Where to Stay in Zermatt So Your Ski Day Starts on a Lift

Zermatt is a long, narrow, car-free village, and its ski lifts sit at opposite ends of it. The Gornergrat railway leaves from the station at the north end, the Sunnegga funicular is a 10-minute walk across the river, and the Matterhorn Express gondola is at the far southern edge. Book the wrong end and every ski morning starts with a walk in ski boots or a squeeze onto a full e-bus.

This guide takes the areas in the order you'd meet them walking from the station, then climbs up the mountain and finishes down the valley in Täsch. Each one gets who it suits, the catch, and a short list of hotels from budget to splurge. Then a straight answer on where to book for a winter trip.

Around the station and Bahnhofstrasse

Bahnhofstrasse runs from the station square south to the church, and it is Zermatt's main street: the bakeries, ski shops, bars and most of the restaurants are on it or a minute off it. Stay here and you step off the train and walk to your hotel. The Gornergrat railway leaves from across the station square, the scenic ski area with the long cruising runs, and the Sunnegga funicular is about 10 minutes away on foot.

It suits a first trip, a mixed group of skiers and non-skiers, and anyone who wants to walk to dinner. The catch is noise and price. The main street is busy until late in high season, rooms here cost the most for their size, and it is the furthest point from the Matterhorn Express. See places to stay on Bahnhofstrasse, or buy tickets for the Gornergrat railway if someone in your group isn't skiing.

The quiet corner here is the Hinterdorf, the old part of the village between Bahnhofstrasse and the river. More than 30 larch barns and storehouses survive there, built between the 16th and 18th centuries and raised on posts capped with flat stone discs that kept the mice out of the grain. It is two minutes from the church and almost nobody stays on it.

The best places to stay around the station, from budget to splurge:

• Hotel Bahnhof, on the station square, budget. Dorm beds and simple private rooms, and one of the cheapest beds in the village. They go early.
• Schweizerhof, opposite the station, upscale. Modern rooms from singles to family size, and an attic suite with a Matterhorn balcony.
• Monte Rosa, Bahnhofstrasse, upscale. Zermatt's oldest hotel, where Edward Whymper set out for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865.
• Mont Cervin Palace, Bahnhofstrasse, splurge. The grand hotel of the main street, with a big spa and Matterhorn-view rooms around an inner courtyard.

The east bank, where beginners start

Cross the Vispa from the main street and you're on the east bank, where the Sunnegga funicular leaves through a tunnel into the mountain. The ride takes 3 minutes, and Sunnegga and Rothorn above it are Zermatt's sunniest slopes and its gentlest runs. That makes this the base for a first ski week, for families with children in ski school, and for anyone who'd rather cruise in the sun than ski the glacier.

It is still central, just across a bridge from the restaurants, and noticeably quieter at night than Bahnhofstrasse. The catch is the walk to the other ski areas. If you plan to spend most days at the Matterhorn Express, you're at the wrong end. See places to stay near the Sunnegga funicular.

• Hotel Bristol, east bank, mid-range. A plain three-star that keeps the east bank's location without its spa prices.
• Tradition Julen, near the Sunnegga funicular, upscale. A family-run, old-wood hotel whose electric car collects you from the station if you send your arrival time.
• Europe Hotel & Spa, east bank, upscale. A spa hotel by the river, a short walk from the funicular.

The south end, closest to the Matterhorn Express

The Matterhorn Express leaves from the southern edge of the village, about 20 minutes' walk from the station. It climbs through Furi to Schwarzsee and Trockener Steg, and from there the lifts carry on to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the highest lift-served point in Europe, and over the ridge to Cervinia in Italy. Confident skiers who want to cross the border most days should sleep down here and be on the first gondola while everyone else is still walking.

The catch is the evenings. The south end is mostly hotels and apartments, so dinner means the walk or the e-bus back into the center, and it is a long way from the Gornergrat. See places to stay near the Matterhorn Express. If you want help finding your way into Italy, a ski tour with an instructor and après-ski builds the day around your level and collects you from your hotel.

• Hotel Plateau Rosa, by the Matterhorn Express, mid-range. A simple three-star with a Matterhorn-view garden and no restaurant, so plan dinner in the village.
• Matterhorn FOCUS, at the foot of the Matterhorn Express, upscale. A glass-and-stone design hotel right at the lift.

Winkelmatten chalets for families and groups

Winkelmatten is the old hamlet on the slope above the south end, a cluster of chalets and apartment houses with a chapel and long evening sun. It is the place to rent a whole chalet: three or four bedrooms, a kitchen, sometimes a hot tub, and the Matterhorn Express a few minutes downhill. For a family or a group of friends sharing the cost, it often works out cheaper per person than hotel rooms in the center.

The catch is the hill. The center is a 20 to 25 minute walk away, partly uphill on the way home, and many chalets ask for a minimum stay of three or four nights. The e-bus runs up here from the station, which helps with the luggage. See chalets and holiday homes in Zermatt, or compare hotels in Winkelmatten.

