When to go to Zermatt?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: July to September, and skiing from December to April
At a glance
Why go to Zermatt?
One mountain makes the whole reputation of the place. The Matterhorn raises its 4,478 metres in a four-sided pyramid, standing apart from any neighbouring ridge, which gives it a silhouette you recognise without ever having seen it for real. Since the first ascent on 14 July 1865, marked by the deaths of four climbers on the way down, the village has lived off that image. It appears on chocolate wrappers, on railway posters and from just about every terrace in the village.
Zermatt has always been closed to cars. You arrive by train from Täsch, where you leave your vehicle in a covered car park, and then get around on foot, by horse-drawn carriage or in small, silent electric vehicles. The village has about 5,800 permanent residents and far more beds than that, which makes for crowds in peak season but an atmosphere free of horns and exhaust fumes, at 1,620 metres above sea level.
All around, the playground is among the largest in the Alps. Twenty-nine peaks over 4,000 metres can be seen from the Gornergrat, the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car tops out at 3,883 metres, and the Theodul Glacier lets you ski even in July. In summer, some 400 kilometres of waymarked trails radiate out from the village, from the Five Lakes Walk to the Haute Route, which reaches Chamonix in a dozen stages.
Map of Zermatt: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Zermatt village
- The Matterhorn
- Gornergrat
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
- Sunnegga
- Randa
How much does a trip to Zermatt cost?
Zermatt is one of the most expensive destinations in the Alps. The lifts weigh as much as the accommodation: the Gornergrat and the Klein Matterhorn together top €250 per person. On the other hand, the trails, the village, the Hinterdorf and the viewpoints from the valley cost nothing, and a frugal stay is still possible.
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €110-160/day | Hostel or simple hotel with half board, supermarket shopping, trails from the village, a single lift ride |
| Comfort | €220-320/day | Three-star hotel, three-day Peak Pass, one or two restaurant meals a day, train from Täsch |
| Premium | €600+/day | Five-star hotel with a Matterhorn view, private mountain guide, heli-skiing or a high-altitude climb, gourmet restaurants |
Switzerland uses the Swiss franc, not the euro, although many shops accept euro notes at a poor rate and give change in francs. Pay by card, accepted absolutely everywhere, including for lifts and mountain huts. Cash machines are near the station and on the Bahnhofstrasse. Budget 30 to 40% more than for an equivalent stay in France.
Is Zermatt safe?
The village is perfectly safe, and the absence of cars removes the main urban hazard. Everything plays out at altitude. Acute mountain sickness can strike from 3,000 metres, and the Klein Matterhorn at 3,883 metres is reached in twenty minutes by cable car from 1,620 metres, with no acclimatisation: headaches, nausea and breathlessness are common, and the only answer is to go back down. The weather changes fast, storms often break after 14:00 in summer, and the lifts close in strong winds, sometimes leaving people stuck at the top. Off the marked trails, glaciers hide crevasses under the snow and must only be crossed roped up with a guide. Finally, the high-altitude sun burns within an hour: category 4 sunglasses and high-factor cream are essential, even when it is overcast.
What to see and do in Zermatt
- The Matterhorn
- Gornergrat
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
- Riffelsee lake
- Sunnegga and Lake Leisee
- Hinterdorf, old Zermatt
- Matterhorn Museum
- Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge
The Matterhorn 3 369 m
Four faces turned to the four points of the compass, a ridge forming the border between Switzerland and Italy, and an altitude of 4,478 metres. Edward Whymper climbed it on 14 July 1865 via the Hörnli Ridge; a rope snapped on the descent and four of the seven men died. The Hörnli Hut, at 3,260 metres, is base camp for some three thousand attempts a year. From the village, the best viewpoints are the Bahnhofstrasse bridge early in the morning and the Winkelmatten chapel.
