train, via Visp to Zermatt station. From Zurich (ZRH) or Geneva (GVA), allow about 3.5–4 hours. It's a car-free village.
When should I go to Zermatt?
December to April for skiing, or July to September for hiking. Either way, pack layers and the right hiking or ski gear.
What are Zermatt's must-sees?
The Matterhorn, the Gornergrat and its railway, the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and the Riffelsee.
Where can I see the Matterhorn reflected in a lake?
On the Five Lakes Walk. Afterwards, warm up with raclette or rösti.
About Zermatt
- Mountains
Where it is
Zermatt is a mountain village in the canton of Valais in southern Switzerland, at the head of the Matter Valley (Mattertal) at about 1,600 m, below the Matterhorn and close to the Italian border.
History
For centuries Zermatt was a farming village of wooden houses and barns. The first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 brought a rush of climbers and visitors, hotels followed, and the Gornergrat railway opened in 1898; the village keeps its streets free of combustion-engine cars, and most visitors arrive by train from Täsch.
People
Zermatters speak a Valais dialect of Swiss German. Mountain guiding has been a local profession since the first climbs, and in the old quarter, the Hinterdorf, larch-wood barns and granaries stand on stilts topped with flat stone slabs that kept mice away from the stores.
Known for
- The Matterhorn
- The Gornergrat railway
- The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise on the Klein Matterhorn
- Year-round skiing on the Theodul Glacier
- The Glacier Express to St. Moritz
Did you know?
The first ascent of the Matterhorn, in 1865, ended in tragedy: only three of the seven climbers in Edward Whymper's party survived the descent.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.