ZERMATT, Switzerland – view to Matterhorn
ZERMATT is probably among the most known winter sports towns in Switzerland, maybe even in Europe. And if not for anything else, then of course because of the legendary mountain, Matterhorn and about 20 other 4000+ peaks. But, the town itself, with direct access to Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn with the Glacier Paradise, Schwarzsee, endless hiking trails and a lot of history also makes it worth a visit. Zermatt is almost car-free, most transportation is handled by small electric busses, taxis and other utility vehicles. So for most tourists, the town is reached by train. Zermatt has been here for more than 700 years, but was really put on the map in the middle of the 19th century when the British mountaineer Edward Whymper first conquered the Matterhorn. From then on tourism developed rapidly. When getting enough of the lively center, with many fine restaurants, try visiting Hinterdorf, a group of 30 very old wooden houses, some more than 500 years old. Absolutely worth a visit and a quiet contrast to the shopping area. We stayed at the Hotel Alpenroyal, a lovely chalet-style hotel a short walk from the centre, but with a fantastic view from the rooms.
A bit more about the hotel we stayed at. This was our first visit at the Hotel Alpenroyal, but absolutely not the last. The contact to the hotel in advance was without any problems and after calling the hotel from the railway station when we arrived to Zermatt, we were picked up by the hotel-owned shuttlebus, for free. All staff are super friendly. Rooms are ok, with balconies with, as you can see on the pictures; the most FANTASTIC view. Do pay this little extra to get a room with Matterhorn view, you will NOT regret. A hint, we booked with our Hotelcard, see link below 🙂
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