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Zermatt

Switzerland

By Yes Mom I'm Alive

HONEYMOON PART 1

For our honeymoon, Jeff and I wanted to spend a few weeks hiking in the mountains – but we didn't want to spend the whole trip sleeping in a tent.

We decided on the Alps because Europe has hiking figured out. In the summer months ski lifts whisk hikers above treeline in less than 10 minutes. Along most trails hikers can stop in to a mountain hut for lunch and beer, or stay the night in a warm bed. No need to carry a 40-pound pack for a dozen miles to reach the high alpine; a train can take you there. As far as we were concerned, this is the height of luxury!

We split our honeymoon into two segments: Four days in Zermatt, Switzerland, followed by two weeks hiking through the Dolomites in northern Italy.

Scroll to the very end for our full Zermatt itinerary and travel advice.

ARRIVAL

We landed in Switzerland in the middle of an extreme summer heatwave roasting most of Europe. Zürich broke its all-time heat record at 95 degrees. Unfortunately, it wasn't much cooler in the mountains.

After arriving to Zermatt by train, we went for a leisurely stroll around the town center. Zermatt is car-free – which would make for a more charming atmosphere if the cars were not all replaced by hundreds of small, lawless electric carts constantly whizzing betwixt pedestrians.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

FIRST LOOK AT THE MATTERHORN

Before leaving for our honeymoon, Jeff expressed some worry we might not see the Matterhorn's peak during our visit, as it is so often obscured by clouds formed by its own microclimate.

However, thanks to the stifling heat, we saw nothing but the Matterhorn during our four days in Zermatt. Every time we looked up, over our shoulder, to our left, or to our right – there she was, looming over us and Zermatt.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

HÖRNLI TRAIL

For our first hike of our honeymoon we went straight up onto the shoulders of the Matterhorn. We took a lift from Zermatt to the Schwarszee ridge above treeline, saving us 2000' feet of hiking.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Schwarzsee

We hopped off the lift at the alpine lake Schwarzsee ("Black Lake"). On the lake's shore is the small chapel Maria zum Schnee, built in the 1700s by a pair of mountaineers in gratitude for being rescued after getting lost on a glacier nearby. It is now tradition for mountaineers to visit the chapel to give thanks after a successful summit of the Matterhorn.

Zermatt

Hörnlihütte

The crowds dissipated as we left the lake and continued up the trail. The hike was a welcomed challenge for our legs after spending 14 hours on a plane the day before.

After a final set of switchbacks, we arrived at the Hörnlihütte. Perched on the northeastern shoulder of the Matterhorn, the hut serves as a nice respite at the end of a challenging day hike or as a base camp for climbers attempting a summit via the Hörnligrat ridge – the "easiest" of all the routes. The hut has a full restaurant and sleeps up to 170. We visited a few days shy of its re-opening for the summer season, so we unfortunately missed out on pairing an afternoon hugo spritz with the incredible view.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

After returning back down to Schwarszee, we took the last cable car of the day to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, 12,739' (3883m) above sea level. From the viewing decks we had a panoramic view of 38 peaks and 14 glaciers in France, Italy and Switzerland – including Mount Blanc, the Breithorn, and the lesser known southern face of the Matterhorn.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Five-Seenwag Trail

After trying to earn back our Swiss francs at our hotel's breakfast buffet, we headed back to the lifts to start the Five-Seenwag (Five Lakes) Trail. It was an easy hike, if not a little monotonous. Still, on yet another stifling hot day, it was nice to wade into the lakes to cool off. Before returning to town we stopped at a refugio for lunch and our trip's first (but not last) slice of apfelstrudel.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

The Gornergrat

The Kulmhotel Gornergrat seems made for a couple on their honeymoon – or for a billionaire villain in a James Bond film. The grand hotel stands alone at 10,131' (3,098m) surrounded by the Monte Rosa massif, Gorner Glacier and the Matterhorn.

During the daytime the hotel's patio was lousy with tourists who took the train up from Zermatt for the iconic Toblerone view of the Matterhorn. After the last train to town departed before dusk, peace and serenity returned to the alpine. We had the place almost to ourselves.

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Zermatt

Zermatt

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Zermatt

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Zermatt

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Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

RIFFELSEE LAKE

In pitch dark we woke and sleepily shuffled out of our cozy hotel room. Our headlamps dimly lit the bootpath as we hiked along the Gornergrat ridge in the direction of the silhouetted spire. We passed through a free roaming herd of Valais Blacknose sheep who paid us no mind on their way to graze.

When we arrived at Riffelsee Lake, we huddled together for warmth and waited for the light show to begin.

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Zermatt

Zermatt

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Zermatt

Zermatt

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Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

PARAGLIDING OVER ZERMATT

While strolling around the town center our first evening, we spotted a half-dozen of paragliders in the sky, swaying over the valley. On a whim we decided to book a trip for our last day in Zermatt.

We met our guides two stops below the Gornergrat at the Riffleberg Station. A hot second later we were strapped into a tandem harness with a guide and running off a cliff. As soon as our feet left the ground, the wind caught the parachute and lifted us into the air. Nothing about paragliding felt like an extreme sport; sailing above the Matter Valley was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life.

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

Zermatt

LAST NIGHT

Back on our two legs, we checked into our final hotel next to the train station. We enjoyed a supermarket picnic on our room's balcony while watching the setting sun light up the Matterhorn.

