Sirawit Chuanart, Unsplash License, Source

Zermatt

Alpine Magic and the Matterhorn

Zermatt stands in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by towering peaks and glaciers that draw climbers and skiers year-round. The town’s car-free streets keep air clean and noise low while allowing visitors to explore on foot or by electric transport. Local chalets with wooden balconies line wide sidewalks where cafes serve hot chocolate and fondue. At the base of the Matterhorn, seasonal trails lead into alpine meadows filled with wildflowers. Zermatt’s mountain climate stays cool even in summer, making it a reliable destination for outdoor activities without heavy crowds or traffic.

Add to list Map view

Town in Switzerland

$$$+

$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

See price details

Safety: 8.6

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	8
Accessibility:	6
Tap water:	10

Read details

4/5

English is widely spoken, especially in hotels, restaurants, and with ski instructors. You’ll have no trouble communicating as a tourist.

Highlights Attractions Getting there Hotels Tips Travel costs Safety Articles

Last update: 12 Oct 2026

* We earn a commission from some links on this page.

Zermatt Summary

These place ratings give you a quick overview of how well a destination matches different types of trips.

‘Best for’ scores:
The specific interest scores show where this place really shines – whether it's ideal for hiking, food & drink experiences, museums or other activities. These highlights help you understand what makes the destination special at a glance.

‘Your personal’ scores:
This reflects how well a place matches your personal preferences. You can adjust the importances of travel topics or other personal requirements categories in your account settings.

‘Suited for’ badges:
These give you a quick overview of how well a destination suits specific types of travellers, to help you find the places that match your lifestyle, preferences or travel situation.

Read how our scores work

World-class for alpine skiing and mountain scenery. Ski famous slopes, hike scenic trails, photograph the Matterhorn and ride panoramic mountain railways.

Place score

9.3

Best at:

Mountains

Snow

Skiing

Mountaineering

Luxury

Personal score

Suited for

👶 7

Families

🧓 6

Seniors

❤️ 8

Couples

🥜 8

With food allergies

Switzerland – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	230 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type C , Type J Type C: Type J: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Swiss Franc (CHF) £1 ≈ CHF 1.10
Cashless info:	Rating 5/5 Switzerland is very cashless-friendly, with credit and debit cards widely accepted. Mobile payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay are also increasingly common. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is appreciated but not mandatory in Switzerland. Most service charges are included in bills. In restaurants, rounding up to the nearest 5 CHF or leaving 5-10% is common. Taxi drivers and hotel staff appreciate small tips for exceptional service.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is allowed and socially acceptable in Switzerland, but being disruptive is frowned upon. Alcohol can be consumed in parks, trains, and outdoor events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is banned indoors in public places but allowed in designated areas. Outdoor smoking is common.

Swiss National Day (August)	Expect celebrations, parades, and fireworks throughout the country.
Christmas (December)	Markets and festive events are common, with tourist areas being busier than usual.
Easter (March/April)	Many attractions are closed, but some areas offer special events and celebrations.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 112 (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, Bolt
Other:	Switzerland is famous for its natural beauty, well-organised transport, and multilingual culture. The Swiss Travel Pass is highly recommended for tourists.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Zermatt, Switzerland

🌨️

Jan

🌨️

Feb

🌨️

Mar

🌨️

Apr

🌨️

May

🌧️

Jun

🌦️

Jul

🌦️

Aug

🌤️

Sep

🌨️

Oct

🌨️

Nov

🌨️

Dec

High season:	Jan. - March, July - Sep., Dec.
Shoulder season:	April, June, Oct.
Crowdedness:	9 (Very crowded)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Ski season late November to April, glacier skiing year-round

Hiking season late June to early October

Many hotels and lifts closed in May and November

Don't miss

🚞 Ride the Gornergrat Railway for stunning Matterhorn views
🏞️ Hike to Riffelsee Lake and see the Matterhorn’s reflection
❄️ Visit Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Europe’s highest cable car
🚶‍♂️ Explore the charming, car-free village of Zermatt on foot
🏛️ Discover mountain culture at the Matterhorn Museum – Zermatlantis

You've been here?

Why travel to Zermatt?

