Zermatt Switzerland is The Most Successful Swiss Resort
The days have long gone when Zermatt Switzerland was a small charming and sleepy mountain village. Today it is still small with barely more than 5,500 inhabitants but it has also become one of the top Swiss Ski resorts and in the world. ... when the road up the narrow valley was closed more often than today. There was a lot more snow at that time, sometimes too much which caused many avalanches and blocked the road for days. Because of the climate changes and the construction of more road tunnels, you do not have to worry that much anymore.
On your way up to this resort, you enter a magical world of horse-drawn sleighs, luxury hotels, Swiss style chalets surrounded by 38 peaks all higher more than 4,000 m (13,123 ft). The resort is car free and only the locals can drive directly to the entrance of the resort where there is a big underground parking area. Everybody else has to take the train or you can fly in by helicopter charter with "Swift Copters" or "Air Zermatt" to the heliport. If you are using your own car or rent a luxury car, you can drive to Täsch and than take the short 6 km (3,7 mile) train ride up to the resort. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt Switzerland are electro-taxis or electro ski buses and horse-drawn sleighs. In this small town with only six or seven streets it can get crowded, especially in the wintertime. During the high season (Christmas/New Year and February) the population more than quadruples to nearly 25,000 people. Skiing is possible all year around because there is summer skiing on the Theodul glacier. The infrastructure in this skiing paradise, built over the last decades is quite impressive. It has Europe's highest cable railway station that is still getting a completely new look and is the highest summer skiing area. There is also a restaurant built atop the spectacular small Matterhorn peak, which rises to 3,883 m above sea level. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will run into long line-ups and crowded slopes, even on the busiest times. Besides, do not miss the many mountain restaurants on the slopes with incomparable cuisine. The infrastructure to get to the ski slopes is the most modern anywhere and includes: • 1 underground funicular Besides there are about 116 hotels in Zermatt Switzerland from the basic one star to luxury. Directly at the Bahnhofstrasse (the main street) lies the luxury Grand Hotel Zermatterhof. Two-thirds of the rooms have a view of the Matterhorn.
If you are looking for a truly fantastic Swiss hideaway, may I suggest the Riffelalp Resort. It sits on a plateau above the ski resort at the heart of It will astound you just getting up to the Riffelalp Resort from Zermatt Switzerland. Do not believe for a second that Zermatt is only a winter resort and dead for the rest of the year. There is tourism going on all year around and during the summer and fall when many mountain climbers and hikers are in the mountains. The Matterhorn, shaped like a pyramid is one of the most climbed and probably the most famous mountain in the world. Après-Ski in Zermatt Switzerland Bars &Clubs Zermatt is famous for its après-ski activities, which include nightclubs, bars, tea dances, and of course discos. The seemingly endless choices along the Bahnhofstrasse offer plenty of varieties. Elsie's Bar, at the Kirchenplatz (Tel. 027/967 24 31) is very popular and gets crowded from around 6 pm until late at night. Regardless of the many people, it is still quite comfortable. After a day of skiing, people show up for coffee, usually Elsie's famous Irish coffee or hot chocolate. Imagine they also serve oysters, caviar, and even escargots, which are somewhat unusual up in the mountains. On the other hand, it makes sense, because this Alpine village hospitalizes many Russians. The café is open daily from 11am to 2am in the winter and from 4pm to 2am daily in the summer. One of the most visited and energetic bars is Grampy's Pub (027/967 77 88) located across the Hotel Post. It is a favorite for many ski instructor, and bartenders. The sometimes rowdy Ex-Bar (027/967 30 17) is at the Hotel Excelsior. When I worked as a helicopter pilot for Air Zermatt, we went to the somewhat calmer and more upscale Luna Bar. Thick doors and masonry walls shielded the noise from other pubs nearby, something that we tried to avoid after flying all day. Unfortunately, the Luna Bar is only open in the winter. If you are getting tired of the Swiss chalet type emphasis and prefer a more of an Art Nouveau decor style, head to the Bar Tenne (027/967 18 01) located at the Alex Schlosshotel. On the second floor of the Hotel Bristol is the formal Bristol Bar that has a dance floor, a fireplace, and a view of the attached restaurant. The