When I visited southern Switzerland, my main destination was Zermatt. This famous mountain resort sits at 5,310 feet (1,620 meters) in the Swiss Alps. Getting there turned into much more of an adventure than I expected. I had flown into Milan, Italy, but the airline lost my checked bag. After spending the entire day waiting for it at the airport, I missed my train. My bag finally showed up around 11pm, so I rented a car and started driving toward Switzerland, not reaching the Zermatt area until around 3am.
That’s when I discovered that cars aren’t allowed in Zermatt. I had to park in the neighboring town of Täsch and wait until morning to take the train into Zermatt. Keeping most vehicles out certainly helps preserve the atmosphere of the town, although it also means Täsch has essentially become a giant parking area for visitors. There are some small electric vehicles in Zermatt, but otherwise you’ll be doing plenty of walking.
Once you’re here, there are countless trails and mountain lodges scattered throughout the surrounding Alps. Some can be reached within a few hours while others require much longer hikes. The ski lifts are another great way to move between different elevations and explore the mountains. The photo above shows Zermatt from higher up in the surrounding Alps.
I had just visited Aspen, Colorado, two months before coming to Zermatt, and the two places immediately reminded me of each other. Aspen sits much higher at about 8,000 feet, and both are expensive mountain resort towns with attractive downtown areas, upscale restaurants, and plenty of accommodations. What Aspen doesn’t have is the same dramatic wall of Alpine peaks surrounding the town. Above is downtown Zermatt.
Glacial runoff from the surrounding mountains feeds the fast-moving river that runs directly through Zermatt. While riding the ski lifts higher into the mountains, I could see some of the enormous glaciers feeding the valleys below. The combination of rushing water, glaciers, and mountains makes the scenery around Zermatt incredible in almost every direction.
The Matterhorn
The main reason I had come to Zermatt was to attempt the Matterhorn. This became the first mountain I ever attempted but failed to summit, although bad weather rather than the climbing itself ultimately forced us to turn around. The photo above shows one of the views of the Matterhorn while approaching the mountain by ski lift. From the upper lifts, you can get within roughly a couple hours of hiking from the Hörnli Hut at the base of the climbing route.
My first day in Zermatt brought clear skies and sunshine, but a major storm was moving into the Alps and was expected to last for about a week. My friend and I had little choice but to attempt the Matterhorn earlier than planned. I locked away everything that wasn’t essential for the climb, including my camera, so unfortunately I don’t have many photographs from that part of the trip.
I did manage to photograph some of the beautiful homes and buildings around Zermatt before we left. Architecture like this can be found throughout the Swiss Alps, and combined with the mountains it’s one of the reasons I consider Switzerland one of the most scenic countries in the world.
Throughout the mountains around Zermatt I saw old cabins like the one above. Many were at higher elevations and appeared to have been there for generations. I had no idea how old they were or whether they were still used seasonally, but they blended into the mountains so naturally that even the weathered ones seemed to add to the scenery.
Zermatt is an expensive place, and accommodations were no exception. My friend and I split a room that cost more than $125 a night and still came with shared bathrooms. Some of the larger and more luxurious hotels around town were obviously far more expensive. Budget travel and Zermatt don’t exactly go hand in hand!
The Matterhorn gets most of the attention when it comes to scenery around Zermatt, but the entire region is beautiful. Even the lower mountains become dramatic when clouds begin rolling through the valleys.
I have no idea what the name of this waterfall is, and with so many waterfalls throughout the Swiss Alps I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t have one. I saw dozens throughout the area, and this one was right beside the road, so you didn’t even have to hike to reach it.
Driving Through the Swiss Alps
Leaving Zermatt turned into another mini-adventure. At one point I paid about 27 Swiss francs and drove onto what I initially assumed was some kind of toll road. After turning a corner, I realized I was actually driving my car onto a train. Instead of driving through the mountain myself, the train carried the car through a long Alpine tunnel while I remained with it.
Elsewhere during the drive I climbed to elevations around 8,000 feet (2,400 meters), crossing exposed mountain passes and repeatedly disappearing into tunnels. The roads were steep and winding, and driving them became an adventure of its own.
Near one of the highest points of my drive I came across this helicopter sitting among the mountains. In a place filled with climbers, hikers, skiers, and difficult terrain, mountain rescue helicopters are an important part of life in the Alps.
Lastly, less than an hour from Zermatt as I continued through the mountains, I came across Gampel-Bratsch. I hadn’t planned on stopping here and knew almost nothing about the town, but seeing it tucked beneath the surrounding mountains made it one of the most unexpectedly scenic sights of my trip through Switzerland.
