ZERMATT
ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND TRAVEL GUIDE | Zermatt has been a bucket list item for me for a while. I always imagined experiencing it in the winter, but going in the spring was a ton of fun, because the town felt like spring/summer, but once you headed up into the mountains, there was nothing but hip deep snow in most places! Incredible!
(Zermatt is a car free town because there are no roads to access it, so if you are driving, you need to park your car at the Täsch train station, and take the train into town.)
I was looking for the quintessential Swiss Alps experience, and I was able to find it here. It all started when we stepped off the train, passed the pretzel vendor, and hopped in the mini electric taxi our hotel sent to pick us up. We looked up for the Matterhorn, but it was shrouded in clouds. Across the river we arrived at Hotel Chesa Valese, to the warmest welcome, and the coziest rooms. My room a a view of the town, and we were on the top floor, so it had a beautiful view of the rooftops and mountains. My family had a room with a Matterhorn view, and we kept out eyes on the horizon for any sign of the famous peak.
It was out in all its glory the next morning, and remained that way for the rest of our time there, it was quite a blessing!
One day we took the Gornergrat Bahn (the train up to Gornergrat), a peak with an incredible view of the Matterhorn. There is a beautiful hotel and restaurant lookout at the top. We wandered a bit, watched the paragliders and skiers, and the enjoyed a snack of pretzels, hot chocolate, and chocolate cake on the hotel terrace.
Another day we hiked up the Matterhorn trail from the edge of town, all the way up to Zmuttgletscher, a tiny village high up in the mountain. We ate a lunch of traditional Rösti (a hash brown-like patty usually served with a sausage and sauce) at the tiny restaurant there, where only hikers were eating. You do feel as though you have stepped into the pages of Heidi when you are there, with all the sheep grazing on the hills and the little stone and wooden houses everywhere.
We also enjoyed a hike down the Gorner Gorge, a beautiful gorge with a raging river and waterfalls you can overlook as you walk along a wooden boardwalk built into the side of the cliffs.
We ate at many delicious restaurants, including a delicious Italian meal at Grampi’s, a pot of Swiss fondue at the Swiss Chalet, and rich and creamy hot chocolate at Petit Royal. I can’t decide which was my favorite, they were all so delicious!
Zermatt was the highlight of our Switzerland trip, for me. If you are looking for a good, solid, Swiss Alps experience, you will find it in Zermatt.
HELPFUL LINKS:
TIPS:
- For me a "Must Do” in Zermatt is taking the train up to Gornergrat to see the Matterhorn, but another “Must Do” should be hiking up to Zmuttgletscher for lunch.
- Don’t forget to have fondue!
- Try the Italian food and gelato, you are so close to the Italian border, you know it’s going to be delicious!
- SLIDESHOW -
