Zermatt
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[edit] General information
Zermatt is a car-free village in the upper Valais, one of the alpine cantons of Switzerland. It's probably best known as a platform for skiing and mountaineering, especially on the mountain which towers above the village, the Matterhorn. The surroundings are breathtaking but this comes at a price: Accommodation in Zermatt is among the most expensive in Switzerland.
[edit] Getting there
[edit] By car
- From the West:
From Geneva (airport) take the A1 to Lausanne, then the A9 via Montreux, Martigny and Sion to Sierre. From Sierre take road no. 9 to Brig. At Visp, you turn right to the S to the Saaser valley. In Stalden, turn right and leave the Saaser valley to the left. You will now be in the Matter valley then go through St. Niklaus, Randa and then Täsch where you catch the train to Zermatt.
- From the North:
From Bern take the A6 to Spiez, then the road to Kandersteg, at Kandersteg, you will have to drive your car onto a train and go by train through a tunnel; After the tunnel at Goppenstein, you continue the road to the S and reach the main road from Sierre. At the crossroad, you turn left (E) which will take you to Visp. At Visp, you turn right to the S to the Saaser valley. In Stalden, turn right and leave the Saaser valley to the left. You will now be in the Matter valley then go through St. Niklaus, Randa and then Täsch where you catch the train to Zermatt.
- From the East:
From Bregenz take the A13 to Chur; get off at Reichenau and continue on road no. 19 to Brig/Visp via Flims - Sedrun - Andermatt - Gletsch – Fiesch and finally Visp. At Visp, you turn right to the S to the Saaser valley. In Stalden, turn right and leave the Saaser valley to the left. You will now be in the Matter valley then go through St. Niklaus, Randa and then Täsch where you catch the train to Zermatt.
- From the South:
You can either come in from Como on the A2 via Bellinzona to Airollo, then road no.2 till Hospental and from here to the left on road no. 19 to Brig/Visp or you can come from Arona till the end of the A26 and then take the E62 via Domodóssola to Brig. At Visp, you turn right to the S to the Saaser valley. In Stalden, turn right and leave the Saaser valley to the left. You will now be in the Matter valley then go through St. Niklaus, Randa and then Täsch where you catch the train to Zermatt.
Zermatt is car-free and private cars can only drive as far as Täsch. The last 7 km must be travelled by foot, by train or by taxi. A train ticket Täsch-Zermatt costs CHF 7.60 and a retour ticket costs CHF 15.20.
Parking space in Täsch (Matterhorn Terminal) is quite expensive (CHF 13.50/day) and one should consider other options if possible. In winter it is necessary to reserve your parking space well in advance.
[edit] By Bus
[edit] By train
Zermatt can be only be reached by a Private Railway from Visp/Brig. As it is a private railroad it does not accept most if not all rail passes such as the Eurorail and Swiss-rail passes so expect to pay extra for it.
[edit] By airplane
[edit] Getting around
[edit] Sleeping
For a tiny hamlet Zermatt has more hotels than most big cities. A rough estimate places the number of places to stay at somewhere in the range of 600-700. Apparently that's still not quite enough. If you want a good value room then perhaps you should consider booking ahead.
There are other options. You can camp, or as throughout Europe vacation apartments are the rage. Time shares are another option: if you know you want to ski or go mountaineering one week per year, maybe go in with a friend or two on a property. Foreigners are allowed to buy up to a certain square meterage in Switzerland, and you are free to lease, rent, or otherwise assign the property any way you like, barring industrial use.
[edit] Hotel
[edit] Camping
If you're on a budget, try camping. The climate is mild, even in the winter, so if you know a bit about camping you should be able to stay warm and dry at pretty much any altitude lower than about 2,000m pretty much any time of year. For beginner campers there is a camping area open in Zermatt during the summer months (Camping Matterhorn). It's to the left of the train station's main exit. Follow the street for a couple of hundred meters. Prices are CHF 11 per person per night, clean showers and clean toilets can be used free of charge.
[edit] Alpinist's information
[edit] Mountains
[edit] Huts
[edit] Medicare/Emergency
Several doctor practices and pharmacies are opened in Zermatt, both during low and high season. A detailed overview of all the opening hours of the different services is given here.
The Zermatt emergency number is 144.
[edit] Weather
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high °C (°F) | 0.2 (32) | 1.3 (34) | 3.7 (39) | 7.3 (45) | 12.1 (54) | 15.6 (60) | 18.9 (66) | 17.9 (64) | 15.4 (60) | 11.2 (52) | 4.6 (40) | 1.1 (34) | 9.1 (48) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | -4.8 (23) | -4 (25) | -1.5 (29) | 2 (36) | 6.7 (44) | 10 (50) | 12.5 (55) | 11.7 (53) | 9 (48) | 4.8 (41) | -0.8 (31) | -3.8 (25) | 3.5 (38) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -8.4 (17) | -7.8 (18) | -5.5 (22) | -2.2 (28) | 2.1 (36) | 4.8 (41) | 6.8 (44) | 6.7 (44) | 4.2 (40) | 0.7 (33) | -4 (25) | -7.1 (19) | -0.8 (31) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 43 (16.9) | 46 (18.1) | 49 (19.3) | 50 (19.7) | 61 (24) | 56 (22) | 47 (18.5) | 60 (23.6) | 41 (16.1) | 55 (21.7) | 55 (21.7) | 49 (19.3) | 611 (240.6)
|
| Avg. precipitation days | 6.6 | 6.3 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 10 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 9.9 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 7 | 6.7 | 92 |
| MeteoSchweiz: 8 May 2009 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Additional photos
 Dufourspitze and Monte Rosa: the highest mountains around Zermatt |
 Zermatt Bahnhof |
 A map of Zermatt |
