Zermatt, Switzerland: Essential Travel Insights & Local Trends

Zermatt’s attractions draw more than 2 million visitors a year to a high-altitude village of around 6,000 permanent residents, and the ratio explains what makes it exceptional. The Matterhorn (the name translates roughly as meadow peak from the German-Alemannic dialect of the Valais region) is the reason most people come: a 4,478-metre pyramid so distinctively shaped that it historically featured on Toblerone packaging and remains the most-photographed mountain summit in the Alps. When planning your trip, explore the things to do Zermatt offers that you will not find at most other Alpine resorts: year-round skiing at up to 3,883 metres, 400 kilometres of summer hiking trails across the high Valais Alps, and a strictly car-free village centre where private combustion-engine vehicles have been banned by local vote since the 1960s.

The most fascinating things to do in Zermatt that connect you to the village's own history rather than its mountain scenery are clustered in 3 places. Begin at the Hinterdorf (back village), the oldest residential quarter, where traditional Valais wooden granaries (Stadel) are raised on disc-shaped stone stilts to block rodents from climbing up; some are 3 to 4 centuries old and still standing as built. The Matterhorn Museum, known as Zermatlantis (a portmanteau of Zermatt and Atlantis, reflecting its underground setting below Kirchplatz square), documents the 1865 first ascent of the Matterhorn and the rope breakage that killed four climbers on the descent. Other Zermatt’s things to do on a quieter afternoon include the Mountaineers' Cemetery beside the village church, where several graves belong to climbers who died on the surrounding peaks. It is a quiet spot where you can learn more about the mountaineers who lost their lives in the mountains around Zermatt.

For many visitors, the top things to do in Zermatt include finding the best view of the Matterhorn. These 3 vantage points below are particularly worth considering. The Gornergrat (3,089 m) is the place to go for the full scale of the Alps. A ride on the red cog railway takes about 33 minutes from the village centre, and from the top you can see 29 peaks above 4,000 metres at once, including Monte Rosa and Lyskamm. On a clear day, the Matterhorn rises sharply above the surrounding peaks, with the glacier-covered landscape stretching far beyond it. The Rothorn (3,103 m) is often quieter than Gornergrat. From Zermatt, take the funicular to Sunnegga and continue by cable car via Blauherd. The higher you climb, the more the Matterhorn opens up in front of you, making this a particularly good spot for photos and long views across the valley. For a completely different mood, head to the bridge beside St. Mauritius Church (Pfarrkirche St. Mauritius, the parish church in the heart of Zermatt) before sunrise. As the first light reaches the east face of the Matterhorn, the rock can take on a warm golden-amber glow for just a few minutes – an unforgettable experience.

No private car enters Zermatt. Touristic things to do in Zermatt, Switzerland, begin by leaving your vehicle in Täsch, a small valley village 5 kilometres down the road, where multi-storey car parks handle overnight storage. From Täsch, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn shuttle train covers the remaining distance in 12 minutes, running every 20 minutes. Arriving by train is simpler still: direct services from Visp put Zermatt within 3,5 hours of Zürich Airport and around 4 hours of Geneva Airport. In Zermatt (Switzerland), things to do on arrival are navigated by foot, electric taxi (e-taxi) or electric bus. Private combustion-engine vehicles are completely banned; the e-taxis are compact and nearly silent.

The idea of what to do in Zermatt between afternoons on the mountain often comes down to where you are staying. The village divides into several zones:* Village Centre (Bahnhofstrasse) is the most practical choice for a first visit, with immediate access to the station, ski hire and après-ski bars. Mont Cervin Palace, a historic 5-star on the main pedestrian street, is the best-known hotel in this zone.* Winkelmatten (loosely corner meadows), the quieter upscale residential quarter south of the centre, has some of the best direct Matterhorn views and a concentration of high-end chalets. CERVO Mountain Resort is a signature boutique property near Sunnegga, known for its stylish alpine design, Matterhorn-facing terraces and relaxed atmosphere. The resort combines rooms and private chalets with several restaurants, a spa and outdoor spaces.* Near the Sunnegga Funicular suits families and active travellers who want to get to the Sunnegga-Rothorn hiking and ski area without a long walk. Tradition Julen Hotel, formerly known as Romantik Hotel Julen, is a long-established family-run property with traditional chalet-style rooms, a spa, swimming pool and several restaurants serving local specialities. For a more budget-friendly stay, Hotel Carina offers a mix of private rooms, family rooms and shared dorms, with the Sunnegga funicular just a few metres away.To find the best accommodation for your style and budget, you can compare local hotels, luxury chalets, and self-catering apartments through KubikTrip before booking.

Activities in Zermatt deserve a restorative meal to match, and here are the dishes that define the Valais table.* Swiss Cheese Fondue: Gruyère melted with dry white wine and Kirsch in a ceramic caquelon (fondue pot) kept warm over a small flame; bread cubes are stirred in figure-of-eight strokes to prevent the cheese from splitting.* Raclette: a half-wheel of mild Valais Raclette cheese is placed under a heat lamp and the melted face scraped directly onto boiled potatoes, served with gherkins and pickled pearl onions.* The Walliser Teller (Valais plate) is a cold platter of Walliser Trockenfleisch (beef air-dried for months in dry Alpine air), Landjäger (a firm smoked sausage), local Bergkäse (mountain cheese) and dense Roggenbrot (rye bread).For all three at one table, Whymper-Stube on Bahnhofstrasse (named after Edward Whymper, who led the 1865 first Matterhorn ascent) is one of the most traditional settings in the village.

The answer to what to do in Zermatt in summer centres on two experiences the village does better than anywhere else in the Swiss Alps. The first one is Five Lakes Walk (5-Seenweg), a 11,3-kilometre route from Blauherd to Sunnegga, passing Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee and Leisee. The Matterhorn can be reflected in Stellisee, Grindjisee and Leisee when the water is calm, making the walk a favourite for photographers. The second one is the Gornergrat Bahn (Gorner Ridge Railway), a red cog railway climbing to 3,089 metres with views across 29 four-thousand-metre peaks and the sprawling Gorner Glacier below. Zermatt’s summer activities also include over 100 kilometres of signed mountain biking trails and guided alpine rock-climbing routes, giving active travellers plenty of ways to explore the mountains beyond the hiking paths.

Active things to do in Zermatt in winter are anchored by the Matterhorn Ski Paradise, the highest ski area in the Alps with runs reaching 3,883 metres on the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise plateau and 360 kilometres of marked pistes spanning Switzerland and Italy. The cross-border connection at Plateau Rosa (3,480m), now seamlessly augmented by the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing cable car, lets skiers and non-skiing sightseers alike travel between Switzerland and Cervinia in Italy for a pasta lunch before returning on the same lift system. Interesting Zermatt’s activities beyond skiing include an open-air ice rink in the village centre and afternoon après-ski on Bahnhofstrasse (station street), the main pedestrian artery, where several bars run live music when the lifts stop.