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| In the next few weeks | |
| 26% | |
| Before Christmas | |
| 25% | |
| A few days before I go | |
| 26% | |
| I've booked for next year! | |
| 23% | |
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Situated in the beautiful Valais region of Switzerland, Zermatt isn’t difficult to get to, but may be slightly inconvenient if you travel by car, as you will have to stop in the small village of Tasch to say goodbye to your fossil-fuelled vehicle and board a train to take you up the narrow valley. In Zermatt, visitors and locals all travel around town by foot, in electric buses and taxis, or by bicycle.
| Airport | Distance to Zermatt | Approx. transfer time by road | Approx transfer time by train (changes) |
| Sion | 74km | 1 hour 30 minutes | 2 hours (1) |
| Geneva | 217km | 2 hours 40 minutes | 4 hours (1) |
| Zurich | 240m | 3 hours 30 minutes | 5 hours (1-2) |
| Milan | 244km | 3 hours 30 minutes | 4 hours (1-2) |
Many UK airlines fly into Geneva (Switzerland), which has the shortest transfer time of 2 hours 40mins in a car or 4 hours on a train. The other major Swiss airport, Zurich, alongside Geneva, has the most flexible flight times (Basel airport and the Italian Milan airport are other options). There is also the much closer local airport of Sion but routes there are limited and fairly pricey - that said, it is only one and a half hours from Zermatt in a car.
You can catch a train from Geneva airport and, apart from one change, you can relax and enjoy the ride all the way to the car-free resort.
Trains from London Waterloo to Geneva (change in Paris) take around nine hours. For the ongoing journey from Geneva to Zermatt, see the Swiss rail website, www.sbb.ch. Do be aware however, that you may arrive early in resort and your accommodation usually won’t be ready until later in the afternoon. That said there are snow lockers to take advantage of so you can get straight onto the slopes.
You can hire a car at the airport to drive as far as Tasch, where you have to leave the car and take the train to Zermatt (around 15chf return).
If you do leave your car, parking costs 13.50chf per day or 94.50chf per week. Alternatively park at Visp where you get free car parking when you buy a train. Winter tyres, snow chains and ski racks are normally available at additional costs (although required by law) - make sure you request them when booking.
For door-to-door, private transfers or taxis are a good option, but not the cheapest.
Calais to Tasch will take around 9 -11 hours. Most of the route is on motorway but you are likely to need winter tyres and snow chains. If possible, try to avoid peak periods (e.g. Saturdays) when traffic builds up and causes delays. It is also sensible to fill up with petrol before reaching the resort as prices rise with the altitude. To drive through Switzerland you'll need a motorway pass (vignette) that you can buy at the border for 40chf.
