Dining out in Zermatt
Brown Cow – Budget but good quality snack food in a comfortable setting.
Fuji of Zermatt – Expensive but a great place for sushi and teppanyaki.
Le Mazot – Smart and cosy traditional restaurant specialising in lamb dishes.
Nelly’s – Great steaks and unusual meat dishes such as kangeroo and African springbok.
The Pipe – Innovative African, Asian and Indian fusion menu providing the perfect break from the usual Alpine fare.
Whymper-stube – Eat luscious fondues at one of the locals’ favourites.
Bars in Zermatt
Alex’s Lounge Bar – Welcoming bar with a wide range of quality drinks, attracting a slightly older crowd.
North Wall Bar – Budget option in a young friendly and skiing-orientated crowd.
Papperla Pub – Lively bar for après-ski or for later in the evening.
Schneewitchen – Dance until the early hours in this popular nightclub.
Vernissage – An uber-cool bar – sip cocktails and nibble tapas with friends.
Mountain restaurants in Zermatt
Chalet Etoile (Cervinia) – Fabulously friendly and relaxed restaurant on the Italian side.
Chez Vrony (Sunnegga) – Scenic restaurant with a special atmosphere where a particular effort is made for children.
Findlerhof (Sunnegga) - Has a solid reputation for creative food and a warm welcome.
Testa Grigia (Matterhorn) – Italian restaurant perched on the border – polenta and rustic cheese salad dishes make this a winner.
Zum See (Matterhorn) – A must-visit for any foodie.
Where to stay in Zermatt
AltitudeThe
Kulm Gornergrat sits at 3100m, at the top of the Gornergrat railway providing its guests with spectacular sunsets and sunrises.
FamiliesThe family-run 4-star
Alex Hotel is a big favourite with the Brits and has plenty of facilities for all the family including its own sports hall.
Design Stay at the sensational
Omnia hotel sat up in the cliffs for fantastic views over the town and a very modern décor.
ChaletsChalet specialists,
Mountain Exposure offer luxury catered chalets of varying sizes.
ApartmentsZermatt Holidays rent out a range of self-catered apartments and chalets with catered options available.
Travel to Zermatt
Closest airports to ZermattSion – 74km
Geneva – 217km
Zurich – 240km
Milan 244km
Basel – 250km
Zermatt is a car-free resort – to get there from the airport, you can take the
train to Zermatt and or
hire a car from the airport and park in Tasch and take the train or a
taxi the rest of the way.
Skiing and snowboarding in Zermatt
Beginners:Learning areas are marked on the piste map with an ‘L’. The sunny slopes of Sunnegga are an ideal place to learn on with a gentle slope and a magic carpet lift to get you back up the hill. There’s an easy blue run close by for progressing onto.
Intermediates:From the top of the Hohtalli cable car, you can ski back round to Gant on one of Zermatt’s most famous runs, the
White Hare (28). The red runs from the top of the Klein Matterhorn, you’ll find several wide red runs bringing you back down.
Advanced:Blauherd is the departure point for one of the bext runs in Zermatt for advanced skiers, the
Obere National (8) - a black run that rolls its way in steep pitches back to the Patrullarve chairlift. Triftji (33) is a long challenging bump run that keeps even expert skiers entertained.
Off-piste:Endless terrain, much of it on glaciers, surrounds the Zermatt ski area – taking a guide is a must here to negotiate the many crevasses and seracs in the ice. Heli-skiing is popular here as is ski touring. Book with the Alpine Centre for guiding, heli-skiing and snowshoeing expeditions.
Download our skiing day trips covering all of the Zermatt Ski Paradise.Zermatt ski schools and ski hire
- Stoked – Swiss snowboard school with some British instructors
- Summit – British ski and snowboard school
- Swiss – The original Swiss ski and snowboarding school in Zermatt
- Bayard – Five shops in the town renting and selling equipment
- Perren Reinhold – Large rental department in this shop on the main street
Non-skiing activities in Zermatt
- take a glacier helicopter flights for the ultimate mountain view
- see the broken rope in Edward Whymper’s fateful ascent of the Matterhorn in the newly built Alpine Museum
- catch a film or browse the art on display at the trendy Vernissage
- spend a unique night in your own igloo up in the Gornergrat mountains
- visit the climbers’ graveyard behind the church with its tombstones dedicated to the many who have died trying to summit the surrounding peaks
Families in Zermatt
Stay…
with Powder Byrne who run a crèche for young children and various clubs during school holidays.
Learn…
with the Snowflakes Kids’ Club at the top of Schwarzsee – a large childcare centre fitted with a rolling carpet and obstacles so children can learn to ski.
Play…
in the town’s ice skating rink – toy penguins are provided for children to hold onto for stability.
Lunch…
at Restauant Sunnegga for a convenient place to meet up with non-skiers and beginners.
Eating out…
at Pizzeria Broken where kids can create their own pizzas.
Use the right-hand menu to find out even more about Zermatt...
Or click here to buy a Zermatt Guide book
