Home » My Rants & Recommendations » Visit Zermatt Anytime of Year; it’s the Perfect Swiss Destination (Part 1)

Visit Zermatt Anytime of Year; it’s the Perfect Swiss Destination (Part 1)

You can visit Zermatt anytime of year; it’s the perfect Swiss destination whether you want to hike, swim, ski or shop! 

Christina from Christina's Cucina in front of the Matterhorn
Photo credit: Cynthia Woodman (What a Girl Eats)

Last time I was in Zermatt was on my honeymoon in September of 1990. 

Disclosure: Cynthia and I were hosted by Valais-Wallis Tourism, Alex Grill, and Hotel Alex in Zermatt, Switzerland. We were also provided with Swiss Passes for rail transportation, thanks to Switzerland Tourism.

As you can see, I looked a wee bit different!

Christina from Christina's Cucina in Zermatt, 1990

I was really looking forward to visiting again as I’ve always wanted to return since our honeymoon. What I learned on this trip is that you can visit Zermatt anytime.

Christina from Christina's Cucina in front of the Matterhorn with husband

On this trip, I was traveling with my girlfriend: Cynthia from What a Girl Eats. We had left Brig after visiting the incredible Aletsch Glacier and took a marvelous train ride to Zermatt. We were greeted at the train station by Amadé Perrig, who would be our tour guide during our stay. Little did we know how incredibly fortunate we would be to have him as our personal escort to discover Zermatt as he is the former president of Zermatt Tourism!

Zermatt, Switzerland: a view (by Christina Conte)
Zermatt, Switzerland

It was a five minute walk to our hotel where Amadé took us to check in. He introduced us to the owner of Hotel Alex, Christina, then told us when he’d be back to meet us the next morning. Amadé left us with instructions to have a relaxing evening, and that, we did!

Hotel Alex Zermatt

Hotel Alex Zermatt

Most of the hotels in Zermatt are family owned, and Hotel Alex is not an exception to the rule.  It was such a unique hotel! Cynthia and I checked into our rooms, and soaked in the view of Zermatt from our balcony (we had separate rooms, but with a shared balcony). Photos don’t do Zermatt any justice (or Switzerland, for that matter).

Zermatt, Switzerland view from Hotel Alex
You can just see the tip of the Matterhorn on the right.

Our rooms were cosy, and of course, Swiss beds are always so comfortable! The carved wood ceiling was just beautiful (you can see part of it in one of the photos below). We had jacuzzi tubs, but be forewarned, they only work within certain hours so the noise doesn’t disturb those who want a quiet evening. There was a neat way to leave the big, heavy room key in the lobby, which was a great idea. 

Hotel Alex Zermatt

Cynthia and I toured the public areas of the hotel before getting ready to go to dinner at the Alex Grill. Each room was unique and there were many different themes, but what they all had in common was their warm and inviting atmosphere.

Hotel Zermatt public rooms

We just loved the wooden goat bar stools at the bar!

Goat bar stools at Hotel Alex Zermatt

There were so many unique pieces of furniture and the decor was so detail oriented, it was wonderful to really take time to enjoy it all.

collage of Hotel Alex Zermatt interior

We even went to see the spa and pool areas. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to use them, but they looked wonderful.

Pool at the Hotel Alex Zermatt

Before getting ready for dinner, we went outside to see what was in store for us. Hotel Alex is perfect for families, couples and groups. The location is great, too, as it’s located very close to the train station (no, the train doesn’t go by the hotel, so no need to worry about any noise). Did I mention that Zermatt is also a car-free town? It’s so quiet!

Hotel Alex exterior
View from the Hotel Alex

Dinner at the Alex Grill

Alex Grill menu 2018

The Alex Grill is a Michelin Guide recommended restaurant, so Cynthia and I knew that the food was going to be good! In fact, we never had anything that we didn’t truly enjoy during our one week stay in Switzerland. Trust me, that’s not easy when you’re feeding us! Both starters were wonderful, but the tapenade chips were an especially unique and tasty part of the fish dish.

Starters at Alex Grill, Zermatt

Cynthia ordered the duck, and because the shrimp risotto was not available, I had ravioli with fresh black truffle: sublime! The dessert was beautifully presented and was the perfect, light finish to our elegant meal.

Dinner at the Alex Grill in Zermatt, Switzerland

This is the view we had once we went back to our rooms. Would you be able to get into bed when you have this view from your balcony? Once again, I thought about visiting Zermatt anytime of year; it’s not just for winter sports.

Zermatt at night

Visit Zermatt Anytime of Year

Gornergrat Village

Going up to Gornergrat
The view from the Gornergrat train ride.

The next morning, we had a lovely breakfast at Hotel Alex before meeting Amadé in the lobby. (I will share our breakfast with you in Part 2 of this post.) We went to get on the unique and original cog-rail train up to Gornergrat, which is a must-visit when in Zermatt. We soon learned that almost everyone knew Amadé! 