Kegelstube (Bowling Alley Bar) (027/966 33 80) is also at the Hotel Bristol and Zermatt's only bowling alley which adds a visual distraction to the large bar scene. The Scotch Corner Bar, in the Hotel Aristella (027/967 20 41) mimics a bit the big city and urban life. If you just want to grab a beer or a Café Schnapps in a cozy setting, then go to the Stübli in the Hotel Walliserhof (027/966 65 55). Restaurants in Zermatt Switzerland There are 91 restaurants in the village to choose from in addition to the 38 mountain restaurants, 10 tearooms, and 44 bars. Some of these restaurants offer a wide range of gourmet cuisine to the more traditional Swiss, Japanese, Thai, Chinese food and well yes McDonald's - for the children I guess. Zermatt Switzerland does not have any of the top-quality restaurants that other Swiss ski resorts have to offer. A few that I can recommend are the restaurant Le Gourmet with 15 out of 20 points, and the Corbeau d'Or with the same rating. If you want to try a truly outstanding gourmet cuisine, drive to Sierre to the restaurant Didier de Courten located in the hotel Terminus. This 19-point restaurant is about an hour from the ski resort but well worth the drive. If you are just looking for good-value, than I would suggest el Café du Pont which offers Rösti, great pasta, and Swiss Fondue or Raclette (Swiss cheese dish). The restaurant Gourmetstübli located in the "Grandhotel Schönegg" high above the village is slowly developing into one of the most creative cuisines of Zermatt. Another restaurant that serves typical local food is the Restaurant Chez Heini located at Wiestistrasse 45. Anni-Frid Lyngstad, a member of the famous Abba group during the 1970s and early 1980s dines there regularly when she is in the ski resort. For typical Swiss food and live Swiss music, try the Schwyzer Stübli or the Whymperstube. If you do not mind the heavy food like fondue or Raclette, then try Chi-Ba-Bou located in the Hotel Ambassador. Shopping Walk down the Bahnhofstrasse of Zermatt Switzerland and you will notice right away deluxe branches of stores that you might have expected only in large cities. Typical sports shops offer all the latest Alpine and ski equipment such as Bayard Sport + Fashion, Bahnhofplatz 2 (027/966 49 50), Burgener Sport, Bahnhofstrasse 72 (027/967 27 94), or Slalom Sport, Kirchstrasse 17 (027/966 23 66). There are of course many more sport shops. Very well visited are jewelries and watch shops, especially from Russian women who buy expensive watches, which are a status symbol in Russia. All watch shops are located at the Bahnhofstrasse and some of the better known are Jacot Time SA (027/967 80 67), SwissLion AG (027/967 80 50), Haute Horlogerie Schindler SA (027/967 11 18) and Bucherer AG (027/967 53 53). How to get to Zermatt Switzerland Getting Here -- Take a train to Visp from all major Swiss cities, and from there transfer to a narrow-gauge train to Zermatt. Departures from Visp are every 20 minutes daily between 6am and 11:30pm. For Swiss rail information, call tel. 0900 300 300. There are also buses running every hour from Visp or Brig to Täsch. From Täsch, you need to change to the rail shuttle (cog railway) that ascends to the centre of the village. If you are driving, head to Täsch and park your car in the underground or open lot garage. The rail shuttle will then take you to the mountain resort for 15 Swiss francs per person round-trip. Private or business jets can fly directly to Sion airport or a little further away Geneva International airport. From Sion it will take only about one and a half hours by car or by taxi. However, the fastest and most efficient way to get up to the resort is by helicopter. The resort has a very modern heliport at the entrance just above the road and railway tracks and the hangar built into the rock face. Unfortunately, flights are only during the day and in VFR conditions (Visual Flight Rules). Swift Copters located at Geneva International Airport offers shuttle flights directly to the heliport of Zermatt Switzerland. Return from Zermatt Switzerland to Swiss ski Resorts Return from Zermatt Switzerland to High End Travel Switzerland Home Page
|
As a kid, I remember going to ski races to Zermatt and Saas Fee during the wintertime. That was back in the 70's...
It is still rather difficult enough for day or weekend skiers to reach this ski resort in an easy and efficient way for people not living in the Valais. For example, the transfer time from 
The four ski areas, the Rothorn Paradise, Gornergrat, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, and Schwarzsee Paradise are connected. Zermatt together with Breuil-Cervinia on the Italian side has more than 320 km (200 miles) of prepared and inspected ski trails and a lift capacity of over 75,000 people per hour. 