In 60 seconds
Cradled in a deep valley head beneath the unmistakable four-sided pyramid of the Matterhorn, car-free Zermatt is the world capital of mountaineering. Electric taxis hum silently past centuries-old sun-blackened larchwood barns, while cogwheel railways and high-altitude cable cars carry hikers and skiers into a panorama of twenty-nine peaks surpassing four thousand metres.
Best for
Known for
Skip if
You rely on a private car; all vehicles must be parked in Täsch, and Zermatt is strictly pedestrian and electric-taxi only.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Zermatt & Matterhorn fits them. Choose interests
See
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Historic open-air cogwheel railway climbing to 3,089m
Take the electric cogwheel train to the summit observatory for an amphitheatre of 29 four-thousand-metre peaks and the Gorner Glacier.
Highest cable car station in Europe at 3,883m · Year-round snow
Ascend past hanging seracs to the highest viewing platform in the Alps, complete with a walk-through glacial ice palace.
Classic alpine lake walk mirroring the Matterhorn
Hike early in the morning to the tranquil shores of Stellisee to capture the Matterhorn reflected in still mountain water.
Eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Traditional Valais specialties over an open hearth
Order melted raclette scraped straight from the wheel and tender blacknose sheep lamb roasted on the open wood grill.
Cozy rustic chalet run by Franz & Heidi Schwery
A charming hillside chalet famous for slow-braised lamb shank, homemade vegetable quiche and panoramic Matterhorn views.
Famed mountain terrace in Findeln facing the Matterhorn
Unwind on sheepskin-draped sun loungers while savouring organic dry-aged beef burgers, mountain cheeses and fine Valais wines.
Artisan coffee roaster & chocolate atelier
Rich single-origin hot chocolate, delicate fruit tarts and meticulously brewed espresso in an intimate wood-lined café.
Beyond the obvious
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
16th-century larch barns resting on mushroom stone pillars
Wander silent lanes between ancient sun-darkened timber storehouses built on flat round slate stones designed to deter rodents.
Timeless 500-year-old car-free Walser settlement
A gentle hour-long walk through larch woods brings you to clustered wooden chalets with a whitewashed chapel.
Subterranean museum of alpine village life and first ascents
Walk through reconstructed village cottages and see the snapped hemp rope from Edward Whymper's fateful 1865 first ascent.
After dark
Legendary wine & oyster salon on the church square since 1960
Gather around rustic wooden tables for oysters, champagne and rare Swiss alpine vintages after a day on the slopes or trails.
Orientation
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Pedestrian spine filled with mountaineering shops and cafes
The lively heartbeat of town where climbers, skiers and strollers meet under views of the mountain peak.
Sun-drenched alpine pasture hamlet famous for world-class dining
Scattered wooden chalets at 2,000 metres connected by dirt footpaths with the finest lunch terraces in the Alps.
Stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Close to ski lifts, cogwheel station and evening venues
Stay steps from the Gornergrat train station and the village's best bakeries and evening bars.
Quiet southern residential quarter facing the Matterhorn
A peaceful residential enclave known as the 'Beverly Hills of Zermatt' with unobstructed frontal views of the peak.
Practical
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
Edward Whymper leads the first ascent of the Matterhorn, opening the golden age of alpine mountaineering.
The Gornergrat Railway opens as Switzerland's first fully electrified cogwheel mountain railway.
Further out
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Dramatic ravine carved by glacial meltwater with wooden walkways
Walk along suspended wooden boardwalks pinned to vertical rock walls above thunderous turquoise meltwater.
One of the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridges in Randa
Cross a 494-metre footbridge suspended nearly 85 metres above the valley floor along the Europaweg trail.
