Zermatt & Gornergrat

03.09.22

We take one of the many trains to Visp (7 minutes ride) and travel very comfortably in second class. All trains are clean, have toilets (also clean) and are super punctual. In our train from Visp to Zermatt (10 cozy minutes transition), there are again mega high panoramic windows, even though this is not a train for tourists, but just a regular regional train. Some stops on these trains are request stops, so these are really trains that commuters also use. No train is smeared, all have trash cans at the seats, cushions are intact and clean. There are free clean toilets at every station - traveling through Switzerland is actually an incredibly relaxed thing by train.

The Swiss have the densest railway network in the world and travel an average of 2300km per year per capita on their railways in their own country. Once you have experienced this, you can understand it. If you travel in first class, the seating availability is naturally larger - instead of 4 seats, there are 3 seats in the width of the carriage.

Uniformly, all modern trains (which are practically all that are used, with the exception of historic railways or open tourist wagons, which are available on some routes of the Rhaetian Railway) have an extended mini platform at the doors, which allows boarding and alighting everywhere without a height difference and without having to carry suitcases. In Germany, train stations are rarely at the level of ICE exits and passengers struggle to get their suitcases up.

We arrive punctually in Zermatt at 11.14AM and first check the weather conditions on the Gornergrat. Since it is said that it will only clear up around 5PM, we leisurely walk through the town and visit some shops. Jutta buys a T-shirt and I buy two kitchen knives 😀.

At the end of our walk, we stand for at least 15 minutes with a view of the cloudy Matterhorn, hoping that the clouds will clear. Unfortunately, without success.

So, we make our way back to the train station and stop at the Hotel Pollux on the main street for a cheese fondue. We sit outside at 20 degrees (at an elevation of almost 1800m) and watch the constant flow of tourists strolling along the main street.

Zermatt is car-free. Those who arrive by car must park their vehicle in Täsch, a train station before Zermatt, and continue by train. In the village itself, only small electric taxis are allowed to drive.

When we arrive at the ticket office of the Gornergratbahn at 3:29PM, it turns out that the prices are cheaper from 3:30PM onwards and with our Swiss Travel Pass we only have to pay 40 Swiss Francs instead of 55. This corresponds to a 50% discount on the regular price. Let's go to the Gornergrat at 3000m and enjoy the view of 22 peaks.

The Gornergratbahn climbs from 1800 to 3000m altitude in just over 30 minutes. The ride is so steep that it's hard to stand. Of course, this is a cogwheel train and locals are also transported here, who go home or to work. But essentially, tourists are on board who get off at one of the stations to go hiking or mountain biking. The windows can be opened, so we can capture some of the breathtaking views.

Only the Matterhorn remains shrouded in clouds. We reach the top shortly after 4PM and it is not so easy to walk uphill in the thin air.

The panoramic views are incredibly impressive, glaciers upon glaciers and peaks as far as the eye can see. However, there are also many clouds. In a way, the prediction that it should be clear at 5PM is true, because we are standing and sitting in the sun from time to time. Unfortunately, the peak of the Matterhorn remains hidden.

Below a wall, two ibexes are standing and enjoying a saltstone.

It is about 6 degrees and when it is around 6PM and the clouds become denser, it suddenly gets cold.

After taking many pictures, saying many "oohs" and "aahs," we descend back to Zermatt at 6:18PM. On the way, we pass a group of ibexes and the typical sheep.

Since the clouds around the Matterhorn peak once again look like they are shifting, we quickly walk to a spot from which we could see this well. Finally, in a second, we manage to take a snapshot that at least lets us guess the silhouette of the famous mountain, including its peak.

At the train station in Zermatt, we get ingredients for a Valais dinner from Coop in the form of cheese, air-dried meat, and red wine. Without looking at the timetable, we reach the train station and only 20 minutes later, a through train departs to Brig, where we arrive at around 9:30 PM.