I have friends visiting in the beginning of February and would like to take them someplace in Switzerland (already living in Zurich). I thought Zermatt would be nice, but is there enough to do this time of year if we aren't skiing? Any recommendations? Also, if we get the day pass for the train, does anybody know which (if any) cable cars are also included? Thanks in advance for the help!
You can get a day pass but the cable cars are usually not included unless you get a special promotion. Just to go there is beautiful for the day and have lunch walk around. It takes over 3 hours to get there so the earlier you leave the better. Enjoy!
Many of the mountain railways and cable cars will give you a 50% discount on a roundtrip with a GA or Day Pass. SBB has a map which includes a lot of this information, which they include with the current dual-day-pass sale. Or you can just get it by asking at the ticket window.
You can happily spend quite a bit of time just wandering around Zermatt. Get some lunch, hang out at an outdoor cafe/bar, laugh at the insanely-priced jemellery and designer stores, take some photos of the Matterhorn, etc. The train ride up the valley towards Zermatt is pretty incredible, go for it!
I would certainly recommend the Gornergrat railway or Rothorn paradise. There are a lot of events and excursions on in the area. If you are stopping over, there are also special star light excursions.
Plenty to see at Zermatt and the Matterhorn. Definately a Swiss landmark, well worth the trip. however depending on where you are going from its pretty expensive. The return train trip is around 250 bucks (from Lausanne) and then there is accomodation, and also tickets for the cable cars, and trains/busses to and around the village. It will probably blow out to around 400 or 500 CHF for a weekend there and transport, then you need to include food.....Its not cheap on the TSR etc.
This price is a little too high. The SBB website tells me that it is 146 CHF round trip, second class, standard fare from Lausanne to Zermatt and back. Maybe you were including the Gornergrat ticket? If so, it is certainly not necessary to do that to have an enjoyable trip - we went to Zermatt three times without skiing before we decided to do the Gornergrat trip, and enjoyed it each time.
I used a day pass Duo two weekends ago and was able to buy two half-price Gornergrat train tickets in Zermatt. I think they were about CHF 34 each. According to Swiss Rail, annual passholders (GA or AG) can buy a Gornergrat ticket for CHF 30.40 at any train station. I'm not sure if day passholders would also benefit from this discounted price.
I am taking my parents who are visiting to Zermatt this weekend. we are also not skiing. Abzurich, how did your weekend in Zermatt go? We will be leaving from Lugano. I have the hotel booked but still trying to decide how to get there.
My original plan was to take the train to Andermatt, then take the glacier express to Zermatt. I've never heard of the Bernina express til now. Is it better than the Glacier express?
Also, I'm a bit confused about Gornegrat. Is it the train that goes from zermatt town to the top of the mountain? I looked it up and it says it starts in Bern?...ah a bit confused!
can someone help?
(i have a half price card....would like to know the most economic way of getting to zermatt as the hotels there are pretty pricy!)
It might be too late at this point, but have you tried to see if your local commune still has date-specific, CHF 30+ day passes ("la carta giornaliera" or something) available for the days you're travelling? Weekends sell out early usually. From what I was told, a resident can buy several and give them to non-residents.
With the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, I think reservations (CHF 5 or 10 fee) may be obligatory. Have fun!
yupe, all day passes for 30 are gone this weekend!! i should have looked earlier!!
but guess what, i found that you can purchase 6 day passes for the price of 5 using your half day card (and if you travel after 9am). it comes out to 270 which is around 45 francs per day person!! best part is it says it's not personal so i can share it with my parents....we are three people so we would use up 3 tickets per day (traveling to and from zermatt). I say that's not too bad since orginally I had to pay around 200 francs per day...
Looking at different information available in the web, it isn't clear to me whether Schwarzsee paradise is open for visitors this weekend. In my understanding one gets to this place from Furi and looking at the timetable
available at zermatt.ch, the sector Furi-Schwarzee is closed. Is my assumption correct or I'm missing some information.
Any EF members who had been to Schwarzsee paradise, could you please comment. Thanks in advance.
The current piste map indicates that there is not a lift operating to Schwarzee Paradise at present. It is the time that many are closed for maintenance prior to the ski season. Piste Map
We are going to Zermatt for the first time this weekend (Just Sat & Sun). Hoping weather is good, What are the top 3-4 things to do. Looking at the zermatt.ch there is far too much choice. I'm confused
It really does not matter much which you visit, all have spectacular views. Either toss a coin, or, if you insist on a rational choice, take the least expensive option
Also, as ChrisW noted earlier in this thread, enjoy the view as the train goes up the Mattertal.
Visit the museum and the climbers cemetery across the street from it.
Depending on your energy level, you can either walk around town or explore some of the winter walking paths .
I suggest that you are guided by the weather. Unless it is clear and sunny it is not really worth the trip up to Klein Matterhorn. If you do go up there, be prepared for -30C temperatures.
For any of the mountain trips it is usually best to go as early in the day as you can manage. The chances of clear weather are generally better.
The Gornergat is a better option if the weather is reasonable but not brilliant.
If it is not clear weather, walks around the area plus the museum are good options.
Thanks for your replies guys.. I will go to Gornergat one day and next day toss up between Schwarzsee paradise or Matterhorn glacier paradise. I just looked up the prices this is going to be one expensive trip