Zermatt
A village without cars at the foot of the Matterhorn, lifts to the edge of Italy, horse-drawn sleighs in the streets, and a helicopter fifteen minutes from the runway at Sion.
- Arrival
- Zurich Airport · ZRH
- To the village
- About 3½ hours by train from Zurich Airport
- Private jets
- Sion, then 15 minutes by helicopter
- Best time
- December to April
The city
Under the Matterhorn, on foot.
Zermatt has always been car-free. Drivers leave the car at Täsch, five kilometres short of the village, and take the shuttle train, which runs every twenty minutes and takes twelve minutes; in the village it is electric taxis, horse-drawn carriages and walking. Above the rooftops stands the Matterhorn, first climbed in 1865.
The winter season runs from November into May. The Sunnegga, Rothorn and Gornergrat areas open at the end of November and close in mid-April, while the glacier at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise keeps going until early May. An international pass carries on over the border to Cervinia.
Arriving
The last miles by rail or rotor.
Cars stop at Täsch, and no runway reaches the village. Airline passengers continue by train; private flights land at Sion and finish by helicopter.
- Zurich 35 min
- Frankfurt 55 min
- Amman 4 h 05
- Abu Dhabi 6 h 30 long-range jet
- Los Angeles 12 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
A high valley with modest rain and snowfall and cold winters. Every ski area is open from the end of November to mid-April, so December to April is the season. July and August bring highs of about twenty degrees.
- 1° J 42
- 2° F 30
- 6° M 33
- 10° A 40
- 14° M 77
- 18° J 70
- 20° J 59
- 20° A 68
- 15° S 51
- 11° O 57
- 5° N 65
- 2° D 47
What to see and do
Days in and around Zermatt.
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Landmark
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
The top station on the Klein Matterhorn, at 3,883 metres, and the glacier that opens first each winter.
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Landmark
Gornergrat
The mountain railway that has carried visitors up from the village since 1898.
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Landmark
Cervinia
Ski across the frontier into Italy on the international Zermatt-Cervinia pass.
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Culture
Matterhorn Museum Zermatlantis
Original village houses, the rope that snapped on the first ascent of 1865 and a lit relief of the summit routes tell Zermatt's story.
Official site -
Nature
Gorner Gorge
Wooden walkways, first built in 1886 and 1887, run between green serpentinite cliffs cut by the Gornervispe, 15 minutes on foot from the village.
Official site -
Nature
5 Lakes Walk
Between Blauherd and Sunnegga the trail passes Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee and Leisee over 11 km, about three and a quarter hours.
Official site -
Snow
Air Zermatt heliskiing
Helicopters lift skiers to glacier landings such as the Alphubel and Monte Rosa at 4,200 metres, conditions permitting.
Official site -
Golf
Matterhorn Golf Club
In the valley between Täsch and Randa, at 1,400 metres, nine holes play to par 36 over 2,931 metres.
Official site -
Opera & music
Zermatt Music Festival & Academy
Led since 2005 by the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic, its September concerts fill the parish church, the English Church and the Riffelalp chapel.
Official site -
Opera & music
Zermatt Unplugged
Acoustic rock and pop concerts have played in the main tent and on stages across village and mountain each April since 2007.
Official site
On the calendar
A date to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
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1–14 Feb 2027
Skiing
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
The biennial world championships of alpine ski racing, with races on the Mont Lachaux and Nationale slopes in Valais.
Mont Lachaux, Crans-Montana, about 38 km away
In 3 months
Where to stay
Lofts, palaces and a family chalet.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- CERVO Mountain Resort Fifty-four rooms and seven separate lodges, and a spa with Japanese-style onsen baths.
- Grand Hotel Zermatterhof A grand hotel since 1879, reached by sleigh in winter, with Prato Borni in the house.
- Mont Cervin Palace One hundred and thirty-two rooms on the main street, the Nescens spa, and Capri upstairs next door.
- The Omnia Reached through a tunnel in the rock and a lift that rises to a lobby above the rooftops.
- Matterhorn FOCUS Glass, steel and wood by Heinz Julen, and a lift that runs straight to the Matterhorn Express.
- THE SIXTEEN 20 The former 22 Summits: about twenty rooms in wood and stone, a few minutes' walk from the Matterhorn cable car.
- Backstage Hotel Vernissage Heinz Julen's Cube Lofts, a cinema and gallery of its own, and After Seven on the third floor.
- Boutique Hotel Matthiol Stone and weathered wood on the hillside, with fondue served in private igloos in winter.
- Hotel Welschen A family house of 1932, rebuilt in 2025 with twenty-nine rooms and a large spa, near the Sunnegga lift.
Where to dine
Four stars across the village.
From the MICHELIN Guide Switzerland 2025, the current edition; the next selection is announced on 2 November 2026. Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- After Seven One Michelin star Creative Backstage Hotel
- Alpine Gourmet Prato Borni One Michelin star Creative Grand Hotel Zermatterhof
- Brasserie Uno One Michelin star Contemporary Kirchstrasse
- Capri One Michelin star Italian Le Petit Cervin, Mont Cervin Palace
Elsewhere in Switzerland
More reasons to come.
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Geneva
The private banks, the Jet d'Eau, and the shortest drive to the French Alps.
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Zurich
The largest city, its old town on the river, and the country's main airport.
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St. Moritz
The Engadin and its frozen lake, with Samedan, the highest airport in Europe, next door.
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Gstaad
The car-free Promenade, the Palace on its hill, and chalets all around.
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Verbier
The Four Valleys, two hours by road from Geneva.
Flying to Zermatt?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.