Gornergrat 3 066 m
The Gornergrat rack railway, opened in 1898 and Switzerland's first electric train, climbs to 3,089 metres in thirty-three minutes. The terminus looks out over the Gorner Glacier, some fifty square kilometres of ice, and twenty-nine peaks over 4,000 metres, including Monte Rosa and the Dufourspitze, the country's highest point at 4,634 metres. A twin-domed astronomical observatory and a hotel sit on the ridge. The path down to Riffelberg passes the Riffelsee lake.
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise 3 745 m
The highest viewing platform in Europe reachable by lift, at 3,883 metres on the Klein Matterhorn. Three cable car sections lead up from the village, the last one flying over the Theodul Glacier. At the top, thirty-eight peaks over 4,000 metres and thirteen glaciers spread out as far as Mont Blanc. An ice palace dug fifteen metres below the surface houses sculptures and a tunnel. It is also the starting point for summer skiing, possible for much of the year.
The Five Lakes and Sunnegga
An underground funicular links the village to Sunnegga, 2,288 metres, in under five minutes. From there starts the Five Lakes Walk, a 9-kilometre loop with 250 metres of ascent that strings together the Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee and Leisee. Three of them reflect the Matterhorn in calm weather, the Stellisee being the most photographed at sunrise. The Leisee, shallow and sun-warmed, is good for a swim in August and draws the families.
Zermatt village
Closed to cars and served by train from Täsch, the village combines a main street of watch shops with the Hinterdorf, a quarter of blackened larch barns from the 16th century set on stilts topped with stone discs to keep out rodents. The cemetery behind the church lines up the graves of climbers killed on the Matterhorn since 1865. The underground Zermatlantis museum recreates a mountain village and displays the broken rope from Whymper's party.
Randa and the suspension bridge
One train stop before Zermatt, the village of Randa gives access to the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, 494 metres long and 85 metres above the Grabengufer ravine. Opened in 2017 and 65 centimetres wide, it replaces a section of the Europaweg swept away by rockfalls and sways noticeably underfoot. The climb from the station takes two hours and 500 metres of ascent. The ravine still bears the scars of the 1991 landslides, among the largest in the Swiss Alps.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Three full days cover the Gornergrat, the Klein Matterhorn and a hike. Five days leave time for the Five Lakes Walk, a day in Randa and a spare day for bad weather, essential in the mountains. A week or more makes sense for skiing, for multi-day walking or for attempting a high-altitude climb with a guide.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Zermatt guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of Switzerland
Zermatt in three days
Day 1: arrival, a stroll round the village and the Hinterdorf, the Zermatlantis museum, the climbers' cemetery, and a first look at the Matterhorn from the Bahnhofstrasse bridge at sunset. Day 2: the first Gornergrat train at around 7am, the summit and the Gorner Glacier, then down on foot via Rotenboden and the Riffelsee to Riffelberg. Day 3: the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car in the morning, the ice palace, then back down for a lazy afternoon in the village.
Five days of hiking
The three-day core, then two days of walking. The Five Lakes Walk from Sunnegga, 9 kilometres and 250 metres of ascent, with the Matterhorn reflected in the Stellisee early in the morning and a swim in the Leisee in the afternoon. Then the Europaweg to the Charles Kuonen bridge from Randa, a two-hour climb with 500 metres of ascent. Keep a spare day: the weather changes fast and the lifts close in strong winds.
The Valais in a week
Three nights in Zermatt, then down to Brig and the Upper Valais. The Glacier Express panoramic train links Zermatt with St. Moritz in eight hours and 291 bridges, reservation compulsory. Otherwise, head for Saas-Fee and its glacier, Leukerbad and its 51-degree thermal springs, or the terraced vineyards of Sion and Sierre. Train tickets are best covered by a Swiss Travel Pass if you string several stops together, cheaper beyond four days.
Getting there and getting around
Zermatt is off limits to cars. You leave your vehicle in Täsch, in a covered car park charging about CHF 16 a day, then take the rail shuttle that climbs up in twelve minutes every twenty minutes. From Geneva, allow 3h30 by train with a change at Visp, about CHF 100 one way.
