explore it yourself:
The journey and accommodations:
We arrived by train from Interlaken on the afternoon of August 10th and stayed until the morning of August 13th. We arrived in and departed from Zermatt Train Station.
Below is what AI recommended for accommodations:
1. Hotel Bahnhof
2. Matterhorn Hostel Zermatt
3. Hotel Alphubel
4. Hotel Walliserhof Zermatt
5. Valaisia Hotel
We ended up selecting Hotel Bahnhof here which ended up being one of AI’s best hotel recommendations of our entire trip to this point! First of all, the hotel itself stands directly across the street from the main entrance of the Zermatt train station so when we stepped off of the train, we were able to walk in and drop our bags off within seconds. Check-in for the hotel began at 2pm but the hotel has a luggage room in the basement where you can store your bags for free before and after your check-in/check-out times on your arrival and departure dates. This was super convenient for us as we ended up arriving around 11am into town so we could leave our luggage behind and go explore the city for a bit.
The room itself was pretty standard although it was spacious with a double bed, in-room sink, and sizable closet space that fit most of our belongings. Our favorite amenity was the patio with a table and chairs. The room had double French doors looking out towards the mountains with a beautiful view of Matterhorn in the distance. Each night, we left the French doors wide open and the air cooled the room to a very comfortable temperature. Each day, when we returned from exploring, we would sit out on the balcony and enjoy lunch while taking in the views and the sounds of the city. This was one of our favorite accommodations of the whole summer and we would love to stay here again in the future!
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Day 1: Explore Zermatt & Gornergrat Railway
Brunch and Gornergrat
- Brunch at Fuchs Bistro & Bakery – great pastries and coffee.
- After learning that Fuchs makes its own syrups, we decided to stop in for iced lattes. They ended up not being our favorite lattes so we would suggest trying elsewhere.
- If you are looking to eat here though, the menu includes breakfast combos such as the Mini, which includes a roll, croissant, and a coffee/juice for just 11 CHF.
- After learning that Fuchs makes its own syrups, we decided to stop in for iced lattes. They ended up not being our favorite lattes so we would suggest trying elsewhere.
Note: The below Gornergrat Bahn costed over 100 CHF for a round-trip ticket and given the fact that we had to pay a similar amount for the Day 2 excursion, we skipped this but want to include it on the itinerary if others are interested in taking this route.
- Gornergrat Bahn to the Summit
- Ride the historic cogwheel train to Gornergrat (3,089 m).
- Incredible panoramic views of the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, and Gorner Glacier.
- Walk the panorama trail (easy ~45 min loop).
- Ride the historic cogwheel train to Gornergrat (3,089 m).
- Hidden Gem: Stop at Rotenboden station on the way back for a short hike to Riffelsee (Matterhorn reflection lake).
Old town
- Stroll Old Town
- Back in Zermatt, walk through Hinterdorfstrasse – traditional wooden chalets.
- Walking through old town was very nice as Zermatt is a car-free town (outside of small electric buses and hotel shuttles) so we could stroll freely in the streets.
- Note: If you plan to visit in the Summertime, there is a 6-week stretch every summer (early July to mid-August) where a herd of 50 goats are marched through town from their overnight stables to the steep mountain pastures where they graze during the day. The morning march happens around 9am and they return in the evening around 5pm, be sure not to miss it as we had so much fun watching!
- Walking through old town was very nice as Zermatt is a car-free town (outside of small electric buses and hotel shuttles) so we could stroll freely in the streets.
- Visit the
Matterhorn Museumfor history of alpine climbing and early settlers.
- Back in Zermatt, walk through Hinterdorfstrasse – traditional wooden chalets.
- Dinner at
Saycheese!for fondue or raclette.- OR
Schäferstubefor traditional alpine dishes in a cozy, local setting.- As noted above, Zermatt, and Switzerland in general, is extremely expensive with meals costing us upwards of $75. Due to this, we ended up grabbing groceries and eating in our hotel room for most dinners.
- Sunset Walk
- Walk toward the Zermatt Cemetery and St. Mauritius Church for peaceful Matterhorn views at dusk.
- AI’s description is spot on here. The walk was very peaceful and the cemetery is beautifully adorned with colorful flowers.
- Along the walk, we detoured down Englischer Viertel as we spotted two horses fenced in along this street. Be sure to stop and say hi to the gentle horses!
- AI’s description is spot on here. The walk was very peaceful and the cemetery is beautifully adorned with colorful flowers.
- Walk toward the Zermatt Cemetery and St. Mauritius Church for peaceful Matterhorn views at dusk.
Day 2: Glacier Paradise & Alpine Hikes
Matterhorn
- Cable car to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise the highest cable car station in Europe (3,883 m).
- Although it was expensive, this ended up being one of the most amazing excursions of our entire summer! Walking along the vast glaciers at the peak was surreal.
- Note: Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. During peak summer months, round-trip tickets start at 132 CHF but given its one of the most recognizable peaks in the world, we absolutely had to check it out!
- Explore the Glacier Palace (ice tunnels, sculptures).
- This was a nice excursion at the top and is included in the price of a round-trip ticket. Be sure to ride the ice slide down when inside but note its kind of painful as you run into the ice wall on the turn!
- Go up to the 360° viewing platform – you’ll see France, Italy, and Switzerland.
- Unfortunately, the viewing platform was closed on the day we visited. There was no mention of this on the website so no way to check in advance if it is open or not.
- Tip: Bring sunglasses and layers – it’s cold year-round at the top.
- Agreed! It was chilly even when we visited in mid-August!
