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My Favorite Things to Do in Zermatt Switzerland

 
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Thank you to Zermatt Tourism for hosting me. As always, all opinions and recommendations are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Zermatt is a cute, little alpine resort town in Switzerland. You might have heard of it…or maybe you have heard of its prized possession, the Matterhorn? Either way, if you are headed to Switzerland, you will definitely want to add Zermatt to your itinerary. Whether or not you ski and no matter if you visit during the winter or the summer, there’s plenty to keep you busy and these are the best things to do in Zermatt!

Best Things to Do in Zermatt

Matterhorn Madness

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

I have to admit that I was most excited to see the majestic Matterhorn. You might say I was mad for the Matterhorn! Okay, pun intended (and a bit cheesy I admit, but fun none-the-less 😉 ).

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
The Matterhorn means “peak in the meadows” in German and is a mountain in the Swiss Alps straddling the border of Switzerland and Italy. It has a summit of 14,692 feet (4,478 meters) making it one of the highest of the Alps and in all of Europe.

Thankfully, you can see it from just about anywhere in Zermatt and so I got to see and photograph it a lot!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

TIP: Be sure to catch the Matterhorn at sunset. How beautiful is this lighting?!?

Explore the Town

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Let’s be honest…all of Switzerland is beautiful and colorful; however, there’s just that extra something about Zermatt.

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Everywhere we looked, we were greeted with beautiful houses…

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

buildings adorned with pretty flowers on each of the resort town’s streets all the way up the mountains

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

and even a clock tower that I’m so used to seeing in what seems like every European town.

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

I love all the street lamps with the Swiss flags!

TIP: Zermatt is a car-free town which makes for a very easy and relaxing walking atmosphere.

Paragliding

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

By far my most favorite thing we did in Zermatt was go paragliding with Fly Zermatt. The experience was completely amazing!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

I still can’t believe that I was 10,000 feet in the air with the Matterhorn. It was very calming and talk about great views of the Matterhorn and Zermatt! 😍 Watch here as I take off!

TIP: Try booking your paragliding adventure at the start of your time in Zermatt. That way you can hopefully be rescheduled for another day if the weather isn’t cooperating.

Summer Snow Skiing

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Yes, you can snow ski in the summer in Zermatt! So of course, we had to do it. And by we, I mean, Amanda skied and I got on skis (let’s be honest, there is a difference).

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

I had only been on snow skis once prior to this trip but I was NOT missing out on a chance to ski (loose term here) in the Swiss Alps…not to mention Zermatt has the largest and highest summer skiing area in Europe!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

While you’re up there go to the top outdoor viewing area to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise where you can see the highest mountains in Italy, France, and Switzerland as well as the Theodul Glacier!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Take the cable car back down from Europe’s highest station (12,739 feet or 3,883 meters) and see the beautiful views of Zermatt from another angle. There is no shortage of views of the town or the Matterhorn!

TIPS: Don’t forget your Swiss Travel Pass as it will get you a 50% discount on the cable car. Along with skis and boots, we also rented pants there so we didn’t have to pack those on a summer trip. Read on for more information about summer skiing in Zermatt.

Gornergrat

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Ride the world’s first fully electric cogwheel train from Zermatt up to the Gornergrat and be sure to also get off at each of the four stops along the way.

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

You can get the most amazing views of the Swiss Alps…

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

and Riffelsee (lake) with the Matterhorn in the background. In addition, you can go hiking, mountain biking and paragliding making the ride to Gornergrat one of the most popular things to do in Zermatt.

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife you can see from the train!

TIPS: The Swiss Travel Pass will get you a 50% discount. Round-trip train ride from Zermatt to Gornergrat takes 2.5 hours alone. Check the weather before you go because if there is extensive cloud coverage, there won’t be any views to see.

Where to Eat

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

For a great fondue experience, try Cafe du Pont. We ate in the outdoor courtyard which is perfect for the summer. Nothing better than eating Swiss fondue while looking at all the beautiful Swiss views!

TIPS: Casual dress, reservations needed!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

If you are there during the summer, definitely try out the Taste of Zermatt. When we were there it was called the Swiss Food Festival and now is sporting its new name the Taste of Zermatt!

We sampled the most amazing food from all of the popular restaurants in town and even had wine pairings. It was in a word, awesome! Seriously some of the best food I’ve had and I loved taste testing so many different types!

Where to Stay

Hotel Ambassador

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

We stayed at Hotel Ambassador and were quite happy with our room. It sported this view of the Matterhorn which meant I could see it from my bed each morning when I woke up. It doesn’t get any cooler than that!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Not only that, the room was spacious and definitely had that ski lodge feel. Friendly staff, comfortable beds and multiple breakfast options made it even better!