View from Gornergrat Railway

“The Gornergrat Bahn was the first, fully electric cog railways in Switzerland. Today, it runs as a modern, sustainably powered train, which recovers and saves energy thanks to its regeneration process.”     Courtesy https://www.zermatt.ch/en

Visit Zermatt anytime to see amazing views from above

Amadé gave us such wonderful information about Zermatt and the history of the town as we rode up to Gornergrat.

Gornergrat railway

As you can see from the photos, the views on the train were spectacular, including an impressive waterfall. In 33 minutes, we arrived at the Gornergrat station (3089 m/10,132 ft). Gornergrat boasts Europe’s highest hotel and one of the best views of the Matterhorn.

Gornergrat station

One of the first sights we saw was one of the biggest reasons to visit Gornergrat: to see the Gorner Glacier!

Gorner Glacier view from Gornergrat

The panoramic views were phenomenal. One of the peaks of Monte Rosa is actually the highest in Switzerland reaching over 15,000 feet. In the photo below, you can see Amadeé is pointing out something to Cynthia and me. What he is showing us is the location of Glacier Paradise, and the highest cable car station in Europe, where we would visit the next day.

Gornergrat Panorama

There’s a viewing platform, observatory, hotel, restaurant, trailheads and more.

Gornergrat scenes

And we couldn’t forget to have proof that we were there!

Gornergrat
Photo credit: Cynthia Woodman (What a Girl Eats)
Gornergrat views
Bottom left photo by Cynthia Woodman; bottom right by Amadé Perrig.

After spending some time at Gornergrat, we returned to the station to go down to Riffelalp, but first we went for a peek into the restaurant. From there we’d hike down to Alphitta restaurant for lunch. If you visit Zermatt in summer, I would highly recommend this plan. 

Gornergrat views

Hiking with a Matterhorn View

Swiss flag in front of the Matterhorn

Riffelhaus Hotel has to be one of the best hotels in the world when it comes to views! Built in 1853, it also comes with some history, and a very famous guest: Mark Twain!

Hiking with a Matterhorn view

Cross and the Matterhorn

In fact, the trail which passes by the hotel is actually named the Mark Twain trail. We went inside for a peek at some of the rooms and views that the hotel has to offer. Note to self: book a room here!

Riffelhaus, Zermatt

We continued down the Mark Twain trail, stopping what felt like every few seconds to take another picture! Honestly, I have so many beautiful photos from this hike, it’s so difficult to narrow them down! 

wildflowers and Zermatt
Our hiking destination: Alphitta restaurant (one of the buildings on this plateau).

One of the shots I captured was this helicopter giving tours over Zermatt and of the Matterhorn! Can you imagine how incredible this would be?

Helicopter tour, Zermatt
Helicopter in front of the Matterhorn

visit Zermatt anytime to see the Matterhorn and wildflowers

Amadé Perrig and Christina Conte
Photo credit: Cynthia Woodman (What a Girl Eats)

Amadé gave us an extra special experience by yodeling for us!

 

 Hiking Zermatt

We even drank from a mountain stream. The water is so fresh and clean!

Drinking from a mountain stream
Photo credit: Cynthia Woodman (What a Girl Eats)
Hiking in Zermatt
Hiking with Zermatt in the distance

Panorama of the Matterhorn

We could see our destination below, but first, we had to try to see the famous Black Nose Valais Sheep which was on my list for Valais, as well as Cynthia’s!

The Black Nose Valais Sheep

Matterhorn and wildflowers

We couldn’t see the sheep at first, so Amadé kindly went ahead of us to try to find them. He found them under a bridge, taking refuge from the heat of the sun. They were so darling!

Black nosed Valais sheep

Their ringlets looked as though they’d been to the salon!

visit Zermatt anytime and see the Black Nose Valais sheep

We were rewarded for trekking across the wet field to get to the sheep! Just look at this. 

Black nose Valais sheep grazing

Visit Zermatt anytime, but in the summer, you’ll see the black nosed Valais sheep on the meadows.

visit Zermatt anytime and see the Black Nose Valais sheep

The name of these sheep in German is Walliser Schwarznasenschaf. 

visit Zermatt anytime and see the Black Nose Valais sheep

I don’t know if I can pronounce that, but all I know is that I could have spent all day long with them!

Christina's Cucina with Black Nose Valais Sheep
Photo credit: Cynthia Woodman (What a Girl Eats)

Finally, we were off to Alphitta restaurant which was nearby. 

Walking towards the Matterhorn visit Zermatt anytime
Photo credit: Cynthia Woodman (What a Girl Eats)

Continue reading about visiting Zermatt here.

My Switzerland 

Valais Region

Hotel Alex

Many thanks to Switzerland Tourism for hosting us, especially Valais-Wallis and the Hotel Alex. More information and to book your own stay below. And for a different perspective, check out Cynthia’s post here.

visit Zermatt anytime

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20 Comments

  1. Such a magical day! It’s great to relive the trip through your photos. Those sheep alone were one of my favorite things. And then Amadé yodeling was just the icing on the cake. I love Switzerland and can’t wait to go back!

  2. You have been to some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen! One day I hope be able to say, “that I’ve been to” in that sentence. :-) Just gorgeous. And it all looks like so much fun. LOVE the yodeling, and the food, and those cozy hotel rooms.