Shaped by ancient traditions and modern tourism
The Zermatt Village is modern tourist spot with full of ancient traditions. The exciting contrasts can be explored within 1.5 hours on a walk through the village.
Around 30 ancient buildings in the old village beside the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof demonstrate the traditional building style of the original residents of Walser. The barns and grain stores, up to 500 years old, are a piece of living history and show how the Zermatt mountain farmers once lived.
Charming tradition in hotels
More than 100 hotels and numerous chalets are also located in Zermatt, some of them antique, others very new. But there is no huge blocks of hotels or flat roofs in resort. Hotels have bars available to non-residents where tourists can enjoy all the hospitality and charm that characterize the hotel tradition in Zermatt.
The Bahnhofstrasse is the main street in Zermatt, and a pleasure to stroll along with its bars, restaurants, boutiques, souvenir shops, bakeries and shops that sell cakes and chocolates at any time. From the steps of St. Mauritius Church or from the Kirchbrücke Bridge, visitors enjoy a beautiful view of the Matterhorn’s south-west rising majestically up into the sky. The peak can sparkle in the sunlight, or adorned with clouds, depending on the weather.
Zermatt is car-free and has been kept closed to traffic since 1961. The Bahnhofstrasse is the realm of horse-drawn carriages. It’s a joy to walk along the streets. A herd of about 50 Valais Blackneck goats descends daily at around 9 am and 5 pm on the Bahnhofstrasse in high summer. These photogenic animals are the stars of the Matterhorn village with their twisted horns and long-haired, black-and-white coats.
Visitors gets up early to see the Matterhorn sunrise are treated with a magical visuals. The pinnacle captures the very first rays of the sun, which gradually move down the east face of the Matterhorn as Zermatt wakes up to a new day.
Directions
The old village is situated on resort layout square E8. Anyone interested in local people’s lifestyles in days gone by can visit the Matterhorn Museum, Zermatlantis.
Bahnhofplatz (by station) – Obere Matten sports field – Zum Steg bridge – Hinterdorf – Kirchplatz (church square) – Kirchbrücke bridge – Kirchplatz – up the road by GramPi’s – Englischer Viertel (“English quarter”) – Bodmenstrasse – Bahnhofplatz.
Equipment we recommend:
- Good footwear
- Clothing suitable for the weather (always carry a waterproof)
Facts of a walk around Zermatt village
- Hiking time: 1.5 hrs
- Difficulty: easy
- Elevation: 1612 – 1678 m
- Distance: 3.5 km
- Terrain: town
- Region: Matter valley (Valais)
Location: Zermatt
December 6
7:00 pm
-0.38 °C
December 6
10:00 pm
-1.34 °C
December 7
1:00 am
-2.49 °C
December 7
4:00 am
-3.97 °C
Address
3920,Swizerland
Opening Time
Tickets
Swiss Travel pass
Duration
1 hour to half a day
Location: Zermatt
1:00 am
December 7
-2.49 °C 8 % 1016 hPa 2.2 m/s 312 deg
clear sky
4:00 am
December 7
-3.97 °C 9 % 1018 hPa 2.25 m/s 316 deg
clear sky
7:00 am
December 7
-4.33 °C 12 % 1018 hPa 2.31 m/s 317 deg
few clouds
10:00 am
December 7
-0.37 °C 11 % 1015 hPa 2.09 m/s 324 deg
few clouds
1:00 pm
December 7
2.17 °C 6 % 1011 hPa 1.78 m/s 307 deg
clear sky
4:00 pm
December 7
-2.49 °C 16 % 1014 hPa 1.67 m/s 317 deg
few clouds
7:00 pm
December 7
-4.63 °C 20 % 1016 hPa 0.68 m/s 292 deg
few clouds
10:00 pm
December 7
-4.94 °C 2 % 1015 hPa 0.78 m/s 218 deg
clear sky
1:00 am
December 8
-5.51 °C 2 % 1015 hPa 1.1 m/s 208 deg
clear sky
4:00 am
December 8
-5.86 °C 4 % 1015 hPa 0.88 m/s 236 deg
clear sky
7:00 am
December 8
-5.71 °C 6 % 1013 hPa 1.05 m/s 243 deg
clear sky
10:00 am
December 8
-1.48 °C 0 % 1010 hPa 1.94 m/s 214 deg
clear sky
1:00 pm
December 8
0.78 °C 16 % 1007 hPa 1.49 m/s 233 deg
few clouds
4:00 pm
December 8
-3.5 °C 76 % 1010 hPa 1.4 m/s 235 deg
broken clouds
7:00 pm
December 8
-3.77 °C 88 % 1010 hPa 2.24 m/s 195 deg
overcast clouds
10:00 pm
December 8
-1.73 °C 100 % 1008 hPa 3.14 m/s 170 deg
overcast clouds
1:00 am
December 9
-3.18 °C 100 % 1007 hPa 3.01 m/s 164 deg
light snow
4:00 am
December 9
-1.74 °C 100 % 1004 hPa 2.5 m/s 185 deg
light snow
7:00 am
December 9
-0.53 °C 100 % 1001 hPa 1.71 m/s 184 deg
light snow
10:00 am
December 9
1.28 °C 100 % 1000 hPa 0.95 m/s 266 deg
light rain
1:00 pm
December 9
3.93 °C 98 % 997 hPa 2 m/s 284 deg
light snow
4:00 pm
December 9
3.28 °C 99 % 997 hPa 1.94 m/s 291 deg
light rain
7:00 pm
December 9
1.45 °C 99 % 1000 hPa 1.16 m/s 266 deg
overcast clouds
10:00 pm
December 9
1.89 °C 99 % 1000 hPa 1.85 m/s 220 deg
overcast clouds
1:00 am
December 10
1.3 °C 99 % 1001 hPa 2.13 m/s 213 deg
overcast clouds
4:00 am
December 10
-1.7 °C 90 % 1004 hPa 1.72 m/s 219 deg
overcast clouds
7:00 am
December 10
-2.05 °C 95 % 1004 hPa 1.81 m/s 192 deg
overcast clouds
10:00 am
December 10
0.95 °C 100 % 1001 hPa 0.51 m/s 200 deg
overcast clouds
1:00 pm
December 10
2.69 °C 100 % 998 hPa 1.92 m/s 333 deg
overcast clouds
4:00 pm
December 10
1.91 °C 100 % 998 hPa 1.9 m/s 322 deg
light rain
7:00 pm
December 10
-0.69 °C 100 % 1001 hPa 2.41 m/s 328 deg
light snow
10:00 pm
December 10
-2.82 °C 100 % 1003 hPa 2.13 m/s 331 deg
overcast clouds
1:00 am
December 11
-3.46 °C 100 % 1002 hPa 2.57 m/s 332 deg
light snow
4:00 am
December 11
-2.99 °C 100 % 1001 hPa 3.23 m/s 331 deg
light snow
7:00 am
December 11
-4.7 °C 100 % 1002 hPa 4.04 m/s 329 deg
light snow
10:00 am
December 11
-5.54 °C 100 % 1003 hPa 4.5 m/s 330 deg
light snow
1:00 pm
December 11
-6.21 °C 100 % 1003 hPa 5.23 m/s 329 deg
light snow
4:00 pm
December 11
-9.01 °C 100 % 1006 hPa 6.02 m/s 323 deg
light snow