Few ski resorts can match Zermatt’s perfect combination of excellent skiing, reliable snow, magnificent scenery, superb mountain restaurants and luxury ski chalets. Sprawling along both sides of the river, the attractive car-free village retains its traditional charm whilst making way for more modern buildings and facilities. The bustling main street is lined with hotels, restaurants and glitzy shops whilst electric taxis and horse drawn carriages transport visitors around the resort.
Divided into four sectors, Zermatt has an extensive ski area spanning 200 kilometres of pistes. Rothorn is reached by an underground funicular to Sunnegga and a cable car via Blauherd. A cog railway train from the village centre transports visitors up the mountain to the second main area, Gornergrat, which at an elevation of 3,089 metres offers some of the finest views in Switzerland. At the south end of the village is the Matterhorn Express, a gondola transporting skiers to the Schwarzsee area and on up to the fourth sector at Trockener Steg and the Matterhorn glacier paradise.
"In the shadow of the world's most perfect mountain, Zermatt remains the prettiest spot in the Alps."Condé Nast Traveller
"In the shadow of the world's most perfect mountain, Zermatt remains the prettiest spot in the Alps."Condé Nast Traveller
Zermatt is ideal for adventurous intermediates whilst Wolli’s park for beginners is the perfect place for budding skiers to practise. The resort offers a wide variety of off-piste runs for all abilities, and if the runs reached from the lift system aren’t enough, heli-skiing is a popular alternative. Non-skiers can ascend the mountains in a cable car or take a snowshoe stroll from their ski chalet, stopping for lunch at one of the resort’s renowned mountain restaurants before heading into town for a guided tour of the village or a visit to the Matterhorn Museum.
With the resort providing an almost unlimited variety of excursions, tournaments and festivals, visitors won’t be short of entertainment during their stay. Events include the increasingly popular music festival Zermatt Unplugged, the Horu Trophy curling tournament, Zermatt Fashion week and the Patrouille des Glaciers, a legendary ski mountaineering race.
