The mountain village of Zermatt is one of the great ski and climbing centres
of the world. Nestled in a deep valley enclosed between steeply scarped mountains,
it is dominated by the huge and gracefully curved pyramid of the Matterhorn.
Zermatt lies in the valley beside the famous Matterhorn. It is a
picturesque Swiss village with charming chalets and a glacial river running
through the town. Skiiers travel from all over the world to ski these
top-class slopes.
Fact File
Country : Switzerland
Population : 5528
Languages : German, French, Italian & Romansch
Climate : The city has a beautiful climate and is apt for the
tourists. The temperatures are lowest between the months of November and
February. The warmest months are the months between May and August.
Rainfalls are good and there is plenty of rains throughout the year. In
wintertime, the temperature can drop below -30 Degree Celsius and in summer
it rarely rises above 15 Degree Celsius.
Official Currency : Euro; 1 Euro = 52.443 Indian Rupee = 1.2047 US $
= 0.678141 GBP(subject to change)
Location : Lying to the south-west of Switzerland, Zermatt is
situated at an altitude of 1620 m. Zermatt is a unique place to visit as it
is a car-free resort. Zermatt is situated in the canton of Valais in the
Matter Valley. Zermatt offers wonderful vistas of 38 four-thousand-metre
snow laden peaks to visitors and tourists.
Getting There
By Air : The city of Zermatt does not have an airport of its own.
Basel, Zürich, Geneva are the airports closest to Zermatt city. Zermatt
is just a few hours from the international airports of Zürich, Geneva,
Basel and Milan. Hourly rail connections run to Zermatt from all the major
gateways, including directly from Geneva and Zürich airports. Train
travel time to Zermatt is about 4 hours from Geneva, 5 from Zürich.
By Trains : Connects the city to the rest of cities in Switzerland.
By Road : The car park, just outside the village of Täsch, is
at a distance of three miles from Zermatt. Buses and trains link Täsch
with Zermatt approximately every 20 minutes the ride takes 11 minutes.
Zermatt, at the foot of the majestic Matterhorn, is a world without cars.
Electric-cars and horse-drawn sleighs and carriages are the only transport
allowed.
Getting Around
By Train : Glacier Express train (from Brig or Visp) provides a
leisurely scenic one and a half hours train journey passing bridges,
waterfalls and glacier and eventually the Matterhorn looms into sight.
By Road : An electronic e-bus is available between the station and
the Kleine Matterhorn cable-car station and the Gornegrat mountain railway
station.
Accommodation
Zermatt has collection of excellent accommodation facilities for the
tourists. Below is a list of such hotels:
5 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Mallerhornblick
Hotel Rittelalp
Hotel Alpenhof
Hotel Acra-Solesbad
4 star hotels in the city:
Schlosshotel Tenne
Seiler hotel Monte Rosa
Hotel Christiania
3 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Alex
Hotel Ambassador
Hotel Allalin
Major Tourist Attractions
Gornergrat : The mysterious mountain world was only made accessible
to a wider public in 1898 through the construction of Switzerland's first
electric coghweel railway by the Gornergrat-Monte Rosa railways. The
Gornergrat railway runs from Zermatt (1604m) over the Riffelalp to the 3089
m Gornergrat vantage point. From here you have a thrilling 15 km view of 29
of Switzerland's 54 4000-metre-high mountain peaks.
The Matterhorn : The Matterhorn is an amazing mountain destination
any day of the year. Most days, there is a trail of clouds floating off to
the left of the mountain, almost as if the mountain itself were smoking.
Smoke trail makes the mountain all the more mysterious and awesome.
Other Attractions
Icy Bernina Pass
Pollux
