Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Zermatt in the Winter 

If you’re passionate about winter travel, Zermatt, Switzerland, should be at the top of your bucket list. This enchanting alpine village, nestled beneath the iconic Matterhorn, offers a unique blend of natural beauty, adventure, and romance that captivates visitors year-round.

Having explored Zermatt in both summer and winter (and having gotten engaged there), I can attest to its year-round allure. In the warmer months, the area transforms into a hiker’s paradise, with over 400 kilometers of marked trails offering breathtaking vistas. However, it’s during the winter that Zermatt truly becomes a magical wonderland. The snow-covered chalets, car-free cobblestone streets, and the majestic Matterhorn create a scene straight out of a snowglobe, or perhaps Velaris if you’re an ACOTAR fan. 

In this comprehensive travel guide to visiting Zermatt in the winter, you’ll learn everything you need to know to plan the ultimate winter getaway to Zermatt. From navigating the car-free village and selecting the perfect accommodation to exploring top ski areas like Sunnegga, Gornergrat, and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, we’ve got you covered. We’ll go over must-try local restaurants, the best après-ski spots, and insider tips for non-skiers. Whether you’re a seasoned skier or a first-time visitor, this guide will equip you with all the information to make your Zermatt experience unforgettable.​

Choosing Your Airport

There are 3 Main International Airports we’d recommend flying into for your winter trip to Zermatt. 

1. Geneva: For our first time visiting Zermatt in the summer, we opted to fly into Geneva. It’s about a 4 hour train ride over to Zermatt from this airport. 
2. Zurich: We got an insanely cheap flight deal alert from Thrifty Traveler for flights from the USA to Zurich, so this is the option we chose for our Zermatt winter trip! It was honestly a super easy flight, and the train station is directly located next to the Zurich Airport. The train took about 3.5 hours, but can take up to 4 hours.
3. Milan: You can fly into Italy and train over to Zermatt in about 3.5-4 hours.

You can pre-book your train tickets here.

Ultimately, Zermatt is fairly easy to get to especially with the great public transportation offered around Switzerland, so if you find a good flight deal for any of these 3 airports, you’re in good hands. 

To find the best flight deals for your winter trip to Switzerland, we recommend Thrifty Traveler. They will deliver incredible flight drops and points and miles deals straight to your email every single day. And if you use the code THELOVERSPASSPORT you can save money off your first year using their service! We’ve saved THOUSANDS of dollars on flights by using them!

Getting to Zermatt

From the airports, you can either book a train, a taxi, or a rental car. However, we’d recommend going the train route as it will ultimately be cheaper, less hassle, and way more useful; especially as Zermatt is a carless city. Yup, that’s right – you CAN’T drive a car into Zermatt! If you opt to book a rental car, you’ll have to park it at the Tasch Train Station during the entirety of your stay and take the short 10 minute commute from Tasch to get directly into Zermatt. 

It cost us about $270 per person for our return train tickets from Zurich to Zermatt and back. To make it potentially cheaper, you could also invest in the Swiss Half Fare Pass as well, which we would recommend doing if you’re planning on being in Switzerland for a week or more. 

Where to Stay

We’d recommend staying in Zermatt proper, if you have the budget. Zermatt is expensive, even by Swiss standards, so hotels, food, and lift passes are all on the high end. The town is so central and easy to navigate, with most main attractions and restaurants being a short walk away from most hotels and Airbnbs. That being said, staying in the town will be more pricey than if you were to stay in the nearby Tasch. 

We personally opted to stay at the Beausite Hotel and LOVED our stay here. We booked a Matterhorn facing room and the hotel included free round trip transportation from the train station, a free buffet breakfast everyday as well as our mini bar, and we even got upgraded when we arrived which was a nice surprise. They had a nice ski/snowboard rental partner with Bayard, so we got a discount on our rentals as well as Hotel delivery into their fancy ski and snowboard lockers. The service was outstanding and the spa/wellness area was incredible. The only thing we felt that the property could have improved on was their Grill Restaurant – it seemed to be a fairly average steakhouse and we’d recommend eating elsewhere. 

There are also hotels in Zermatt that are directly located on the mountain along the Gornergrat which you could book for some insane direct views of the Matterhorn, but those typically book out much farther in advance and have a 3-4 night booking minimum, so keep that in mind. 

For skiing, you’ll want to stay near the lifts, but if you prefer more relaxation, a spa hotel with a Matterhorn view is unbeatable. So you’ll have to figure out your priority: skiing, views, or a mix of both? Here are some other amazing options to choose from below. 

Luxury Hotels in Zermatt:

• Cervo: A stylish, design-forward ski-in/ski-out resort with a cozy yet modern atmosphere, amazing wellness amenities, and Matterhorn views. Everyone raved about the aprés-ski here! 
• The Omnia: If you want that James Bond-meets-luxury-lodge vibe, this is the spot. Perched above Zermatt with insane views, a sleek spa, and top-tier service. The pool here also looks crazy!
• Mont Cervin Palace: Iconic 5-star hotel with an old-world alpine charm, a horse-drawn carriage pickup, and an incredible spa. 

Gornergrat Hotels:

• 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat: The hotel at the top of the Gornergrat Bahn
• Hotel Riffelalp: A ski-in, ski-out luxury hotel accessible only by mountain train, offering stunning views and one of the highest spas in Europe. We did a spa day pass here and it was lovely, but it’s definitely not a super “modern” luxury hotel! 
• Iglu Dorf: Stay in a literal igloo at this snow hotel with views of the Matterhorn, snowshoe tours, and a jacuzzi under the stars.

