Zermatt and the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, First Climbed In 1865, Is The Most Photographed Mountain In The Alps And A Symbol Of Switzerland. Zermatt, A Car Free Village In The Valais, Is The Base For The Gornergrat Cog Railway (3,089 M), The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (3,883 M, The Highest Cable Car Station In Europe), Hiking And Year Round Skiing. · Zermatt, Valais

Zermatt is a car-free village at 1,608 m in the Valais, sitting beneath the Matterhorn, the 4,478 m pyramid of rock that first fell to climbers in 1865 and is now the best known mountain in the Alps. You arrive only by train, because cars stop at Tasch and electric taxis and buses move people around. From the village, the Gornergrat cog railway climbs to 3,089 m for the classic view of the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and the Gorner Glacier, and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car rises to 3,883 m, the highest cable car station in Europe. Hikers walk to the mirror lakes, and skiers use the slopes from November to April, with a small summer ski area on the glacier. The honest picture is a beautiful, expensive and often cloudy place. The peak hides for days at a time, lifts and meals cost a lot, and spring and late autumn are quiet with some hotels and lifts shut. Check the webcams, go up early, and book a night in the village if you can, because the quiet evening light is the best part.

Car-free alpine village at 1,608 m beneath the 4,478 m Matterhorn, reached by the Matterhorn Terminal at Tasch, with the Gornergrat railway and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable cars above, Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland

The village is open all year. The Gornergrat railway runs daily with early departures, and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car runs most of the year with a break for maintenance. In May and November some LIFTS, huts and hotels are CLOSED, and the Matterhorn Museum shuts on some off-season days. Check the first and last runs locally.

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