Planning your next trip to Switzerland, during Winter? In this blog, we will prepare you for your visit to Zermatt during the winter season. In this way, you can enjoy your holidays to the fullest!
During the winter season, Switzerland turns into fascinating scenery. A white blanket covers Switzerland. With the festive mood and cheer around Christmas time, Switzerland is the place to be. Now let’s talk about everything Zermatt has to offer during the winter season!
Holidays in Zermatt: winter 2024
Zermatt is located at the foot of the Matterhorn. The town’s touristic development is closely linked to probably the world’s most famous mountain, the Matterhorn.
The holiday destination is a car-free zone. It has preserved its original character and offers nearly unlimited possibilities as far as excursions are concerned. All in all a perfect winter holiday destination, to enjoy your well-deserved holidays with your best friends or beloved family.
Wintersports in Zermatt
Zermatt is a place for winter sports lovers, for several reasons, there is a top elevation of 3820 meters, and there are 360 kilometres of pistes and much more!
Zermatt is often called a fairy tale, as the charming village and the blanket of snow which it is covered make it such a scenic place to stay and be. Zermatt is a reliable and valuable place to go for winter sports for several reasons:
- reliable snow on pistes
- excellent facilities in the mountains
- many activities
- sunny terraces to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with an apfelstrudel 🙂
- outstanding hotels
- cosy atmosphere
Skiing in Zermatt
Is Zermatt a good place for skiing or snowboarding? Yes, Zermatt is well-known as one of the top ski resorts in Europe. Maybe even the best. It is one of the best because of the reliable snow conditions, 360 kilometres of pistes and breathtaking scenery.
All in all, Zermatt is a perfect holiday destination during the winter season if you love snow, and love to ski or snowboard.
Zermatt skiing overview
What are the average costs of skiing in Zermatt?
We have made a small calculation, so this is an example, for 1 person visiting Zermatt, for 1 day, without staying in Zermatt just skiing. Prices are in CHF – Swiss franc, read more about the Swiss currency here.
| Average costs for one day of skiing in Zermatt | 1 person |
| Ski Pass | 79 CHF |
| Ski Equipment (skies, stocks and shoes) | 59 CHF |
| Travel costs | 30 CHF |
| Food | 35 CHF (varies per person) |
| Total costs | 203 CHF |
What are the prices for a ski pass in Zermatt?
The prices for a ski pass in Zermatt, may vary and depend on the duration of your stay. The more days you stay in Zermatt, the cheaper the ski pass gets. The Zermatt ski pass offers you up to 200 kilometres of adventure on the slopes in the Sunnegga-Rothorn, Gornergrat and Schwarzsee-Matterhorn glacier paradise areas.
With the International ski pass, you can even make use of an additional 160 kilometres of pistes in the Italian ski resort of Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche.
- Adults: 79 CHF
- Children( 8-16 years old) 50% off
- Children younger than 9 years old are free
- 16-20 get 15% off
Is ski passes expensive in Zermatt? Yes, ski passes are expensive, but you do get a lot of value for your money, many kilometres of pistes, good quality snow and charming mountain restaurants to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee.
Skiing in Zermatt as a beginner
Can you ski in Zermatt if you are a beginner? Yes, Zermatt offers both slopes for the more advanced skiers and slopes for beginners. You can learn how to ski or snowboard at your own pace, no hurry. There are excellent classes available to learn how to ski or snowboard.
Zermatt offers practice pistes for beginners, children, and young people actually for any age. Here you can learn the basics from a professional ski teacher while enjoying the atmosphere and of course the fabulous views.
Best place to learn how to ski as a beginner in Zermatt?
If you are a beginner and want to learn the basics of skiing, we recommend the ski slope on the edge of the village of Randa, here the Randa ski lift is located as well.
This is the perfect spot for beginners, children and younger people. The slope is not too steep and the area gets lots of sun, so do not forget your sunscreen and sunglasses. Via this link you can find the location of the Randa ski lift.
Ski schools in Zermatt
Are there ski schools in Zermatt? Yes, there are several ski schools in Zermatt. We highly recommend beginners first start with lessons. The ski teachers are well-trained and educated and can help you to make your first moves on the pistes.
The ski teachers can help you improve your technique, and explore amazing areas, which you probably wouldn’t have seen on your own. To give you an idea of the prices for skiing lessons: an afternoon lesson costs around 200-250 CHF. A whole day of ski lessons costs around 400-500 CHF.
What do you need to take with you when going skiing?
Good preparation is needed when you go on the winter holidays. We advise checking the weather predictions of your specific holiday destination. Because temperatures can vary depending on the altitude of the location you would like to visit.
