Matterhorn Express

The Matterhorn Express, the last leg of our journey here, is the longest of the rides you may take with the Peak Pass. It covers the gondola ride from Zermatt via Furi, all the way up to Klein Matterhorn and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.

Matterhorn – Walking to the gondola entrance – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn Express gondola entrance – Zermatt, Switzerland

The Ride Up

The gondola ride is fairly long and one can hop-on and hop-off and several different places along the way.

Matterhorn Express Gondola ride up to Furi – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn Express Gondola ride up to Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt below – Matterhorn Express Gondola ride up to Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Schwarzsee

This is about the third stop on the way up and is after Furi. It is just up over massif that separates the high peaks from the valley floor below. In fact, as you go up the hill on the gondola ride you cannot see the Matterhorn until you just about reach Schwarzsee.

Mattertal and Zermatt from Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Weisshorn and other peaks from Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Denta Blanche from Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn and the Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Erick at the Zermatt – Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Furgg station – Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Alpine pasture – Schwarzsee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Trockener Steg

Another stop just before Klein Matterhorn is the Trockener Steg. It lays at around eleven thousand feet in elevation, so you will feel some relief from the elevation once you arrive here on the way back down.

Matterhorn – Trockener Steg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Patti and the Matterhorn – Trockener Steg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Klein Matterhorn

The top of the Klein Matterhorn is a cold, snowy and glacier dominated place. It has a commanding view of the Mattertal towards Zermatt and the Aosta Valley inside Italy. From here the Matterhorn looks very different, taking on the appearance of the rest of the horns, as the high peaks in this area are called.

Ascending Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Breithorn and its glacier – Ascending Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Crystal glacier experience – Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Aosta valley, Italy – Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Theodul Glacier – Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn and surrounding peaks – Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Patti and the Aosta valley, ItalyTheodul Glacier – Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Erick and Aosta valley – Klein Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

The tunnel that has been carved out into the glacier was probably once done on behalf of scientific curiosity and has now become a tourist attraction, complete with ice carvings. An interesting, if not very cold attraction. In order to thoroughly enjoy this you should be properly dressed, it is very cold.

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Conclusion

A must see trip and not for the faint of heart. If you have issues with height, be prepared, the gondola ride brings you across chasms that are quite deep and the gondolas are complete glass, so it will seem as though you are suspended in air. Here are a few videos where you can get an appreciation for what to expect.

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We really enjoyed our day on the Matterhorn Express and would recommend it to anyone with plans to visit Zermatt. This concludes our visit to Zermatt, Switzerland.

Coming into Zermatt – Zermatt, Switzerland

Erick and Patti with the Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gornergrat

Another must see place in Zermatt is Gornergrat. You can reach this promontory by using the Gornergrat train, a mountain rack railway, which ascends the mountain passed Riffelalp and Riffelberg.

Zermatt – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Upper Zermatt – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Mattertal – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Dent Blanche and Aschhorn – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Mattertal, Dent Blanche and Aschhorn – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn and Dent Blanche – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

The line ahead – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Hikers – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Observatory – Gornergrat train – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gorner Glacier – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

There are several stops besides these two along the way that one may decide to leave the train and just walk or hike. However, unlike Sunnegga and Blauherd, the terrain here is a bit more unforgiving and vertical. Also, the weather on top of the mountains can be cold and unpredictable, so bring something warm and something waterproof, especially if you are hiking.

Looking towards Dent Blanche – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gornergrat station – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Looking toward Zermatt and Mattertal – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Chapelle du Gornergrat – Bernhard von Aosta – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Erick at Riffelberg – Riffelberg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gornergrat Glacier

The height of the trip is the summit and the Gornergrat Glacier. Aside from this, this isn’t much to see, especially in marginal weather when the Matterhorn is obscured.

Panorama of Gorner Glacier – Gornergrat – Zermatt, Switzerland

Riffelberg

On the way down we stopped at Riffelberg, with the hopes of getting some hiking in down to Riffelalp. However, the weather was not looking very good and we were still suffering from our colds, so we decided against it.

Wanderwege – Riffelberg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Tall Peaks across the valley Matter – Riffelberg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Here are some short videos that were taken of our trip.

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Restaurants

We did not eat at the restaurant on the summit, but rather waited until we were back in Zermatt. We left around ten in the morning and were already back a little after noon.

China Garden

Any one seeking good Chinese food at very reasonable prices has to visit the China Garden.

Patti at China Garden – Zermatt, Switzerland

They have all the dishes which are prepared with continental ingredients and taste delicious. For those that prefer their lunches uncomplicated, here you can definitely find some vegetarian or simple to order.

Spring roll – China Garden – Zermatt, Switzerland

Vegetable rice with vegetable mix – China Garden – Zermatt, Switzerland

And of course, after lunch the day would not be complete this week without the customary rain storm. Actually, this was just a gentle shower, later in the day we had a very severe thunderstorm. But we were inside the hotel by then and did not care. Again, the weather can be unpredictable here, so be prepared and check the forecast, they are for the most part reliable.

Tomorrow it’s on to Matterhorn Glacier, so we will be taking the Matterhorn Glacier Express.

Tag: Zermatt

Zermatt, Switzerland – Matterhorn Express – Part Four