Zermatt

Regarded by many as Switzerland's top ski resort and by plenty as the world's best, Zermatt is extremely picturesque, car free and offers spectacular views of the Matterhorn and 28 other peaks surrounding the mountain village. The winter sports opportunities are equally mind-blowing, with the world’s second biggest lift-served vertical drop, and a virtual guarantee of snow from top to bottom throughout the season thanks to Zermatt’s altitude and snowmaking on the lower slopes.

Zermatt Ski Map

Zermatt offers skiing 365 days a year with a 1000 metre (3280 foot) vertical on its glacier in the summer months. And the glacier route provides lift links over the border to Cervinia and Valtournenche in Italy.

Zermatt is choc full of hundreds of high quality shops, restaurants and hotels with word-class off-slope leisure facilities. The village is peaceful thanks to the absence of the internal combustion engine -- only small electric vehicles quietly hum around the streets alongside horse drawn carriages. Truly, Zermatt is difficult to beat.

Zermatt - Church Square

Zermatt - Station Square

Zermatt - Schwarzsee

Zermatt - Aroleid

Trockener Steg 2

Day 1:

You will depart from Johannesburg International Airport bound for Zurich, Switzerland. Upon arrival in Zurich you will board Swiss Rail bound for Zermatt. The train journey from Zurich to Zermatt takes approximately 4,5 hours through the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world.

You will arrive in Zermatt, where you will be transfered to your hotel, where you will spend your vacation on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis (Depending on your hotel selection). Your hotel in Zermatt is not like Levigno, Kitzbuhel or St. Johann. At these resorts you will mostly stay in a “pension” or in other words “really cheap and nasty apartment”. Swiss hotels and hospitality are legendary. Your hotel in Zermatt is extremely clean, spacious and cosy. The food is extraordinary. The hotels are rated between 3 – 5 star depending on your choice. The accommodation in Zermatt is definitely upmarket and much more sophisticated than any other ski resort in the world.

Day 2:

After fitting and collecting your ski gear, you will spend most of the day learning how to ski. Our instructors from the Zermatt Ski School will teach you to ski like a professional in no time. We will teach anyone to ski, young or old.

Day 3:

From day 3 you will be enjoying your ski vacation by visiting the many ski slopes in Zermatt. You will also be able to visit slopes in France and Italy and the many other attractions around Zermatt. You can have lunch at one of the many pubs and restaurants scattered along the slopes. In the evenings, enjoy the vibrant nightlife in Zermatt by visiting the shops, pubs, entertainment and many other attractions. Zermatt is the most amazing place in the world, and you are guaranteed to have an incredible vacation.

All good things come to an end:

In the morning, the hotel will transfer you back to the train station where you leave to Zurich airport. At the airport you will catch your flight back to South Africa.

Things to do in Zermatt

Shopping: A good selection of shops, including a large number of high-end jewellery stores (which says something about the type of clientele who frequent the resort), plus designer fashion shops, lots of quality Swiss souvenirs (cuckoo clocks, Swiss army knives and music boxes) and a fair number of art galleries. Prices are pretty high.

Entertainment: Daytime: snowboarding, paragliding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, winter hiking, ice climbing, curling, ice-skating (one natural and one artificial rink), tennis, squash, bowling, sledging, tubing and sleigh rides. Tennis, swimming and golf (all indoor). Summer: hiking and mountain-biking.
Nightlife: very lively, with plenty of bars, discos and restaurants.

Eating out: Reputedly has more restaurants than any ski-resort in Europe. Something to suit all tastes and pockets, from the cheap and filling fondue to more sophisticated gastronomic feasts. 38 on-slope restaurants.

Public transport: A bus service links the station with the Matterhorn lifts. This is not covered by the lift pass and fills up very quickly, although it runs every 10 mins at peak times. A weekly pass is available. With any ski-pass, however, there is free access to the electric ski-buses around the resort.

Local excursions: Cross-border skiing to Cervinia (Italy) and, for a real treat, a helicopter trip around the Matterhorn. Not particularly well located for summer excursions; trips are offered to Stresa on Lake Maggiore (Italy) and Riederalp/Bettmeralp (scenic Swiss villages).