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ZERMATT
Why to go
Zermatt is one of Switzerland’s most famous alpine resorts,
the Matterhorn towers above the village and is spectacular
from every angle.
38
four thousand-meter peaks surround the village while the ski
area is spread over 3 main areas covering 400km of trails
from Zermatt to the linked Italian resort of Cervinia. The
terrain is varied throughout, steep and quick with some really
long wide groomers. Beginner trails make up about 30%, intermediate
55% and advanced 15% of terrain.
There
is off piste skiing but it can turn from extreme to extremely
dangerous very quickly as there are a lot of huge rock boulders
everywhere.
The
snow is very reliable and being at such a high altitude the
ski season is one of the longest in the world, generally running
from early November until late May. There are 74 transport
facilities ranging from cable cars, gondolas, and chair lifts
to an underground funicular and a rack railway.
The
village is full of atmosphere and constantly buzzing with
activity. With all types of accommodation available for all
budgets and many shops, cafes, restaurants and bars with a
very lively night life. The village does not allow cars but
has electric taxis and buses that hum around the place, be
aware of the taxis as they can sneak up on you and don't really
like to give way to pedestrians!
Do
not miss
The Klein Matterhorn cable car, one of the highest cable cars
in the world transporting you to the Matterhorn Glacier paradise
ski area. At the top of the cable car is the Glacier Palace,
go inside and explore and find out the history of the glacier
and mountain climbing, then enjoy the long trails all the
way back down to the village. The rack railway, the Gornergrat-Monte
Rosa, takes you to the top of the Gornergrat ski area. From
here you have an amazing view of the glaciers and the Matterhorn,
it’s great to go up first thing in the morning and watch
the sun creep up the sides of the Matterhorn then make first
tracks down to the bottom or ski to the Rothorn area. Something
else to do, if you have the time, is to catch the train up
then toboggan down along the toboggan track.
Getting
there and around
By car it is 3 ½ hours from both Geneva and Zurich,
3 hours from Milan. By train from Geneva it is 3 ½
to 4 hours, from Zurich it is about 5. You can catch the famous
Glacier Express from St Moritz daily.
Hot
tips
For good food lovers in busy times you will need to reserve
a table in the smaller mountain restaurants at least a few
hours before lunch.
read more about Zermatt
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