By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com
Here is what to do and where to go if you only have 72 hours to spend in Zermatt, Switzerland in the Swiss Alps.. Instead of providing a day-by-day itinerary, these PubClub.com 72-hour guides provide a list of things to do, places to visit and recommendations on restaurants and bars. It’s up to you in what order to do them and in a place as intimate as Zermatt, you’ll probably do the same things all days during your visit.
But first, here’s a little about this small slice of this Swiss Alps paradise.
About Zermatt, Switzerland
No cars are allowed in Zermatt. Instead, there are cute little electric carts. And horse carriage rides.
Because there are now roads, you can’t even drive to Zematt. Getting to Zermatt is a scenic train from Visp or Brig. This takes about an hour and climbs up the hill, past a few villages and goes along a river with waterfalls. It’s spectacular. Conversely, you can drive to Tosch, 5 km away, and catch the train to Zermatt.
Fun Things to Do In Zermatt, Switzerland
Here’s a rundown of the top fun must-do activities in Zermatt
• Go Skiing Or Snowboarding
Well, duh, right!? Here’s a cool fact: Europe’s longest ski run is a whopping 25K that goes from the glacier all the way into Zermatt.
See The World-Famous Matterhorn
The Matterhorn is the Hollywood sign and the Eiffel Tower of Zermatt. That is to say, it’s its signature landscape feature. You can climb it and you don’t even need a permit. But you do need to be an expert hiker. It costs about 800 Swiss Francs and takes about eight hours for seasoned climbers, which will have you back by lunch. Total cost: about 1,100 Swiss Francs with a guide and a room at the base of the Matterhorn.
For the rest of us, just admire the view, which you can see from pretty much any place in Zermatt.
Visit The Little Matterhorn
There is also the Little Matterhorn. But keep in mind this is this is the Swiss Alps, and the “little” here means it’s 12,740 feet.
The Little Matterhorn is the glacier and to get there you take a gondola, not one but two aerial trams – something that, if you look down, will truly take your breath away; click here for more – after which you can watch a heart-pounding film about climbing the Alps, check out ice sculptures inside the glacier, take a bottle of champagne out to the observation deck, go skiing or have lunch and cocktails in a restaurant.
• Ride The Gornergrat Railway
At 3,089 meters, the Gornergrat is Europes’s highest open-air track railway. Zermatt also has Europe’s highest cable car at 3,883 meters.
Kulmhotel Gornergrat is Europe’s highest hotel at 3,100 meters at the end of the Gornergrat Railway.
A Quick Guide To Zermatt’s Bars & Nightlife
In the winter Zermatt has great nightlife. We like Gee’s, the Broken Bar Disco, Pink Live Music Bar, Papa Caesar Bar (with a small balcony overlooking the street) and the Brown Cow Pub, all conveniently located in the Post Hotel, halfway up the main street. There’s also a hip club called Vernisage and the Pollux T-Bar disco. Little Bar is a great, well, little bar.
A Quick Dining Guide To Zermat
While in Zermatt, you must go to Chez Heini for dinner. It’s a lively, fun and restaurant that serves an appetizer in a high heel shoe and presentations that include a record; the food is spectacular, too.
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