Zermatt is a “town free car zone”- I use that phrase rather loosely because there are plenty of taxis, buses, delivery trucks and other vehicles on the road- in fact- you kind of need to be careful you don’t collide with one. Nonetheless, Zermatt is a place you can not bring your car so here’s how it works: drive to Tasch, board the train that goes to Zermatt and voila- you are now in the town ready for some fun and breath-taking scenery.
We drove from Lauterbrunnen to Tasch- (approximately 2. 5 hours). Along the way we encountered a car train. I am used to boarding cars on ferries here in the US, but never have I had to put a car on a train. Definitely was not expecting that adventure. The Lotschberg Car Train www.zermatt.ch/en/arrival/Arrival-by-car/Car-Train/Loetschberg-Car-Train shortens the distance between the midlands and Valais. The car train runs every 30 min (15 in peak times). You simply arrive at the end of the road. There is a convenience store if you need a snack, drink or restroom. Pay your fee and when given the go ahead, drive slowly onto the rail car. Turn off your car and let the train do the driving for the next 15-20 min. It does get quite dark in the tunnel and rolling up your window reduces noise. Once you reach the end- you simply drive forward off the the rail car and continue on the switchback roads to your destination. Really- cool
Tasch
The city of Tasch is not terribly large. There are manufacturing warehouses, apartment buildings along the main road. The train station parking is a sharp right as you approach the station. Don’t worry if you miss it- the area isn’t well labeled and there are drop off points for passengers, pick ups and so on- just drive a bit further and turn around and approach again. There is plenty of parking(2,100 SPACES) at the station. Make sure you snap a pic of your car’s location number and floor-so you remember where to find it upon your return. Follow the signs to the train’s ticket kiosks. Here you can purchase your tickets. We did one way since we weren’t sure of our return time. If you purchased cable car tickets, etc. you will find kiosks where you can download them as tickets. You can also do this in Zermatt or if you didn’t prepurchase- you can do that in Zermatt as well. There are of course restrooms, vending machines, etc. The trip takes approximately 12 min. You can access timetables and other information here: https://www.matterhorngotthardbahn.ch/de/
Arriving in Zermatt:
If it is your first time to Zermatt, arrival can be a bit overwhelming when it comes to finding your hotel, rental etc. Some places are within a short walking distance of the train station. Know that there are funicular stations, cable car stations, the Gornergrat railway station and the Tasch railway station- so be clear on WHICH station your accommodation is near. Many rentals will not be within easy reach of the train station (especially if you have small children, seniors, luggage, skis etc). Trying to find a street map of Zermatt is not easy. The best solution is to hire a taxi (and they hold large families) to bring you to your destination (you can even ask them to stop and wait if you want to do a grocery store run). Another alternative is to figure out the bus situation- we never got around to that one. It was just easier to walk.
Orienting yourself- if you go left out of the train station you will be walking up the main avenue. Here you will find hotels, shopping, restaurants galore, and the always crowded McDonald’s. Continue up this road further and you come to the church. Eventually you reach the end- to get to the Matterhorn Glacier Cable Cars (stops at: Furi, Trockener Steg, Testa Grigia, Matterhorn Glacial, etc) then go to the right and follow the winding road to the far back end of the town. If you go right out of the train station you will see the Gornergrat Railway station almost immediately, follow the street which has a few restaurants, but mostly apartments/condos. You will pass the funicular station for Sunnegga. Everything after that is largely residential/restaurant. The Coop grocery store is located up on the main shopping area.
A Few Bits of Advice:
Your rental accommodation will have you pay a city tax when you arrive. At previous locations, we just let the amount on the kitchen table, but in Zermatt, the UTouring management required that we bring the amount to their office the next day. Well, that never happened- not intentionally- just timing- we were in the mountains and couldn’t get down on time. We ended up putting the city tax in with our hotel key and dropping it in their outbox. This was annoying as we needed to make additional stops to their office- one to pick up the key and the other to drop it off. So if renting- make sure you know how much time to allocate for city tax and keys.
Garbage- just what everyone wants to worry about on vacation! Not! In Zermatt, we were responsible for emptying all the garbage bins- no big deal, we do that everywhere we stay, required or not. In Zermatt, it’s a bit more complicated. First, you have to use special trash bags. Our rental gave us one- if we needed more than one we had to go to the Coop store and buy them. Additionally, there were no directions on where to put the garbage. There was no bin outside the apartment or anywhere we could find. Some hotel took pity on me and took the garbage bags- so make sure you check out the trash situation thoroughly. Not sure I thought I would ever talk about that one.
