Zermatt General Tips by HORSCHECK

Favorite Thing: After our arrival in Zermatt around late midday we wanted to head off for a first hike to explore our immediate surroundings.

We decided to walk to Z'Mutt which is a pretty little hamlet with two restaurants for hikers. It is located at 1936 m south of Zermatt (1620 m).

Depending on your level of fitness you can choose between at least 3 possibilities to get to Z'Mutt.

The quickest and most direct way follows the valley and takes only about one hour (upwards), whereas longer versions lead on smaller paths along the mountains and offer panoramic views of Zermatt and the valley.

All possibilities are well signposted and you almost can't get lost. Upwards we chose a way along the smaller paths and downwards we went along the valley.

To find the start of the paths just go to the district Oberdorf at the southwestern end of Zermatt. Look for signs directing to Z'Mutt.


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Favorite Thing: As the weather was fine on our second day we decided for a longer hike. At first we took the funicular from Zermatt to Sunnegga Paradise (2288 m).

This was the starting point for a hike along the lakes Leisee and Grindjisee to the lake Grünsee (2300 m).

From there we went via Riffelboden (2348 m) to the Riffelalp (2200 m) where we took a rest in the Restaurant Alphitta.

During this walk the Matterhorn and the surrounding mountains are almost always visible. Apart from that, the Gornergrat railway and the famous Riffelalp tram can be seen on this walk.

This part of the hike took us about 3,5 h, including many photo stops. Please read "Hike: Riffelalp to Zermatt (Winkelmatten)" about how to get back to Zermatt


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Favorite Thing: After our hike from Sunnegga paradise to Riffelalp (2200 m) we had two options to get back to Zermatt (1620 m).

Either take the Gornergrat railway or follow the Arvenweg (Swiss stone pine trail).

As the weather was fine and we were still in good shape we decided to follow the Arvenweg downwards.

The trail starts opposite to the Riffelalp station and leads in steep serpentines through a pine and larch forest downwards to Winkelmatten which is a district of Zermatt.

The trail is about 4,5 km long and the difference in altitude is more than 600 m. It took us 2 h to get to Zermatt as walking downwards on such a steep trail can be pretty exhausting.

The way is well signposted and has good vantage points for panoramic views of Zermatt.


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Favorite Thing: Of course most people come to Zermatt to see the famous Matterhorn mountain. Interesting enough with 4478 m in height it isn't Switzerland's highest mountain, which is the Monte Rosa (4634 m). Both mountains belong to the Pennine Alps.

The fascinating fact about the Matterhorn is that it doesn't belong to a mountain massif and is therefore clearly identifiable. The first ascent of the Matterhorn took place on the 14th July 1865 by a group led by Edward Whymper.

On clear days the Matterhorn can already be seen from Zermatt. Most hikes in the region offer panoramic views of the Matterhorn.

For more details please read my "Hike: Sunnegga Paradise to Riffelalp" tip.


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Favorite Thing: The Alp regions offer a wide range of wildlife and native flora. On our hikes we saw quite a few interesting animals, flowers and plants.

Among the animals was the "Valais Blackneck Goat" which is mainly located in the Canton of Valais.

It is usually long haired and has a typical black forequarter and white hindquarter.

Besides many other colourful flowers, we saw several "Silver thistles" (Carlina acaulis). It is a proteced alpine plant which can be found in regions of central and southern Europe.


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