Cloud Games & Toblerone Dreams — Our Zermatt (Matterhorn) Adventure
I finally saw that mountain. The Matterhorn. The one that has been staring at me from Toblerone wrappers since I was a kid (and yes, Toblerone was my favorite growing up—so this felt oddly… full circle).
I’ve been to Switzerland twice before:
- 2018: exploring the Jungfrau region properly.
- 2024: a corporate visit, where I basically just followed a fixed itinerary like a well-behaved adult. I was secretly hoping Zermatt would be included… but nope—Jungfrau again. Which is fair. Zermatt sits a bit on its own, down in the lower part of Switzerland, so it doesn’t always “fit” neatly into group itineraries.
So this time, we made it happen.
Getting to Zermatt: Overnight Train → Zurich → Matterhorn (Eventually)
We traveled to Zermatt by train from Zurich, straight after our overnight train. We stopped at Zurich HB for a quick toilet break, then decided to continue immediately to Zermatt.
Trains to Zermatt leave every 30 minutes from Zurich HB, with different travel times. All routes go via Visp, and the fastest connection is around 3 hours 20 minutes.
There’s a direct Zurich → Visp train at 10:00, but instead of waiting an hour, we took the 9:00 train which had two stops (Bern and Visp).
And honestly, I don’t mind multiple stops in Switzerland. Swiss stations are designed like someone actually likes travelers: moving between platforms is smooth and suitcase-friendly—ramps down, ramps up—so you don’t end up queuing forever for elevators.
Zermatt: “Car-Free” (But Not Shoe-Free, Suitcase-Free, or Uphill-Free)
Zermatt is a no-car zone, but that doesn’t mean there are zero vehicles. Inside the village, you’ll see electric taxis and electric buses shuttling people around quietly—like polite little robots.
We decided to walk to our hotel because we weren’t pressed for time, and we might not be able to check in yet. Besides, our hotel was only 850 meters from the station. But what we weren’t aware is that the last few hundred meters were uphill.
So yes—picture us dragging suitcases uphill in a charming Alpine village. Very aesthetic. Very unnecessary. A taxi would’ve been so nice.
After about 20 minutes, we reached the hotel—and surprise: we could check in right away. Our Hotel, Alpenblick was a classic old Swiss style, but very well maintained. We had a spacious triple room with two balconies and even our bathroom has two sinks!
Exploring the Village: Cute, Expensive, and Suspiciously Market Christmas -Free
First mission: food shopping. I wasn’t planning to dine out for every meal, but fondue lunch is non-negotiable. We wandered around scanning menus and prices, then found the essentials: Migros and Coop.
One small disappointment: Zermatt doesn’t have a Christmas Market, which felt like a shame after Budapest, where Christmas markets basically grow on trees and appear on every corner.
Still, Zermatt is ridiculously charming in winter:
- a main street lined with stores (read: expensive stores),
- wooden chalets stacked up the valley,
- snow-dusted rooftops,
- warm window lights at dusk,
- and when the sky is clear… the Matterhorn is just there, looming like the main character.
It truly has full-on storybook Alpine village vibes.
Also: I was very glad we stayed in a hotel instead of an Airbnb/apartment—because so many areas are steep and uphill, and I’m not here to add “daily hill sprints” to my holiday itinerary.
We also saw lots of skiers casually walking up and down in ski boots like they were wearing sneakers. I’ve skied, so I know walking in ski boots is absolutely awful. These people were either pros… or secretly part ibex.
Murini Point: TikTok Made Me Do It (Twice)
We walked up to Murini Point, following tips I got from TikTok. Google Maps also labels it as a Matterhorn viewpoint, and it’s pretty accurate.
But getting there? Steep uphill, lots of stairs. I had to stop a few times.
And when we arrived… the top of the Matterhorn was covered by cloud 🤣
Up there, we saw other people sitting with the same desperate energy—like we were all quietly trying to will the clouds away. We stayed about 20 minutes (rest + hope + mild bargaining with the universe), then walked down to continue strolling around the village.