Toilet paper- our rental gave us a partially used roll and one whole roll for 5 people over 4 days. The rolls were about 1/2 the size in the U.S.. So off we went to Coop for more. Just something to note.
Luggage Storage- if you arrive early or need to check out before departing- know that there is luggage storage next to the Tasch train station. If you are looking at the train station head on- just go to the left (Right takes you to Gornergrat station) and it is a cement building with a luggage sign. Luggage is timed and the rental units hold large bags- you pay onsite.
Always know the last time down your cable car, gondola, or funicular runs! We got caught in a rainstorm on our hike down to Zermatt and had to run back to catch the gondola in Furi- and we squeaked onto the very last one.
Mountain restaurants (huts) are only open a few hours a day- mostly for lunch- most are closed by 4-5 pm. They can get very crowded during the lunch hour. Many take reservations- it’s just hard to know exactly when your party will be ready to eat or where you may be at the time to get to the restaurant. You can certainly drop in- just be prepared during busy times to wait. Many mountain restaurants are CLOSED during the shoulder seasons- so be sure and check their opening dates along with hours when you visit their website. Most mountain restaurants take credit cards, the appropriate bank card and cash.
Restaurants in Zermatt center during the shoulder seasons may be closed or have a partial menu- like only drinks. There are restaurants that will be open- you shouldn’t have trouble finding a place to satisfy you. Reservations are always encouraged- and in some places mandatory so be sure and visit their websites.
Ski/Snowboard Rentals:
There are lots of places to rent skis/snowboard equipment throughout the area. Many rentals can be done online in advance saving you some money. Stores will fit boots, and bindings accordingly when you arrive- so give yourself ample time to complete this process. In the off seasons (shoulder seasons) many of the rental stores are closed- a few will be open- so you will need to do your research. My advice- try to rent as close to the transportation you need to your ski destination- otherwise you are lugging around a lot of equipment. Once up on the mountain- ski lockers are available to hold your gear while you dine or just enjoy a well deserved break.
When to Go:
Over the years, I have come to associate the “summer” season with the “unofficial” US start date of Memorial Day in May. Doesn’t work for Switzerland. When you travel to Switzerland- you really need to know what you want to do. If you are looking for hiking – there will only be a few passable trails in the Spring. Want to ski right up to a mountain hut for lunch- you need to look towards winter. Shoulder seasons (Spring/Fall) have more closures: shopping, equipment rentals, restaurants, cable cars, funiculars, hiking trails. So it is important that you know what you want to do so you can actually do it- when they say trail opens June 15- they mean it. One way to assess access to trails on off seasons is to study the cable car/funnicular time table. This link will give you all the time tables https://www.zermatt.ch/en/Lifts-pistes/Mountain-railway-tickets-timetables-and-prices
Season
When
Spring
April- mid June (June 15 or later)
Summer
June 15 (earliest), possible June 24, – early September
Fall
mid September- October
Winter
November to April
What to See:
We were in Zermatt from June5-June 8, 2024. April saw heavy snowfall- and many of the trails were not yet passable for hiking.
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise:
Europe’s highest mountain station at 12,739 feet (3,883 m) surrounded by 38 four thousanders, 14 glaciers and 3 countries. Here you can enjoy superb views, dining, cinema, and glacier palace.
Where to begin:
Start at the bottom- in this case purchasing the ticket- which is not cheap at CHF 109 at its lowest time period. Tickets can be purchased online before travel to minimize waiting in line or just to avoid the hassle of machines and your credit cards not working (and yes- that happened multiple times). The drawback to purchasing ahead of time is you have no control over the weather. Most people will tell you that mountain weather is notoriously unpredictable and really can’t be forecasted more than 24-48 hours ahead of time. If you are determined to only visit when the skies are clear- then wait and buy your ticket.
Once you have your ticket- you can stop (once) at any of the stops along the route to Matterhorn Glacial Paradise. There are activities (some are for certain seasons only) at most of these stops that are worth exploring. You will need your ticket for entrance and exit-so keep it handy.
Beginning at the first stop:
Furi– is roughly a 5 min ride. This is a gondola type car where you will stand with a large number of people. There are wide windows surrounding you- so you have plenty of opportunity to see even if you are in the middle of the car. Furi is a base for many of the mountain huts/restaurants or trails that lead to them. You can also hike to the Furi Suspension Bridge (Furi Hangebruke) and opt to hike down to Zermatt and visit Gorner Gorge (Gornerschlucht).