In short, we recommend taking a ski jacket, ski goggles, ski pants and thermal clothing with you! If you have your own skis, poles, or shoes then of course bring them with you. Luckily you can also hire this equipment in Zermatt. Several places offer great quality equipment. Maybe check out our blog about what to wear in Switzerland during the winter season here.
Is Zermatt an expensive holiday destination?
We won’t lie to you, Zermatt is one of the most expensive places to visit both in Switzerland and in Europe. One important notice is that the value for money ratio is high, the prices are high, but the quality of food, hotels and ski facilities are high.
These high prices for people visiting outside of Switzerland are a bit because of the unfavourable exchange rate for the euro compared to the CHF. Check our other blog post for the exchange rates via this link.
What language do people speak in Zermatt?
The main language spoken in Zermatt is German(70%), but there are people who speak Portuguese(12%) as well, and some speak Italian(8%). Only a few speak French. Don’t be afraid, most Swiss people speak good English as well. But they do like it if you try to speak German.
Things to do in Zermatt
We have made a selection of three ski schools/lessons to make use of if you would love to learn how to ski or to improve your skiing technique. Or maybe just want to explore the hidden gems of the ski area Zermatt.
The Gornergrat Zermatt – Train Ride
The Gornergrat Bahn is a train in Zermatt, which was the world’s first fully electrified cog railway. Nowadays, this railway has been made eco-friendly, because the descent is so steep, the train regenerates energy while braking when going down back to Zermatt. Such an innovative train.
The Gornergrat is situated at around 3000 meters altitude. From this place, the views are outstanding. The train ride takes around 30-35 minutes to get up, during this time, you can enjoy the breathtaking views. The view of the Matterhorn is spectacular. In fact, this is Europe’s highest open cog railway train.
The train brings you from the main station in Zermatt which is situated at an altitude of 1600 meters, to the Gornergrat(3000 meters). This means the train climbs around 1500 meters in just over 30 minutes! The price of a return ticket from Zermatt station to Gornergrat station costs 88 CHF per person.
The train goes through tunnels, bridges, and forests, such magical scenery. The length of the train ride is 9.4 kilometres. Do not forget to bring your camera, the panorama is fabulous. Do not forget to tag #swissfever in your beautiful shots!
At the summit station, of the Gornergrat at around 3089 meters. The highest hotel in Europe; namely Kulmhotel is situated. There is a fabulous restaurant, panorama view platform and some shops, considering spending a night here? Will be an unforgettable experience.
Hotels in Zermatt
Zermatt offers many charming hotels, some traditional wooden lodges, or a more modern-styled design hotel. All are available in beautiful Zermatt.
Fondue in Zermatt
of course, you can’t visit Zermatt without having a delicious traditional Swiss Fondue. Even if you think you won’t like it, please give it a try, it is worth it! We have made a selection of some good places to try your first fondue. Mmm..delicious! This is a top 5 of the best places for a fondue in Zermatt:
- Du Pont (Oberdorfstrasse 7, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Schäferstube (Riedstrasse 2, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Old Zermatt (Kirchstrasse 17, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Walliserkanne (Bahnhofstrasse 32, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Walliserstube (Gryfelblatte 2, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
Where to have dinner in Zermatt
After a long day of skiing, and enjoying your time on the pistes, it is time to have dinner with your friends and family. We have made a selection of the best places to have dinner. This is a top 5:
- Schäferstube (Riedstrasse 2, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Walliserstube (Gryfelblatte 2, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Grampi’s (Bahnhofstrasse 70, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Spycher(Steinmattweg 7, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
- Chez Max Julen (Kirchstrasse 44, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland)
Snow height in Zermatt
In Zermatt, you are quite certain about snow, quality and reliable amounts of snowfall. The average snow depth is around 158-160 cm. During December, the slopes are less crowded and there is plenty of snow on the slopes.
During Christmas time, the charming atmosphere makes Zermatt a perfect winter holiday destination. Zermatt is known for its reliability in having snow during the Christmas period. Zermatt has more often snow during Christmas compared to other ski resorts in the world.
Conclusion
All in all, we recommend Zermatt as your next winter holiday destination for several reasons. Starting with the incredible amounts of ski pistes, Zermatt offers around 360 kilometres of ski pistes. Besides the number of ski pistes, the quality of the pistes is high as well. With reliable snowfall and excellent ski pistes for ski lovers, Zermatt is a great holiday destination.
Besides the skiing, Zermatt is a charming alpine village, with beautiful hotels, wooden lodges, local hotels and more. The village also offers great restaurants and places to try your first cheese fondue.
Compared to ski resorts such as Andermatt or Verbier, for beginner skiers, we recommend visiting Zermatt, because of the high amounts of blue ski pistes. We hope we could inform you about why you should consider Zermatt as your next winter holiday destination.