Gornergrat Railway: The Highlight (and the Cloud’s Favorite Playground)
The Gornergrat train climbs from Zermatt up to Gornergrat (3,089 m) on a rack railway. The promise: massive snowy panoramas—Matterhorn in your face, plus glaciers and a whole lineup of 4,000m peaks.
I checked the Zermatt forecast and saw the morning would be cloudy, but there might be sun in the afternoon—so I decided to take the train after 10:00.
The train runs every 30 minutes, and the ride up takes about 30 minutes. There are several stations along the way—you can hop off and continue later, but you can’t do it twice.
Now, plot twist: I assumed everyone would get a seat. Wrong. Not everyone got a seat, and quite a few people stood the entire way. We also had lots of skiers boarding with full gear.
We didn’t get the coveted right-side window seat (the best side going up), but we were lucky to get seats at all.
At the top, as expected… the Matterhorn’s peak was still covered by cloud. But we got a dramatic consolation prize: falling ice and snow.
We explored, accepted our fate, and then—around close to 12:00—the cloud shifted and we almost got the full view.
I went into full paparazzi mode, taking photos like my battery life had no consequences. Then the cloud returned and it started snowing again, so we retreated indoors for lunch—also because Fabio felt dizzy, likely from the altitude (or he’s hungry).
There are two restaurants at the top: Glacier Alpine Kitchen and SayCheese!. We went to SayCheese!, because we want to try fondue for lunch.
After lunch, the sun came out and suddenly—boom—Matterhorn in full glory. We redid all the photos with clear sky like the first round didn’t happen. (It did happen. It just doesn’t count.)
On the way down, we stopped at Rotenboden station, which gave us a very clear Matterhorn view.
If there’s enough snow, they open the famous sledge run from Rotenboden to Riffelberg—sadly it was still closed when we were there. Outside summer, you can also do a short walk from Rotenboden to Riffelsee, where you might catch the classic Matterhorn reflection.
By the time we returned to Zermatt, it was getting dark—perfect timing to go to Kirchbrücke for the classic shot: Matterhorn + river.
Last Day: Murini Hike (Redemption Edition)
I woke up early because I wanted to try Murini Point again. And then… I opened the window and froze.
The Matterhorn was crystal clear, right there. Turns out all the rooms in our hotel face the Matterhorn—we just hadn’t seen it properly for the first two days because it was cloudy. Classic Switzerland: premium views, weather sold separately.
We went up to Murini Point again, and this time we were rewarded handsomely with a clear view—no cloud drama, just a bit negotiation with my legs.
That was the kind of goodbye that leaves a smile in your heart.
Tips (So You Don’t Pay Extra for the Same Drama)
- Train costs (besides hotel and food) are one of the biggest expenses in Switzerland. I bought a Half Fare Card and also purchased Saver Day Pass months in advance, which saved a lot versus buying on the spot. Saver Day Pass is especially cost-effective for long-distance travel. If you’re not doing an ambitious itinerary and staying more than 5 days, often the Half Fare Card gives better value than the Swiss Travel Pass.
- You can buy a priority pass for the Gornergrat train so you can board first and choose your seat (right side going up).
- Never buy Gornergrat tickets in advance—you can’t predict mountain weather. Check the forecast the night before and decide then.
- Besides Gornergrat, there’s also Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. People often do both, but we didn’t—based on the forecast, we’d only get sun in the afternoon and couldn’t fit both. We chose Gornergrat since we’d already done Jungfraujoch and expected a similar experience.
- If you want lunch at the top restaurants, reserve a table. We got lucky and were seated immediately.
- With the Swiss Family Card (that comes with the Half Fare Card), children below 18 can get a free Gornergrat ticket when traveling with parents. It wasn’t clear from the website, but it was confirmed when we bought tickets at the counter.
- Hotel and airbnb in Zermatt sells out fast during christmas holiday. Some are blocked for 7 days stay reserved for skiing. Book Hotel thru Zermat local platform for more availability: https://zermatt.swiss/en. We stayed at Alpenblick Hotel which has triple room and we loved it!
