Things to do in Zermatt & the Matterhorn

Zermatt sits at 1,608 m and bans private cars, so you arrive by train and walk or take an electric taxi from the station. The journey from Interlaken takes around 2 h 15, changing at Spiez and Visp.

Once there, the big-ticket options are steep: Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Europe's highest cable car station at 3,883 m, and the Gornergrat rack railway, running since 1898, both charge upwards of CHF 100 return and eat most of a day once you add queueing and altitude acclimatisation.

Sunnegga is the cheaper alternative, reached by underground funicular in under four minutes, with a level walk on to the Stellisee, where the Matterhorn reflects on calm mornings. Cloud cover above 3,000 m is common even on clear Zermatt days, so check the live webcams before paying for the top station.