The Charming Town of Zermatt
Zermatt sits in the shadows of the Matterhorn, which is arguably the most iconic mountain in the world. This beautiful mountain sits on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The area boasts skiing 365 days a year, beautiful hiking trails, and world-class hotels and restaurants, all in a village without automobiles.
How to Get to Zermatt
Zermatt is in the Southern part of Switzerland and part of the mountains here shares a border with Italy. From Zurich or Geneva, it is about a 3 to 3.5-hour drive or around 3.5 hours on the train.
However, we drove from the Davos-Klosters area to Zurich which was almost a 5-hour drive. It was a scenic drive, through the beautiful Swiss countryside. We drove through charming towns and villages, and in the shadows of the Swiss Alps.
To drive to Zermatt in the winter, you need to take theFurka Car Transport (train) because the Furka pass is closed. We purchased a ticket ahead of time and waited in line. When it was our turn, we drove our car onto a train car bed. There were about 25 cars and we were all single file on these flatbed train cars. We stayed in our cars for the 15-minute ride (about 10 miles) through a tunnel. Once on the other side of the mountain we drove our car off the train bed and went to Täsch.
You cannot drive the entire way to Zermatt as it is an auto-free town. You leave your car in the large parking center in the town of Täsch. Once parked, you take your luggage and then board a train that takes you to the city of Zermatt. When you arrive in Zermatt, you can either walk to your hotel or take an electric “taxi” (the taxi is highly recommended).
Where to Stay in Zermatt
There are so many amazing places to stay in Zermatt, but I recommend something that is within walking distance of the main area in town. We stayed at Hotel Carina, which was a small boutique hotel. They describe themselves to have the spirit of a mountain hut, with all the conveniences of a hotel. I would describe it as warm and cozy, with excellent service and an exquisite breakfast (more salami, more cheese!) each morning
What We Did in Zermatt
Guided Village Tour of Zermatt -The Zermatt tourism office gives tours of the village in different languages. We strolled through the village with our guide and found some of Zermatt’s hot spots, trying some goods from Fuchs Bakery, and seeing the historic areas where the town of Zermatt began. We also learned about the history of Zermatt, how the Matterhorn got its name, interesting facts regarding the first successful summit of the Matterhorn, how many people have died on the Matterhorn, and much more. The tour took a couple of hours, but was informative and a lot of fun.
Sheepfold Visit - The Julen Family owns/operates several hotels and restaurants in Zermatt. They also operate a black nose sheep farm on the outskirts of Zermatt. We met at one of their hotels where they had taxis waiting to take guests to the farm for a tour of the black nose sheep farm. Upon arrival at the farm, the tour is split into two groups, depending on which language you speak. The night we were there, the father took German-speaking visitors while the son took English-speaking visitors and began the tour. We learned about the black nose sheep, what they eat, how they breed, what they produce (including how the farm turns waste into biogas for the town).
As it was winter, all of the sheep were inside the barn and we could see and pet them while listening to the son give his educational talk. Honestly, when Kim told me we were taking a tour of a sheep farm, I thought it sounded incredibly lame. However, it was great! So happy we did it. The only downside was that we couldn’t get the smell of 300 sheep and sheepshit out of our clothes, jackets, etc. for the next few days. After an hour in the barn, that smell just sticks to whatever you are wearing.
Zermatt Matterhorn Viewpoint - This is about a 20-30 minute walk from the Zermatt train station up to a perfect spot to get some great pictures of the Matterhorn. Try to go early in the morning for the best lighting!
Sightseeing Flight in a Helicopter- Kim took an exhilarating flight to see the Alps from a different perspective. This scenic ride tooth her breath away as they flew around the Matterhorn and viewed it from all different angles. We also flew over the Matterhorn Glacier, between 50 and 100 million years old. Looking out on the horizon, you could see miles and miles of the Alps with no end in sight. It was absolutely stunning.
Ski/Snowboard - Skiing here was great! $85 a day for the international pass, which let us begin the day in Switzerland, take a few lifts and ski down to Italy, grab a beer in Italy and ride back over to Switzerland.
For the $85 lift ticket, there were even more trams and gondolas than at the other mountains we visited. There were a few six-person chair lifts, but most lifts were enclosed. And, the lifts covered crazy terrain. Swiss engineering is so impressive. It’s hard to explain, but we were transported to areas that appeared to be inaccessible.
If these mountains were in America, I don’t know if there would have been lifts built to get to these areas. For example, one of the lifts in the town of Zermatt was an incline railway in a tunnel that took us to a mid-mountain spot. Swiss engineering. So amazing. And, again, our cost was $85 for a day. If Vail (in Colorado) had all of these ways to get skiers up the mountain, they would probably charge $1,000/day.
Shopping - Zermatt is filled with wonderful boutiques and shops ~ so go explore!
Curling Tournament- The Horu Trophy Curling Tournament happens the third week in January in Zermatt each year. This is one of the largest competitions in Europe, which takes place outdoors. We went to watch the tournament for a while, even though we had no idea what was going on. Fun environment. Not a ton of spectators, but there were some people around watching the game/match and drinking beers. Also, you can get pretty close to the curling field. Or is it a curling court? Or a curling pitch? Whatever it is, you can get close up and be a spectator.
Where We Ate in Zermatt
Grampi’s - This restaurant sits on the second level overlooking the main street in Zermatt, so try to get a table by the window. We had some of the best Italian food here.. Make a reservation, they are usually busy.
Pizzeria Ristorante Molino - Another yummy Italian restaurant. You just can’t go wrong with Italian food in Zermatt, it is so close to Italy!
Zermatterstübli - Swiss Fondue is a must here. They even have fondue which is a hot broth to cook meat in. Very fun and delicious!
Brown Cow Pub - This is the place for lunch, après ski, dinner, or drinks in the evening ~ it was always popping.
Fuchs Bakery & Bistro - This bakery has been in Zermatt since the 1960s and is a place to stop for a sweet treat or to try out some traditional swiss bread.
Edward’s Bar- Cozy bar for cocktails.
Grand Hotel Zermatterhof - They have a beautiful outdoor seating area to stop and have a coffee, cocktail, or even a bit to eat, all with views of the Matterhorn.