We broke down the full experience of staying in the Igloo at Iglu-Dorf here!

Tasch Hotels:

• Matterhorn Inn
• Hotel Täscherhof
• Hotel Restaurant City
• Hotel Walliserhof

What to Pack for Your Winter Trip to Zermatt:

•   Warm clothing suitable for winter (think what you would wear for skiing)
•   Warm, lined winter shoes
•   Good gloves (ideally two pairs)
•   Dry socks
•   Long underwear to change into, pajamas if necessary
•   Two Beanies
•   Towel, swimwear, flip-flops for wellness activities if necessary
•   Head torch or flashlight
•   Toothbrush & toothpaste
•   Sunglasses & sunscreen
•   Ski goggles (in case of wind and snow)

For all of our favorite winter gear, check out our LTK here!

Ski, Snowboard, and Snowshoe Rentals:

There are lots of spots to rent from in downtown Zermatt. We rented our equipment from Bayard and it cost about $200 per person for ski/snowboard boots, bindings, boards, and helmets for 2 days of rentals.

Make sure to bring your own ski goggles, though, as outfitters here don’t rent those out and you’ll have to purchase them if you want them.

Purchasing Zermatt Ski Passes:

There are 2 main kinds of ski passes in Zermatt: the Regular Ski Pass and the Flex Ski Pass. 

The biggest difference between the 2 passes is that the Flex pass gives you exactly that, more flexibility in regards to the conditions. We opted to purchase a 2 day Flex Ski Pass over a 4 day period, so we could choose the 2 best days of weather and conditions to ski instead of being locked into 2 dates without knowing the conditions too far in advance. 

We would 100% recommend doing the Flex Pass for that reason! We’d also recommend adding on the mountain insurance (which only is an additional $15) that would cover insurance in the event of awful weather conditions and medical emergencies on the mountain.

The mountain also takes Ikon Passes if you already have one of those, so you wouldn’t have to worry about purchasing an additional ski pass if you already have one as long as you only plan on skiing up to 7 days. However, additional access to the Italian side of the slopes have to be purchased separately.

What Does the Zermatt Ski Pass Give You Access to?

Once you purchase your ski pass, all of the chairlifts, gondolas, and trains on the entirety of the Matterhorn are covered for you! 

This pass grants you up to 200 kilometers of slopes across three main areas:

• Sunnegga–Rothorn: Ideal for families and intermediate skiers. This is the area where you’ll want to ski if you’re looking to hit some of the famous après-ski spots.
• Gornergrat: Accessible via the scenic cogwheel train, offering panoramic views. This one was our personal favorite for blue (intermediate) runs. 
• Matterhorn Glacier Paradise / Schwarzsee: Home to Europe’s highest cable car station at 3,883 meters, providing year-round skiing opportunities.

And then depending on which pass you choose, you also get access to the Italian resorts of Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche, offering an additional 160 kilometers of pistes. This cross-border skiing experience is facilitated by the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing.

Weather & Terrain Considerations

When it comes to skiing and snowboarding in Zermatt, you definitely want to make sure you’re keeping an eye on the weather and terrain conditions as they change rapidly. Most people in Switzerland use the weather app MeteoSwiss as it’s the most accurate for the region. When it comes to avalanche warnings, make sure to check the snow report before heading out for the day. You can download the Matterhorn app to get daily snow conditions there as well.

Also, make sure to keep in mind that Zermatt boasts some of the highest ski areas in the Alps, with the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise reaching 3,883 meters. This elevation ensures excellent snow conditions but also means thinner air. Take it easy on your first day to acclimate.​ Additionally, due to its altitude, weather can change rapidly. It’s not uncommon for high winds to close lifts, especially in the Glacier Paradise area. Planning your itinerary with flexibility can help accommodate these changes. That’s why we went the Flex Ski Pass route in the event of awful weather! 

Getting Around Zermatt in Winter

Zermatt is a car free city, so you’ll have to get around either by walking, by taxi (aka these little tuk tuks) or by bus. You definitely do not need a car rental for that reason, so don’t think you need to book one! 

The city is extremely walkable, and many hotels in the area will offer free round trip transport from the Zermatt train station to help you out with your luggage when you’re arriving and leaving so you don’t have to walk through the streets with everything! 

Taxi wise, just note they are a bit more on the pricey side! We only used them a handful of times and booked them via our hotel. 

Dining in Zermatt

One lesson we learned immediately once we arrived was that you NEED to book restaurants in advance, especially for dinner. The restaurants are fairly small and don’t have a ton of capacity for a ton of people, so we’d definitely advise you to make reservations at least a few days in advance of your trip. A few of the higher end restaurants will make you put a deposit down to guarantee your reservation. 

If you want to save money on food while visiting Zermatt, you can also go the cooking route if you have a kitchen in your accommodation, and save money by grocery shopping at Coop or Migros.

Here were a few of our favorite restaurants and après-ski spots: 

• Le Petit Royale
• Stefanie’s Creperie 
• Findlerhof 
• Chez Vrony 
• Brasserie Uno 
• Harry’s 
• C’est Cheese 

Are you planning your trip to Zermatt?

Overall, ​Zermatt in winter is pure magic. If you’re seeking a winter getaway that seamlessly blends adventure, relaxation, and romance, Zermatt should undoubtedly be on your travel bucket list.