• Zermatt Youth Hostel, below Winkelmatten, budget. Dorms and private rooms with breakfast, about 20 minutes' walk from the station.
• Hotel Mountain Paradise, Winkelmatten, mid-range. Every room has a balcony, and the south-side ones face the Matterhorn. Book that side.
• Hotel Berghof, Winkelmatten, upscale. A chalet-style four-star with Matterhorn-view junior suites that sleep three.
• Matthiol Boutique Hotel, on the edge of the village, splurge. Quiet, chalet-built and with a spa, set a little above the south end.

Hotels above the village with their own lift

A few of Zermatt's best hotels sit on the rock ledge above the center and solve the climb with a tunnel and a private lift from street level. You get an open Matterhorn view without any of the mountain hotels' timetables, and the village is a few minutes away. The catch is the bill: these are the most expensive beds in Zermatt.

• The Omnia, above the church, splurge. A modern five-star reached by a lift through the rock from the village center, with an indoor-outdoor pool. No pets.
• Schönegg, above the Sunnegga funicular, splurge. A Relais & Châteaux chalet hotel with its own tunnel and lift, and an infinity terrace facing the Matterhorn.
• CERVO Mountain Resort, on the Sunnegga side, splurge. Lodges, a spa and Zermatt's busiest après terrace, with DJs, a short walk from the funicular.

Sleeping on the mountain, ski-in and ski-out

This is Zermatt's real luxury: a hotel on the slopes, where you click into your skis at the door, have the pistes to yourself before the first train comes up, and watch the Matterhorn turn pink from the hot tub after the day-trippers have gone. Most are on the Gornergrat railway; two are on the Matterhorn Express side.

The catch is the timetable. You arrive and leave by train or gondola, dinner is wherever you're sleeping, and a night out in the village means watching the clock for the last ride up. Spend two or three nights up here at the end of a week in town rather than the whole trip.

• Riffelalp Resort 2222m, Riffelalp, splurge. A five-star on the Gornergrat line with true ski-in, ski-out. The station is a short walk away in winter, and trains run until late evening.
• Riffelhaus 1853, Riffelberg, upscale. A historic hotel at about 2,500 m with an outdoor hot tub facing the Matterhorn, ski-in and ski-out.
• 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat, the summit, upscale. It bills itself as the highest hotel in the Swiss Alps, at 3,100 m. Sunrise from up here is the reason to go.
• Hotel Schwarzsee, Schwarzsee, mid-range for its height. At 2,583 m at the foot of the Matterhorn, with breakfast and dinner included. In winter the only way up is the gondola, and the last one leaves in the afternoon.
• Silvana Mountain Hotel, Furi, mid-range. The one to know about. Furi is a hamlet at the first stop of the Matterhorn Express, and from the Silvana's door you can ski to all three of Zermatt's ski areas for a fraction of the Riffelalp price.

Täsch, cheaper and 12 minutes down the valley

No private cars are allowed into Zermatt, so everyone who drives parks in Täsch, 6 km down the valley, and takes the shuttle train up. The ride is 12 minutes and the trains run every 20 minutes, which makes Täsch a real option if your budget won't stretch to Zermatt's prices. Hotels here typically cost noticeably less for the same standard, and many are a few steps from the shuttle.

The catch is everything that happens after dinner. The regular shuttle stops just before 10pm, with extra night trains only from Thursday to Sunday. The fare isn't in your lift pass, and Täsch itself is a quiet village with little to do in the evening. See places to stay in Täsch.

• Hotel Matterhorn Inn, opposite Täsch station, budget to mid-range. Across the road from the shuttle, with parking on site.
• Hotel Täscherhof, at the Matterhorn Terminal, mid-range. You can drive to the door, then walk straight onto the train.

Where not to stay in winter

• A mountain hotel on the night you arrive late. Schwarzsee's gondola stops in the afternoon. The Gornergrat line runs later, but a delayed connection at Visp can still leave you in the village with your room up the hill.
• Täsch, if your evenings are in Zermatt. A weekday dinner that runs past 10pm becomes a taxi.
• The south end, if you're learning. Beginners spend their week on Sunnegga, at the other end of the village.
• Bahnhofstrasse, if you want an early night. In high season the bars on the main street are loud until late.

Zermatt's areas compared

So where should you stay in Zermatt?

For a first ski week, stay on the east bank, near the Sunnegga funicular. The gentlest runs start there, the main street is a bridge away, and the station is a 10-minute walk with your bags.

If you're a confident skier, stay at the south end by the Matterhorn Express, and spend your days on the glacier and in Italy. With a group, rent a chalet in Winkelmatten just above it.

Whichever you pick, think about ending the week with two nights on the mountain, at Riffelalp if it's a splurge or at Furi if it isn't. For how Zermatt's skiing compares with Chamonix, the 3 Vallées and the Dolomites, see Europe's best ski resorts and the village to book in each. For more on the country, browse the Switzerland guides, or start from the Europe guides.