The next morning we woke up early and caught the first train back to Zürich International Airport. We had a plane to Italy to catch.

Zermatt

Zermatt

ITINERARY AND ADVICE

ITINERARY

DAY ONE

Arrive late morning at Zürich International Airport

Head to the train station ("Bahn") in the lower level of the airport

Pick up a sandwich or pastry at the train station supermarket for the ride south. It's perfectly acceptable in Switzerland to eat and drink on the train.

Take the train south to Zermatt (3.5 hrs)

Upon arrival to Zermatt, walk to Hotel Daniela (10 min)

Walk to the supermarket to pick up some snacks for the next few days of hiking

Stroll down Bahnhofstrasse and find a charming restaurant with a patio for dinner

DAY TWO

Enjoy the all-you-can-eat breakfast at your hotel

Walk to the Matterhorn Talstation (10 min) Take the Zermatt–Furi Lift, then transfer to the Furi–Schwarszee Lift.

Hike 2.7 miles and 2,323' to Hörnlihütte. Enjoy lunch on the hut's patio while watching climbers attempt the Matterhorn's northern face.

Hike back down to Schwarszee Talstation

Take the cable car to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. Visit the viewing deck and grab an aperitif at Europe's highest restaurant.

Take the last cable car down to Zermatt

Head out for dinner at The North Wall

DAY THREE

Wake up and repeat the all-you-can-eat breakfast at your hotel

Walk to the Sunnegga Talstation (6 min). Take the Zermatt–Sunnegga then Sunnegga–Blauherd lift.

At Blauherd, start the Five-Seenweg Hike (5.6 miles roundtrip, 540' gain). Take a dip in one of the lakes and stop at one of the refugios along the trail for lunch.

Return to Zermatt via the Sunnegga–Zermatt lift

Walk to the train station and catch the train to The Gornergrat (30 min)

Check into the Kulmhotel Gornergrat

Enjoy a four-course dinner – included in the cost of the room – at the hotel restaurant

Walk around the now-empty observation decks around the hotel for sunset

DAY FOUR

Wake up really, really early

Hike down to Riffelsee Lake (30 min). Watch the first ray of sun turn the tip of the Matterhorn pink

Take the train (or hike) back up to Kulmhotel Gornergrat

Take advantage of the hotel's all-you-can-eat breakfast (and all-you-can-drink prosecco)

After check out, take the train down to Riffelberg Talstation

Meet your paragliding guides from Fly Zermatt. Run off a cliff and soar over Zermatt

Upon landing, pick up your bags from the Fly Zermatt office

Check into your hotel next to the train station

Pick up bread, cheese, jam and prosecco from Migros Supermarket for dinner to enjoy on your room's balcony.

DAY FIVE

Catch an early morning train back to Zürich International Airport (3.5 hours)

Fly to Italy for 12 days hiking in the Italian Dolomites (story coming soon!)

See travel advice below.

Zermatt

Advice

HIKING

The Zermatt tourism website is an incredible resource for planning hikes and climbs. I often consulted this hiking and lift map to get oriented to Zermatt and plan our hiking routes.

If we were not on our honeymoon, we would have done some more rigorous hikes and stayed in a few of the mountain huts tucked into the peaks surrounding Zermatt. For our next visit to Zermatt we plan to stay in the Monte Rosa Hütte and Hörnlihütte, and climb the Breithorn.

TRANSPORTATION

Zermatt is a car-free town, so the only way to get into Zermatt is by train. Download the Swiss railway SBB app and aim to buy train tickets a few weeks in advance. Look out for Supersaver tickets for good discounts off one-way tickets.

Once in Zermatt, it's easy to walk anywhere you need to go. If you don't want to carry your luggage to and from the train station, most hotels offer a cart ride to guests.

If you plan to do a lot of hiking in Zermatt, the Peak Pass is worth the investment ($236 for 4 days). The pass provides access to all lifts, gondolas and cable cars in Zermatt, as well as entry to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. We liked having the flexibility to ride any lift we wanted, whenever we wanted. I calculated the cost of each individual lift we needed to take on the Zermatt tourist website and the Peak Pass definitely came out as the better deal for us.

BUDGET

There's not getting around it: Switzerland is expensive. As we were on our honeymoon, our travel budget was a little bigger than what we'd normally spend on a trip. On a smaller budget, we would have stayed at hostels and camped wherever permitted, shopped exclusively from supermarkets, hiked from town rather than taking the expensive lifts, and skipped the excursions like the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and paragliding.

EAT

When in Switzerland, seek out the following:

Hugo spritz: A refreshing spritz with fresh mint, elderflower syrup, and prosecco
Rösti: A Swiss potato fritter, often topped with a fried egg and speck
Fondue: While we personally found fondue a little dull, it was worth trying once. Fondue might be easier to enjoy on a cold day than during a heatwave...
Nusstorte: A Swiss short crust pastry filled with chopped walnuts, cream and caramelized sugar
Zopf: A soft white plaited loaf that is highly popular in the country. Most hotels serve it at breakfast

QUESTIONS?

I am happy to help you plan your trip to Zermatt! Send me an email at yesmomimalive@gmail.com

Footnotes

Canon 6D. Alternating 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/4L, and 17-40mm f/4L.

FootNotes

Canon 6D. Alternating 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/4L, and 17-40mm f/4L.

© 2026 Yes Mom I'm Alive

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