TIPS: Hotel Ambassador will make a breakfast box to take with you on excursions like Gornergrat. I didn’t get one but Amanda said hers was really nice and it held over for lunch too!

PIN IT!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel
This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

Hopefully, you are falling in love with Zermatt. I know I did and would love to return the next time I visit Switzerland. It was the perfect place for relaxation and downtime!

This cute alpine resort town is a must-see on a trip to Switzerland. Whether you visit in summer or winter, these are my favorite things to do in Zermatt! #zermatt #switzerland #europe #alpinetown #skitown #resort #swiss #destinations #travel

If you’ve been to Zermatt what was your favorite thing to do? If you haven’t been, what would you most like to see?

‘Til next time…

Trimm Travels,

Heather

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20 Comments

  1. I’ve only seen Switzerland in winter so this is a revelation. What wonderful views, food and great adventure – skiing in summer even. Would love to return one day.

    1. Hi Elaine-Me and you both…but opposite you. I want to return at winter preferably in December at Christmastime! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  2. Your photos remind me a lot of the landscape in Slovenia… which was one of my favorite ever trips! I’ve wanted to see the Matterhorn for a long time. Your photos definitely do it justice!!

    1. Hi Sarah-Thank you! I’ve never been to Slovenia but if it looks like Zermatt then I want to go! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  3. Summer skiing, paragliding, car free towns and fondue. I would be horny for the Matterhorn. Zermatt might just be my favorite town I’ve never been to. I be somewhere you could buy some amazing Swiss chocolate too. What a beautiful place.

    1. Hi Ed-LOL! I may or may not have spewed my water when I read your comment! But you’re so right…you have GOT to get to Zermatt (and any part of Switzerland if you haven’t been there)! It is a DREAM place!! So friendly, clean, safe, beautiful and all these things to see and do…one of my top 5 favorite countries! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  4. I love everything about this place, this is a destination that screams Kim! Its so colourful (your pictures are so fab), I love mountains and would want to climb on the matterhorn just a tad…and I love paragliding (I go on my own) so of course this is attractive to me. I love the vibe and tone here and can’t wait to visit one day

    1. Hi Kim- Girl, GO. GO. GO. GO. GO. GO!! Zermatt is absolutely fabulous for all the reasons you mentioned and I’m highly impressed you paraglide on your own! Wow! I’m just happy to get up there tandem! LOL! Definitely climb up on that Matterhorn, get it! Thanks for your compliments on my photos and for reading! 🙂

  5. How gorgeous! I would take a million pictures of the Matterhorn. It’s stunning. And so iconic. I can’t believe you went paragliding around there! It looks thrilling, and daunting. I’d have to get my nerve up for sure. I’ll be visiting a friend in Switzerland next month. I don’t think we’ll make it to Zermatt, but I’ll share this with her since she just moved there and will have much more time than me to explore all that Switzerland has to offer.

    1. Hi Juliann-The Matterhorn is so stunning and iconic you’re right! Yes, definitely share with your friend and I hope you and she have a great time in Switzerland! Thanks for reading! 🙂

      1. Thanks for your photos and info, matterhorn and switzerland is top on my list, a MUST do! Just get my skiing a bit better but i’m definitely going there, tnx

        1. Hi Kerry-You will absolutely LOVE Zermatt! It’s gorgeous and even more so in the winter. I wish I could get my skiing better! I hope you get to go soon and have a great time. Thanks for reading! 🙂

  6. I’ve been to Zermatt — but it’s been a long time ago now. We stayed on top of Gornergratt and watched the sunset and the sunrise on the Matterhorn, which was truly special. However, I didn’t get to spend much time in the actual town, and reading your article makes me want to go back and visit again. And your paragliding experience looks AMAZING.

    1. Hi Ann-I bet staying at the top of Gornergrat and watching the sunrise AND sunset on the Matterhorn was truly amazing! Wow! Yes, the paragliding was out of this world!! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  7. I have yet to try paragliding! This certainly is a wonderful place to check that item off the bucket list because that scenery is just STUNNING! What a beautiful town to explore in the summer!

    1. Hi Cat-It really is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve seen pics of it in the winter and it’s just as beautiful then too and you can paraglide all year-round! Thanks for reading! 🙂

  8. Zermatt is a great place for adventure tourists. The diversified activities keeps the traveler always engaged. You have covered it very well.

  9. Paragliding looks dope. I love Zermatt and surrounding areas in the Alps. Been there twice and usually just hit the hiking trails around Zermatt. If you have a chance and time, a hit Gornergrat hike. It’s definitely one of my favorite hikes in the whole country.

    1. Hi Antonio-Paragliding is amazing! If you love Zermatt and plan to visit again, I HIGHLY recommend it. If I get the chance to go back, I will take your suggestion of a Gornergrat hike! Thanks for reading! 🙂

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