Disembark in Furi (you have to!). You can either continue up to the next stop by boarding a gondola to Trockener Steg or you can take a cable car (if operating) 8 min to Schwarzsee. If you choose to go to Schwarzsee- you will then board another cable car which will take you to Trockener Steg.
Schwarzsee– here you can visit the lake at the foot of the Matterhorn, enjoy the famous views along the Hornligrat ridge, and take your picture with the famous sign. This stop was NOT open in early June.
Trockener Steg: is where people skiing and snowboarding exit for their lifts. The Cube is also available here- this showcases the building of the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing- the highest cable car in the world from Zermatt to Italy. It is included in your ticket.
Matterhorn Glacial: is the stop for the viewing platforms, dining, glacier palace, and cinema lounge.
Now- (to make things even more complicated)- you can extend your Matterhorn Glacial ticket to Matterhorn Alpine Crossing by adding one or both of the following: (we opted to add Testa Grigia since the idea of standing one foot in each country was too good to pass up and we could watch our adult children ski below.)
Testa Grigia: is on the border of Italy and Switzerland- and there is a door way where you can stand with one foot in each country (it’s the highlight of the stop). This is a rocky prominence looming 11,414 feet (3479 m) above the Theoduhl pass.
Breuil- Cervinia, Italy can now be accessed on the world’s highest cable car system. It is approximately a 90 min journey from Zermatt. You board the same cable car up to Glacial Paradise and then switch to the Matterhorn Alpine II crossing cable car. You can plan on spending a few days or a few hours. This stop is mostly for skiing.
and to create more confusion you can add:
Crystal Ride-the crystal ride cable car hold 6-8 people and costs approximately 10$. This special cable car has a glass floor that allows you to see below as well as to the sides. Some people may find this added expense unnecessary; however, I kind of liked the different viewpoint.
Pictures of the cable cars and views- the bottom right is the Crystal Ride.
What to do at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise?
First, beware- when you step off the gondola/cable car at this altitude- you might feel a bit like a drunken sailor. It may take a few minutes (even longer) for your body to adjust. People can feel like they are listing to the side, talking funny, have difficulty with sinuses and headaches. Take a moment to just sit and rest. Let your body get acclimated. Be sure and drink plenty of liquid as being at altitude causes dehydration.
These activities are available:
Cinema Lounge- is located in a room not too distant from the cable car station. Here you can sit in a hanging curved chair and watch several short films on alpinism- flora, fauna, snow, ice, railways, etc. The price of the movie is included in your admission ticket.
Glacier Palace– follow the sigs until you reach the elevator that will descend you to the glacier entrance. The ice floor is mostly covered with rubber mats to provide secure footing. The light level is low. Take your time- here you find a hidden tunnel to slide on a mat, sculptures, the majestic beauty of ice layers, and a shrine to the Virgin Mary.
The ice palace is included in your ticket
The Restaurant- has seating for 50 patrons with breathtaking views. Food served is both international and Swiss dishes.
There is a small gift shop.
Viewing Platforms: Allow for viewing. Signs indicate important landmarks. The platforms can be crowded- so be patient.
What to do in Furi?
Furi is a stop with many of the mountain restaurants or trails that lead to restaurants. Mountain restaurants or huts are open only a few hours a day. You can find reviews of most of them on Trip Advisor with links to their websites/facebook pages. Always make sure that you check the opening dates- especially during shoulder season as many are closed- along with hours. Food offered varies- some with heavy Italian, others with heavy traditional Swiss, and some with an international offering- you’ll be able to find something for everyone! Obviously most people prefer to dine outside surrounded by the gorgeous mountain scenery. If you are an indoor person- just check to make sure indoor seating is offered. Prices are similar to what you would find in restaurants in Zermatt center.
Furi Suspension Bridge:
The suspension bridge crosses over Gorner Gorge and is a short distance from Furi. Just look for the sign post and follow the arrows to Hängebrücke Furi. The bridge is 328 feet long (100 m), 295 feet (90 meters) up in the air, at an altitude of 6,315 feet (1925 meters). The hike to the bridge is regarded as easy and is open from June- October. If you did not want to do the suspension bridge on your Matterhorn Glacier Paradise day- you can purchase a single ride ticket to Furi.
Tip: the bridge can be accessed from both sides. Wait for those who are on it- to get off as it is very narrow. Also if it is windy- the bridge does sway which can be uncomfortable for some.
Onward Trip 