Zermatt Village - Switzerland
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.
Zermatt Village, Switzerland
The town lies at the upper end of Mattertal at an elevation of 1,620 m (5,310 ft), at the foot of Switzerland's highest peaks. It lies about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the over 10,800 ft (3,291.84 m) high Theodul Pass bordering Italy.
Zermatt is the place to seek amazing panoramic views up in the Swiss Alps. One of the world's most famous peaks can be spotted in here: The iconic MATTERHORN.
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Zermatt is famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps. Until the mid-19th century, it was predominantly an agricultural community; the first and tragic ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 was followed by a rush on the mountains surrounding the village, leading to the construction of many tourist facilities.
The year round population (as of December 2013) is 5,751, though there may be several times as many tourists in Zermatt at any one time. Much of the local economy is based on tourism, with about half of the jobs in town in hotels or restaurants and just under half of all apartments are vacation apartments. Just over one-third of the permanent population was born in the town, while another third moved to Zermatt from outside Switzerland.
Best Things to do during Winter in Zermatt Switzerland
Zermatt is a very pretty village, in particular during winter, it's touristy, but for a good reason! There are a lot of things one can do up there! The probably most-known panorama you could get at the Gornergrat.
You may get up there by taking a train that costs around 110.- CHF for return. Up there, you will get to see the Matterhorn from the side. Other very important things to see are the massive Gorner glacier, Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and the Kleinmatterhorn. A notably cheaper peak to visit - and my personal favorite panorama - would be the Rothorn. You would need to take an underground funicular, followed by 2 cabin rides.
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Up on the Rothorn, you get a brilliant frontal view over the Matterhorn; in my opinion the best view! Surely during Winter, the panorama up there looks stunning! Visit also the village of Zermatt. It charms with its many traditional wooden houses that are stereotypical for the canton of Valais / Wallis. There is a section at where you will get to see many of them, which is located at the "Hinterdorfstrasse". This is a great place to take memorable photos.
Also walk along the river Vispa, from there you get a nice bottom view over the Matterhorn, beautiful to take photos with the village in the foreground. The main road called Bahnhofstrasse is the touristy center of Zermatt. It can be crowded but it sort of feels lovely! There are many restaurants at where you can dine at. The village is in particular nice during the sunset and dusk.
During December/January/February/March, the village transforms into a perfect Winter Wonderland during the night! Also visit the Kleinmatterhorn, the highest alpine station you could visit in the Swiss Alps and even in Europe! The Kleinmatterhorn is located on 3890m above sea level. Thus, it is already very high up! You will feel the thin air, but somehow it's also quite exciting! Visit the ice palace (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise), which is a manmade cave inside the glacier. There, you can see many carved ice figures.
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