- Although it was expensive, this ended up being one of the most amazing excursions of our entire summer! Walking along the vast glaciers at the peak was surreal.
- Lunch at the Top or Furi
- Light lunch at the summit restaurant
- OR Take the gondola down to Furi and eat at
Restaurant Zum SeeorChez Vrony(authentic mountain hut cuisine).- We spent enough money just getting to the peak so we packed some snacks and ate them during the ~40 minute ride back down towards Zermatt.
HIKE & LOCAL SHOPS
- Hike from Furi to Zermatt
- Easy scenic hike via Z’mutt hamlet (1.5–2 hours).
- Enjoy alpine flowers, grazing sheep, and quiet trails.
- Hidden Gem: Z’mutt Village – tiny alpine houses and stunning views, very peaceful.
- If you’re in the mood for an easy hike like we were, definitely give this one a try! It was mostly downhill and you get incredible views of Zermatt the whole way down.
- Z’mutt village felt like a magical little town consisting of less than 10 buildings up on the hillside, yet the few restaurants there were all packed with people sitting outside so it felt like it was straight out of a movie!
- If you’re in the mood for an easy hike like we were, definitely give this one a try! It was mostly downhill and you get incredible views of Zermatt the whole way down.
- Explore local shops
- Look for Swiss watches, local crafts, and alpine herbal products.
- Don’t miss Läderach or Fuchs for premium chocolate.
- We ended up at Fuchs for a morning coffee but didn’t end up getting chocolate here. All of the items in the bakery looked delicious!
- The chocolate from Läderach was great. We finally tried the famous Dubai chocolate!
- Look for Swiss watches, local crafts, and alpine herbal products.
- Dinner at
- Try
Findlerhof(accessible by funicular + short walk) for fine dining with views. - Or stick to town at
Du Pontfor a no-frills, hearty Swiss meal.- After a full day out on the town, we decided to lay low and eat some groceries out on our hotel balcony.
- Try
Day 3: Five Lakes Trail & Relaxation
Breakfast & Five Lakes Trail
Note: Paying for another funicular ride simply was not in the cards for us so we skipped the below morning itinerary and ended up spending the whole day in Zermatt.
- Funicular to Sunnegga, gondola to Blauherd.
- Hike the 5-Seenweg (Five Lakes Trail) (moderate, 2.5–3 hours).
- Lakes: Stellisee (iconic Matterhorn reflection), Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee, and Leisee (great for swimming!).
- Hidden Gem: Grindjisee has rare alpine flowers and quieter surroundings than Stellisee.
- Tip: Start early to beat hikers and capture reflections.
- Lunch Picnic or Mountain Restaurant
- Pack snacks or eat at Restaurant Blauherd or Fluhalp (along the trail).
- Spa or Relaxation Time
- Book a day pass at Backstage Hotel Vernissage Spa – features a Matterhorn-view outdoor pool & creative design.
Explore Zermatt & Relax
- Walk along the Matter Vispa River or catch golden hour at Sunnegga.
- We chose a walking route that took us through almost all of Zermatt (which is larger than we thought). This route took us through almost every neighborhood and along the river. Along the way, we discovered so many cool hangout spots and viewpoints looking back over the city.
- No matter the route you walk here, you will see beautifully manicured flower boxes and unique buildings at every corner!
- We chose a walking route that took us through almost all of Zermatt (which is larger than we thought). This route took us through almost every neighborhood and along the river. Along the way, we discovered so many cool hangout spots and viewpoints looking back over the city.
- Dinner at
Restaurant Julen- OR Brown Cow Pub
- For one final dinner, we stopped here and were very satisfied with this choice! The burgers were delicious but as expected, it was an expensive meal.
final thoughts:
How did ai do?
Overall Rating: 100/10
Would we go again? We absolutely loved it here and would be very interested in coming again. We are curious what it would be like to go in the winter and see the city when it is in ski season!
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Seeing the black neck goats was so cool. They were so cute and it was such a unique experience.
Parker’s favorite: Standing on the glacier at Klein Matterhorn and admiring the vast openness from the mountaintop was truly an out of body experience.
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: This isn’t a meal, but the chocolate from Läderach Chocolate Store was great!
Parker’s favorite: The grilled chicken burger from Brown Cow Pub was fantastic even though it was over $30!
Any surprises? Our hostel was incredible! We stayed in a private room and it had a balcony with seating and two sets of french doors that we could open. It was so peaceful and we spent a lot of time viewing the city (and the black neck goats) from our balcony!
Anything we missed? We were bummed we had to skip the hikes, specifically the 5 Lakes Trail, but in totality it was not budget friendly.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: Saycheese!, Schäferstube, Restaurant Zum See, Chez Vrony, Findlerhof, Du Pont, Restaurant Blauherd, Fluhalp, and Restaurant Julen.
Average step count per day: 15,640 steps
Nailed it: AI really nailed the suggestion of staying at Hotel Bahnhof. Given how expensive this city ended up being, our accommodations were one of the few spots we felt like came at a reasonable price for what it included.
Also, going to Matterhorn was an easy suggestion for AI to make given its popularity, but we loved the suggestion of hopping off of the cable car at Furi, and hiking through Z’mutt Village on the way back down to Zermatt!
Needs work: Zermatt was probably the most expensive of the three cities we stayed in during the Switzerland leg of our trip. Knowing this, it was difficult to have to cross out portions of each day’s itinerary due to the fact that AI recommended a summit ride each day. The excursion to Klein Matterhorn alone costed us over $300 and we just simply couldn’t stomach spending another $100 or so to visit the other peaks that AI suggested on the following days.