Zermatt Beyond Skiing, from Gornergrat to the Glacier Express

You do not need skis to get the best of Zermatt in winter. The views that made the village famous are reached by train and cable car, the highest sledding run in the Alps starts at a railway halt, and the village has no cars in it at all.

The catch is cost. A single mountain ticket runs to about CHF 100, and in cloud you can pay that to look at the inside of one. So plan around the weather: clear days go on the high peaks, and gray days go on the village. Here is how to spend them, in the order that makes sense on the ground.

Plan your days around the weather

Three days is the right length without skis, because it gives you a fair chance of one clear morning. Leave the high tickets flexible until you can see the summit. The webcams on the Zermatt tourism site show what the top looks like right now, and that is worth checking before you pay.

Gornergrat is the one to do first

If you do one thing, do this. The cogwheel train leaves from opposite the main station and climbs to 3,089m in about 33 minutes, with the Matterhorn on your right most of the way up. Sit on that side. At the top you get the Kulmhotel and its observatory domes, a small chapel, and a view straight over the Gorner Glacier.

A winter return costs CHF 96, against CHF 132 in summer, which makes this the cheap season for it. Morning trains fill with skiers, so go after 10:00 if the forecast holds. The summit platform is exposed, and the wind there is far colder than the village suggests. The line also shuts for maintenance from 2 to 14 November 2026. Book the Gornergrat train.

Sled down from Rotenboden on the way back

Get off one stop below the top. The run from Rotenboden to Riffelberg is about 1.5km long, takes around 10 minutes, and is billed as the highest in the Alps. Trains take you back up, so you can ride it as often as your legs allow, and a Gornergrat sledding pass covers the rides and the rental between the two stations.

It depends on snow, and it has been closed at times when there was too little, so check that morning. The run usually opens around 11:00, you cannot sled on ski pistes, and small children need to ride with an adult. From Rotenboden station, a winter path of about 15 minutes also leads to the Igloo Village, rebuilt by artists each season, which makes a good warm-up stop.

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, for a clear day only

This is the highest cable car station in Europe, at 3,883m, on the Swiss side of the border with Italy. The cable cars leave from the south end of the village and take you up through Furi and Trockener Steg. At the top you get a viewing platform and the Glacier Palace, a set of carved rooms cut inside the ice. On a good day you can see into Italy and France.

A return from Zermatt was from CHF 99 last winter, including the Glacier Palace and the platform. Save it for the clearest day you get, because a cloudy summit is an expensive white room. The altitude is the real catch. Walk slowly at the top, drink water, and come down if you feel a headache building. Book the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car.

If you have one good day and want both peaks, a Peak2Peak ticket combines Gornergrat and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. It makes for a long day, and you will cross the whole village in the middle of it.

A slow day in the village

Keep the gray day for the part of Zermatt the skiers rush past. The Hinterdorf, between Bahnhofstrasse and the river, is the old quarter: dark larch barns and storehouses raised on stone discs that kept the mice out of the grain. Five minutes away, the Matterhorn Museum sits underground in a rebuilt mountain village and tells the story of the 1865 first ascent and the deaths that followed it.

For air without the big fares, the Sunnegga funicular takes 3 minutes to a sunny shelf above the village, where prepared winter paths open once enough snow has settled. They can turn to slush or close altogether in a thin season, so ask at the tourist office. Lunch is the other answer. Cheese fondue and raclette are expensive here, but they are the reason to sit down for two hours.

Where you sleep shapes all of this, because the lifts sit at opposite ends of the village. The guide to where to stay in Zermatt covers it area by area. For non-skiers, the streets near the station are the easiest base. See places to stay near the station.

The Glacier Express, if you are leaving anyway

The famous panoramic train runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz in about 8 hours, over the Oberalp Pass and across the Landwasser Viaduct. It is a journey rather than a day trip, so use it as your way out of Zermatt instead of a return.

Winter service runs from 5 December 2026 to 7 May 2027, and there are no trains at all before then, from 11 October. Fewer trains run early in the season, and a seat reservation is mandatory on top of your rail ticket, so book through the official Glacier Express site. Eight hours is also a long time in winter daylight, and in December the last stretch can pass in the dark.

End the journey with a night at the other end rather than racing for an onward train. Compare places to stay in St. Moritz.

If someone in your group is skiing

This is where Zermatt works better than most resorts. Skiers and walkers can share the same trains, so a non-skier can ride up to Riffelberg and meet everyone for lunch without crossing a piste. If you decide to try it after all, a 3-hour private ski lesson is an easier start than a group class. Anyone comparing resorts can see how Zermatt stacks up in the best ski resorts in Europe.

Three days in Zermatt without skis

1. Day 1. Arrive, walk the Hinterdorf, see the Matterhorn Museum, and book fondue for dinner.
2. Day 2. On the first clear morning, take the Gornergrat railway to the top, then stop at Rotenboden on the way down to sled and see the igloos.
3. Day 3. Ride to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise if the sky holds. If it doesn't, take the Sunnegga funicular and walk.

Swap the days to suit the forecast. If you would rather have someone else plan it, the private winter Matterhorn tour covers a full day with a guide and costs far more than doing it yourself.

Getting there

Zermatt has no through road for private cars. Park in Täsch or come by train, then ride the shuttle for the last 12 minutes. Swiss trains run here via Visp, so from Zurich or Geneva you can be in the village without touching a car. Compare flights to Zurich and Geneva.

The village sits at about 1,600m, so pack as you would for any Alpine winter, and add sunglasses and sunscreen for the high stations, where the glare off snow is fierce. Switzerland is outside the EU, so EU roaming plans may not cover it. Set up a Switzerland eSIM before you travel. For more trips in this part of the world, start from the Europe guides.