• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Contact
Ordinary Traveler

Ordinary Traveler

Adventure Travel Blog, Luxury Escapes

  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Resources
  • Videos
  • Travel Photography
  • Retreats
Ordinary Traveler / Blog / Switzerland / 10 Experiences You Can’t Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

10 Experiences You Can’t Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

By Christy Woodrow, Last Modified: September 7, 2019

10 Experiences You Can't Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt, Switzerland — home to the iconic Matterhorn — is a famous tourist destination for a reason. With such a stunning background for skiing, paragliding, and even helicopter sightseeing, who wouldn’t want some time in this stunning mountain village!

 

10 Unbelievable Experiences in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

Paragliding with FLYZermatt

FLYZermatt is the biggest paragliding company in Zermatt, and the best for seeing views of the Matterhorn and the village from the sky. It is an absolute must-do activity when visiting Zermatt. The best part? Anyone from age 1 to 100 can do it!

Be sure to book 3-4 days in advance, and don’t bother looking at Google weather — it can change in an instant!

Paragliding in Zermatt, Switzerland

10 Experiences You Can't Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

Visit Schwarzsee Lake

Take Schwarzsee gondola to Scwartzsee Lake for neat cultural and a fun day trip in one. The “black lake,” as Schwartzsee is know, is named for its dark reflection and is the final destination for climbers who have successfully reached Matterhorn’s peak. See the church that was allegedly built by two passersbyes once lost in the fog who pledged to build a chapel if they were saved!

Schwarzsee Lake in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

Hike to Edelweiss Restaurant

Just a short 45-minute hike up from Zermatt is Edelweiss, a sweet little restaurant for lunch or an espresso. This is also the perfect place to stop in the morning if you plan to do a longer day hike farther up!

 

Helicopter Sightseeing Tour

Ready for a once-in-a-lifetime experience? You can actually take a helicopter tour over Zermatt for a bird’s eye view of the Matterhorn and Swiss Alps! The pilot will give you a traditional “tour” experience, but the surroundings alone are worth it. This is definitely a bucket list-worthy adventure!

 

Take the Train to Gornergrat

Zermatt is a town of heights! Take Europe’s highest open-air rack railway, the Gornergrat, 3,089 meters to the continent’s highest hotel and stay the night; checking out the observatory at night is a must. Book a moonlight visit in winter, and even see an igloo village!

Gornergrat in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

Take the Sunnegga Express

The Sunnegga Express — and underground railroad — will take you up to Sunnegga, a well-known ski area with plenty to offer visitors and tourists. In addition to prime mountain biking trails are summer and winter hiking trails, restaurants, and of course plenty of opportunities for great skiing.

 

Ride the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

Take the highest cable car station in Europe to Glacier Paradise, Matterhorn’s “Ice Palace.” Enjoy a meal at the restaurant, relax in the cinema lounge, and take in a view so cool it’ll make your jaw drop.

10 Experiences You Can't Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

Winter Sports

Skiers come from all over the world year-round to ride the 25 km from Matterhorn Glacier Paradise to Zermatt, the longest descent on the entire continent of Europe. The killer view of the Swiss Alps is just a perk! Not a skier? Zermatt is the perfect place to fall in love with the sport, but you can also have plenty of fun snowshoeing and sledding.

10 Experiences You Can't Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

Visit Gorner Gorge

Looking for a little adventure beneath the mountains? The beautiful blue waters of the Gorner Gorge can be trekked around on foot, and makes for an awesome day hike! Be sure to come prepared with 5 francs for the fee.

 

Visit Matterhorn Museum

Nobody comes to visit the Matterhorn without learning a little about its unique history! At the Matterhorn Museum, it’s really interesting to read the stories behind the town of Zermatt & the Matterhorn, including the first successful ascent and video footage of helicopter rescue crews.

 

Plan Your Trip to Zermatt

Flights:

  • Momondo is the first place we check when searching for cheap flights. It searches hundreds of sites for the best fare and includes both standard and budget airlines. The price calendar feature shows the cheapest days to fly in your preferred month of travel.

Where to Stay: 

  • I stayed at the Mont Cervin Palace which is located right in the heart of town and only 950 feet from the train station. This 5-star hotel offers balcony views of the Matterhorn, a breakfast buffet and an indoor spa.

 

Pin it!

10 Experiences You Can't Miss in Zermatt, Switzerland

 

My trip to Zermatt was in partnership with Visit Zermatt and Mont Cervin Palace. Ordinary Traveler maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site.

About Christy Woodrow

Christy Woodrow is a travel photographer and professional blogger based in San Diego. She has been traveling around the world with her partner, Scott, since 2006. Join them in their quest to find off-the-beaten-path destinations by signing up for weekly emails. You can read more about her on our about page.

Filed Under: Switzerland

Previous Post: « 8 Reasons to Visit Mauritius
Next Post: These 10 Photos Will Make You Want to Sail Around Croatia »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Van Cave Project says

    We’ll be heading through Switzerland next year on our tour of Europe. Seriously can’t wait to get started on some of these hiking trails. The landscape is absolutely breathtaking!

    Reply
    • Ordinary Traveler says

      So fun! I wish I had a week there to hike around. Enjoy!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Meet the Team

Christy&Scott
Welcome to our adventure travel blog! We are Christy and Scott and we've been traveling the world together since 2006. Our goal is to inspire others to live an adventurous life, as well as provide trip ideas and helpful travel tips for people with limited vacation time.
-- READ MORE --

Affiliate Information

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I’m also a member of other affiliate programs. For more info please read my Policy Page

Footer

Traveling Tips & Hacks

  • Camping Hacks
  • Travel Tips
  • Cheap Honeymoon Destinations
  • Best Travel Camera
  • Best Weekend Getaways
  • Travel Packing Tips
  • Travel Photography Tips
  • Spiritual Travel

Popular Travel Guides

  • Cinque Terre Travel
  • Rome Travel
  • Venice Travel
  • Havasu Falls Travel
  • Norway Travel
  • Switzerland Travel
  • Big Island Hawaii Travel
  • Kauai Travel

Ordinary Traveler

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Work With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2021 · Ordinary Traveler