It was the picture perfect panaromas featuring the majestic Matterhorn, icey glaciers and sunny meadows in the Alpine village that first seduced us in including Zermatt in our Swiss travel itinerary.
Early Afternoon Vibes of green meadows and Sunshine screamed ‘Welcome to Zermatt’!!!
The Alpine Meadows and the stacked Wooden Chalets is just Classic ‘Zermatt’. . .
Zermatt is one of the prettiest towns in Switzerland. Imagine a pretty town centre filled with wooden chalets and historic homes, peppered with adorable bakeries, smart cozy restaurants and endless ski-wear shops. Then, there are the towering mountains, including the omnipresent peak of the Matterhorn – one of world’s most recognizable peaks.
Italian Vibes All Around – Our First Glance Experience of Zermatt
When we first descended from our train to Zermatt and hardly took a few steps towards the town centre , we had to pause and ask ourselves, “Are we in Italy?”.
The Zermatt Town Centre brings about quite a ‘Medieval Charm’
We stopped at some chic Restaurants for a quick bite. . .
Indeed, that’s some Authentic Pizza Making Facility. . .
Musical fervour filled the air with hums and strums of ‘Bella Ciao’ and smells of the melting of cheese as we crossed the cozy cafes. The corner street outlet even had an authentic Pizza Making facility. Furthermore, morning Greetings and salutations came in the form of ‘Buongiorno’ and ‘Gracie’ instead of the usual ‘Guten Morgen’ and ‘Danke Schon’. Only the smiling faces of the locals remained a constant. Could it possibly get more Italian than this???
Well, on a serious note, this quaint town in the southernmost part of Switzerland shares a border with Italy. Hence, the Italian Vibes in all its dealings – from architecture to food and dialect , is paramount.
Notorious Zermatt Weather
European Spring is notoriously unpredictable. The sun is shining on the Alpine meadows one minute and snowflakes are pelting at a furious pace the next moment. Thankfully, the Weather Gods smiled upon us for the most part of our Switzerland itinerary. Zermatt however was an exception.
Mornings provided for a perfect hiking environ as the mild sun rays fell upon the meadows. But nights experienced showers of snowfall that enveloped sloped chalets, woodlands, staircases, restaurants, twigs, trees and everything in between and transformed the entire landscape into a winter wonderland – especially the far ends of the higher altitudes. During wee hours of the morning, low lying clouds suspended above snow ladened trees completed the fairy tail effect.
Indeed, Zermatt in its own right proves the fact that ‘There is Beauty in Notoriety’. Don’t you think?
Snow Draped Zermatt during the Wee Hours of the Morning – A place where Sunshine and Snowfall plays ‘peek-a-boo’ all the time. . .
Zermatt Switzerland – A Fairytale Experience
We spent two days in Zermatt. The first day was spent acclimatizing, hiking to the best spots for Matterhorn views, indulging in street side delicacies and getting settled in our accommodation.
All Set to Hike to our Secret Matterhorn Viewing Spot. . .
We passed along a Clock Tower and Town Hall. . .
The Next day we made an attempt to complete the coveted ‘Five Lakes Trek’ but instead rolled up the day doing this instead. https://coffeebreakdiaries.com/the-stelisse-lake-and-rifelesse-trek-for-that-perfect-matterhorn-view/
How to get to Zermatt?
That’s Us, Ready to Take on the South of Switzerland!!!
We drove from Central Switzerland (Diemtigen) village to the South of Switzerland (Tasch area) and the whole journey took us a little upwards of 2 hours 15 minutes. Zermatt is car free. So, we parked our car at Tasch Parking Facility for 16 CHF/day, walked 50 metres to the nearest Ost (Railway Station) and booked train Tickets to the next stop Zermatt.
The Car Train Experience
This was indeed a unique concept we came by. Barely 1 hour into the drive, we arrived at some Toll-Gate Area. We were issued a 34 CHF Ticket (One-Way) and directed to drive straight into a train. There were instructions to keep our car in park mode, apply handbrakes and turn off the engine while we sat on our respective car seats.
The Car Train Experience was rather New to us. . .Can you see a long trail of Cars though?
Slowly, our car (rather the train) started moving. We reclined our seats, poured ourselves a cup of hot coffee each and sipped along as our car passed through a tunnel. Many car trains pass long tunnels and lights will be turned off. This can be unpleasant if you suffer from claustrophobia, fear of the dark or fear of tunnels. You can use your car’s interior lighting or a flashlight to ease discomfort.
The Train Ride from our Parking Facility ‘Tasch’ to the Car Free ‘Zermatt’. . .
We parked our car at Tasch and took a train to the next station, Zermatt.
Zermatt Chalet Experience
For our Night’s stay, we chose a catered chalet for they are a brilliant accompaniment to this terrific ski area. The chalet chef took care of our dining needs which included a hearty morning breakfast, afternoon tea to refuel after a day out in the slopes and an evening meal with wine. Our cosy alpine chalet had the most rustic charm with a lounge and a vibrant fireplace.
The Matterhorn View from our Chalet Window!!!
I really love such a rustic timbered wood set up. . .Wish we could spend more days here. . .
I squealed in delight on discovering this bedroom. It sent me back to the days I spent devouring Enid Blyton’s novels as a kid and conjuring endless fantasies. I half expected goblins and pixies to come tumbling out of the secret attic.
We literally had to tear ourselves away from the chalet’s rustic timbered windows, its hammock and the fabulous views of the mountains the next morning as we left to explore the area.
Arrival Day Explorations
We took the first day really slow.
Luckily, we had glimpses of the Matterhorn from our cottage window, but we decided to take it up a notch by hiking to the nearest viewpoint to enjoy a clearer view.
After an afternoon siesta and tea at the cottage, we drifted away from the main streets to Bergrestaurant Bletten – a quiet restaurant surrounded by the meadows and mountains. There we snuggled under the warmth of a fireplace and enjoyed our hot chocolate and apertifs.
Some Yummilicious Delicacies if you will . . .take your pic!
Last but not the Least, the Perfectly Brewed Coffee at Bergrestaurant Bletten. . .Can Never say No to that!
If you have cash to spare, you can go shopping in the main centre for high end jewellery, watch and clothes. We did not have any.
You can also go mountain biking along the slopes. But we returned to our chalet for our scheduled complimentary wine and dine. We wanted to give ourselves enough rest for the next day. Yes, we had the Five Lakes Trek planned for the next day. But did we do the Trek? Did our day go as planned? To know more read about our 2nd day expeditions and experience https://coffeebreakdiaries.com/the-stelisse-lake-and-rifelesse-trek-for-that-perfect-matterhorn-view/
2 thoughts on “Trip to Zermatt, Switzerland”
Very nicely written. Beautiful photos👍👍
Thank you so much. We are glad that you liked our post!