Mountain Excursions
Gornergrad Mountain
Discover a top-class natural paradise: the Gornergrat Bahn takes you from Zermatt up the 3089 m high Gornergrat. Through aromatic stone pine and larch forests and across alpine meadows in summer time full of flowers and in winter time deaply snow-capped you arrive in the midst of 29 snow and ice-covered four-thousand-meter-high mountains.

Matterhorn glacier paradise (3'883 m / 12'736 ft)
The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is the highest sightseeing point in Europe and accessible by cableway! There is a yellow-green electric bus leaving at the entrance of Zermatt, if arrival by shuttle bus from Täsch or from the train station in Zermatt, to the bottom station of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.

Rothorn Paradise «Best View of the Matterhorn»
The bottom station of Rothorn Paradise is about five walking minutes away from the train station or the entrance of Zermatt. The name of the middle station on your way to Rothorn is called Sunnegga, which means «sunny corner». A gondola for four people takes you from Sunnegga to Blauherd (2'588 m) From there a panoramic cable car takes you up to Rothorn (3'100 m) and its lovely mountain restaurant with a beautiful terrace.

Hiking around Zermatt
For the descent from Gornergrat to the Bärghüs Grünsee you can take the same trail going over Riffelberg and Riffelalp in the direction of Grünsee or you can take the direct but steeper trail from Gornergrat over "Kelle" to Bärghüs Grünsee. From here you can hike to Findeln and Sunnegga.

City Excursions
Montreux - on Lake Geneva
Full-day excursion by rail. This attractive excursion crosses the "border" between German and French-speaking Switzerland. The trip runs from Zermatt down the Matter Valley to Visp and from there along the Rhone River to Lake Geneva. Can be combined with wine-tasting in Switzerland's largest wine-growing region.

Winter Sports
Skiing/Snowboarding
The 394 km of ski runs include slopes ranging from the simplest to the most challenging. Easy access is provided by an extensive network of 74 transport facilities, with high-capacity cableways, mountain railways and ski-lifts (incl. connection to Cervinia, Italy) capable of conveying up to 75,180 passengers an hour.

Ski Schools
175 - 200 ski instructors are available to teach all levels including beginners and advanced skiers

Snowboarding
Zermatt is excellent for snowboarding. There are many halfpipes available and getting to them is easy since many of the transport facilities are cable railways and chair lifts.

Curling
Curling is available on 10 different curling rinks. Training, matches or tournaments daily.

Ice Skating
Zermatt offers Ice Skating on natural ice as well as on artificial ice.

Cross-Country Skiing
Zermatt offers 7 km of cross-country slopes

Paragliding School & Taxi Flights
Flights with a paragliders. Start on skis and land in Zermatt...

Other winter activities include ice climbing, indoor climbing, tennis, sleigh rides, snow-bikes, squash, swimming, tobogganing, twenty saunas, 1 salt water swimming pool, ice driving.

Summer Sports
Hiking
Zermatt has many opportunities for hiking. There are numerous well-marked footpaths and walks (400 km in all) which will take you through pine-scented mountain forests, to the shores of calm Alpine lakes and to the ice-blue glaciers. Mountain railways make it easy to reach the high altitude rambling areas. There are many mountain cabins and restaurants ready to offer a warm welcome and a leisurely rest.

Mountain Climbing
Alpine tourism was the beginning of Zermatt's development. Situated at the foot of the Matterhorn and surrounded by 38 fourthousend-meter high mountains, Zermatt has always been the beloved goal for mountain climbers from all over the world. The Zermatt Alpine Center organizes training sessions, day tours, glacier walks every day, while for longer tours there are 80 state-registered mountain guides available for our guests.

Summer Skiing
Summer Skiing is possible too, on the everlasting glacial snow at the foot of the Matterhorn, between 2900 and 3900 meters a.s.l. in the superb mountain scenery of Zermatt. A snowy expanse free from crowds, with 6 ski-lifts and 21 km of well-marked and safe pistes, among them a downhill run of 7 km with a 999 m difference in altitude.

Golf
The Matterhorn Golf Club's golf course at Randa-Täsch is located on the valley floor between the two villages of Randa and Täsch at 1400 m above sea level and very close to the international resort of Zermatt. The golf course has been laid out on two separate pieces of land on either side of the River Vispa. The course is almost level and easy to walk around. A former area of marsh has been transformed into a lake that contains an unique island green. The Scottish golf course architect John Chilver-Stainer planned the 21-hectare golf course to blend in with the natural landscape. It may be extended to an 18-hole golf course.

Other summer activities indclude Glacier excursions, a Paragliding school & taxi flights, tennis, squash, mountain biking, bowling and mule trekking.

Entertainment
Under the careful direction of many of Zermatt's hotels, you will be able to enjoy a variety of traditional Swiss foods, some with live folklore music. Cheese and meat fondues are featured in many restaurants and are a must. Zermatt also offers superb bars featuring memorable cocktails and exciting night-life.

Shopping
With many shops dedicated to quality and style, Zermatt is guaranteed to have something to please even the most discerning shopper.

Many souvenir boutiques with sections dedicated to the famous Swiss watches and knives; and the latest creations of folk art can be found in Zermatt. After shopping have a cup of coffee or tea at one of the many traditional cake cafes in town.

Events
Zermatt Marathon in July
A marathon from St. Niklaus (1116 m above sea-level) to the Riffelberg (2582 m above sea-level).

Golf Tournament, Matterhorn Eagle-Cup in August
This Alpine-Golf competition is taking place in the Gornergrat area above Zermatt between 2'500 m and 2'800 m. On natural alpine meadows is a 9 hole stroke-play golf course marked without greens and fairways. (Total length: of 3,5 km).

Link to other current Zermatt events

Museums
The new Matterhorn Museum (opening in Dec. 06)
Zermatt can now lay claim to one more major attraction: the new Matterhorn Museum is telling the exciting story of the Matterhorn - from its origins in Africa and the terribly dramatic first ascent to the present day. However, it also tells the story of Zermatt, the small farming village that became an internationally famous health resort.

Alpine Museum
On the ground-floor the visitor finds a unique collection of documents which bears witness to the heroic first ascents of the mountains around Zermatt beginning with the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise which was first climbed by the scientist H.B. de Saussure from Geneva in 1792, and ending with the triumphal and tragic first ascent of the Matterhorn on 14th July 1865.
Further exhibits on the ground floor draw the visitor's attention to the fact that few places in the Alps have such a rich variety of different rock types in such a small area as Zermatt. This section, devoted to natural history, also has a wonderful collection of butterflies found in the local area, and representations and exhibits of alpine flora and fauna.
The rooms on the top floor are devoted to the history of life in the Alps. Numerous artefacts and utensils provide insights into everything from the simple life of alpine farmers to the equipment of the first skiers. The main attraction is a fully equipped kitchen as it would have appeared around 1770 the beginning of alpine tourism.