Zermatt offers year-round adventures, from skiing and snowboarding in winter to hiking and climbing in summer. The car-free village is a breath of fresh air, quite literally and the view of the Matterhorn is simply unforgettable. However, be prepared for higher prices, as this Swiss gem doesn't come cheap.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Zooom The Matterhorn

🎡Places for activities

1 Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
2 Sunnegga Paradise
3 Zermatt - Furi
4 Riffelalp - Resort

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Schwarzsee
2 Monte Rosa Massif
3 Sunnegga
4 Gorner Glacier
5 The Matterhorn

🛍️Shopping

1 Bahnhofstrasse
2 Laderach Chocolatier Suisse

🎈Events

Zermatt Unplugged Music Festival
Horugüet Traditional Parade
Swiss Food Festival
Matterhorn Ultraks Trail Race
Zermatt Marathon
Christmas and New Year (December 24 to January 1)
The busiest and most expensive week of the winter season. The car-free village is festively lit, slopes and mountain railways are crowded, and hotels and apartments are booked out months ahead.
Zermatt Unplugged (April, about five days)
Acoustic and indie music festival with concerts in bars, tents and on the mountain. It brings a lively crowd at the end of the ski season, when the village would otherwise be quiet, so book accommodation early.
Zermatt Marathon (Early July)
Mountain marathon from St. Niklaus up to the Riffelberg, with the Matterhorn in view for much of the route. Runners and spectators fill the village that weekend, and the start of the hiking season makes it a busy time.
Matterhorn Ultraks (Late August)
Trail running event with several distances on the mountain trails around Zermatt. It falls in peak hiking season, so hotels are already full, and the trails and mountain railways are busier than usual.

Explore on map

Open map view

Knowledge before you go

Car-free village; arrive by train from Täsch and use electric taxis.
Book Gornergrat train and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car tickets in advance online.
Matterhorn views best from Riffelberg hike or Sunnegga viewpoint early morning.
Try raclette at mountain restaurants above Zermatt for authentic Swiss alpine dining experience.

How to travel to Zermatt

The best way to reach Zermatt is by train. You can take the scenic route from Visp via the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. Driving is not an option; park in Täsch and take a shuttle train.

Access summary

From Geneva Airport (GVA): Train via Visp, roughly 3.75–4.25 hours.
From Zurich: Train via Visp usually about 3–3.5 hours.
Car-free resort: park in Täsch, shuttle trains 10–15 minutes.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Zermatt

Zermatt offers everything from luxury hotels to cozy chalets. There are also options for budget travelers, including hostels and B&Bs. Many places offer ski-in/ski-out convenience.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Hotel Garni Testa Grigia

Naco Aparthotel, by Arca

9.6

Hotel Schweizerhof Zermatt

9.3

Hotel Parnass

9.3

Le Mirabeau Hotel & Spa

9.1

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Zermatt

Zermatt is car-free, so you’ll explore on foot, by electric taxis or via e-bus. The Gornergrat Railway and numerous cable cars make reaching mountain peaks easy and fun.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

We calculate the average costs when travelling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.

To customise this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

+42 %

Daily expenses in the region are around 42% higher than the average across United States. That means you'll spend considerably more on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

+6 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to CHF) is 6% worse than in recent years. That means travelling now is more expensive compared to the past.

Travel costs (Data for Sion, Switzerland - 38 km away)

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£110	£218	£575
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£49	£105	£240
🍝 Food per day	£45	£96	£266
🚕 Transportation per day	£16	£18	£69

Notable additional fees: Adult day pass about CHF 97 (£87.92), one of the priciest in the Alps. Adding Cervinia on the Italian side costs more. Ski, boot and pole hire runs roughly CHF 45 – 60 (£40.79 – 54.38) a day.

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£36
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£22
🍟 Fast food combo	£15
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£16
☕ Cappuccino	£3.80
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£6

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£40
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£1.70

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£18
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£60
🤧 Cold medication	£13
💇 Basic haircut	£24

Safety information overview

General safety

Zermatt is very safe with low crime rates. The biggest safety concern is mountain safety – always check weather conditions before hiking or skiing.

Health & Medical

Medical facilities are good. Zermatt has a medical center and emergency services and for more serious needs, Visp Hospital is the nearest full-service facility.

Accessibility

The village and many attractions are accessible, but the mountainous terrain can be challenging for those with mobility issues. Many cable cars are wheelchair-friendly.

Tap water

Tap water is safe and excellent to drink. Public fountains also offer clean drinking water, often straight from alpine springs.