Zermatt Guide
Dark chocolate-coloured medieval barns reinvented as contemporary chalets cluster in the shadows of the Matterhorn in a town where the only traffic noise are electric taxis and horse-drawn carriages.
Car-free Zermatt is a mix of medieval chalets and luxury hotels built in a traditional style. Its well-heeled reputation means good shopping potential along the main street. Stay between the Gornergrat and Sunnegga lifts for ease of mountain access.
Although Zermatt offers 183km of pistes by itself, when combined with neighbouring Valtournenche and Cervinia behind the Matterhorn and across the Italian border, the range jumps to 383km.
Zermatt is as exciting and challenging as St Anton's and Val d'Isère. There is powder and extreme terrain for all levels of skier and plenty of lift-accessed terrain, both extreme and introductory. The resort is home to the Alps' biggest heli-ski operation.
Despite a slightly staid reputation and a tendency to draw the older crowd, there is a very lively freestyle scene. The resort has a world-class park during the winter, which moves higher up the glacier and stays open all summer.
Most restaurants tend to be in ancient converted huts, smaller family-run places oozing character and smelling of bubbling cheese and grilled rösti, a local grated and grilled potato speciality of different fillings and flavours.
Après-ski starts early, with skiers tucking into beer, wine and snacks in tiny wooden huts, nearly hidden in ancient hamlets on the last ski runs down. There is also a very lively mid-mountain bar and a varied early-evening scene in the resort itself. After dinner, the mix runs from cocktail bars to clubs.
The train and Funival make it easy to get to the top of the mountain without skis. Many hotels have spa facilities but the best is the recently opened Mont Cervin Spa, open to residents and non-resident. Check out the ice grotto at the Klein Matterhorn and the Alpine Museum in town.
On a sunny day, there is no better itinerary than to head up to the glacier and do a few runs where it looks like you will almost ski into the Matterhorn. Then drop down into Cervinia for a long, sunny red run, stopping off for a cut-price Italian lunch along the way. Do not overstay your welcome, however, it is a very expensive six-hour journey back by road.