In the village everything is on foot, fifteen minutes from one end to the other. Electric taxis, electric buses and horse-drawn carriages complete the picture. Hotels often send a free buggy to the station if you let them know your arrival time.
The lifts are expensive and are paid for one ride at a time or with a pass. The Peak Pass covers all the summer installations for two to fifteen days, from about CHF 200, and pays off from three rides up. Prices drop sharply for children and holders of Swiss travel cards.
The Glacier Express leaves from Zermatt and reaches St. Moritz in eight hours, with compulsory reservation and a supplement. For wider use of the Swiss network, the Swiss Travel Pass covers trains, buses and boats and gives discounts on lifts, worthwhile from four days of travel.
Where to stay in Zermatt?
The youth hostel and two or three simple hotels offer nights between €55 and €100 outside high season, often with half board. It is the only genuinely affordable segment in the village, and it fills up months ahead for school holidays and February weekends.
Holiday apartments are plentiful and often better value than a hotel for three or more people, at €120 to €250 a night depending on season and view. Many require a minimum stay of seven nights in winter, with Saturday arrivals.
The village's three- and four-star hotels range from €150 to €300 a night, with spa, often half board and a station shuttle included. A Matterhorn view costs extra, sometimes €40 to €80 a night, and the south-facing rooms go first.
At the top end, several historic five-star hotels in the village and two mountain hotels reachable only by train, between €400 and €800 a night. Staying in Täsch or Randa, one or two stops down the line, halves the prices for an extra twelve minutes on the train.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Zermatt?
Valais raclette is scraped straight from the wheel, portion by portion, with potatoes, gherkins and pickled onions. Allow €6 to €9 a portion and three to five portions per person. Alpine cheeses from the Val d'Anniviers and the Val de Bagnes are the most sought after.
Moitié-moitié fondue blends Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois, at around €28 to €35 per person in the village restaurants. Several mountain huts serve it too, which means skiing or walking back down straight afterwards, easy on the white wine.
Valais dried meat, salted and air-dried at altitude, has protected geographical indication status. It is served on a platter with dry-cured bacon and cheese, for around €20 to €28. Dense, slightly sour Valais rye bread traditionally goes with it.
The Valais is Switzerland's leading wine canton. Fendant, a dry white made from Chasselas, and Cornalin, a native red, are served by the glass for €7 to €12. Restaurant prices are high everywhere: a dish of the day runs to around €25 to €35, an evening set menu a good deal more.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Zermatt
Can you drive to Zermatt?
No, the village has been closed to combustion-engine vehicles for decades. You leave your car in the covered car park at Täsch, at about CHF 16 a day, then take the rail shuttle that climbs up in twelve minutes, with a departure every twenty minutes. Once there, you get around on foot, by electric taxi or by horse-drawn carriage.
How much do the lifts cost?
The Gornergrat train costs about €130 return, the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car about €125. The Peak Pass, valid for two to fifteen days on all the summer installations, starts at around CHF 200 and pays for itself from three rides up. Children's fares and Swiss travel cards cut the bill considerably.
When can you see the Matterhorn without clouds?
The summit is most often clear between sunrise and 10am, then veils over in the early afternoon as convection clouds build. The best conditions come in September and October, with dry, stable air. Plan on several mornings: over a week, it is rare never to see it in full.
Do you need to be fit to hike here?
Not necessarily. The lifts drop you at 2,200 or 3,000 metres and many routes are downhill or flat, like the Five Lakes Walk, 9 kilometres with 250 metres of ascent. You do, however, need to reckon with the altitude, which leaves you breathless, the very strong sun and the weather, which turns quickly after midday in summer.
Can you ski in summer in Zermatt?
Yes, on the Theodul Glacier, above the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, open for much of the year. The summer area is modest, a few high-altitude runs best skied in the morning before the snow softens. National teams come here to train. In winter, the full ski area has about 360 kilometres of runs and extends to Cervinia, in Italy.
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