We chose to stay the night in the area specifically to visit Gornergrat in the morning. Less chances of clouds and crowds! We had planned to visit one top of the mountain attraction on this trip and we decided it was going to be Gornergrat after a lot of research.

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Why choose Gornergrat

There are multiple mountain tops that vie for your attention and money in Switzerland. Jungfraujoch is the most popular, followed by Mount Titlis and Glacier 3000 that take you up expensive Gondolas/trains to the top of the highest peak in the area with the possibility of snow and also proximity to a glacier. The reason we chose Gornergrat was because it was one of the cheapest and with the most bang for your buck. The Alps near Zermatt have the majority of the tallest peaks. You can several 4000m+ peaks from Gornergrat including the Matterhorn in all its glory. You can also see about 8-10 glaciers located between these peaks. The Monte Rosa massif with its tallest peak, the Dufourspitze, which happens to be the tallest mountain of Switzerland at 4634m is right across the valley from Gornergrat. The Gorner glacier and the Grenz Glacier meet right below Gornergrat. Many Swiss believe this to be the best view in all of Switzerland.

Getting here

Gornergrat Bahn

The GGB is located right opposite the Zermatt station. A cogwheel train runs from here every 20-40 minutes depending on the season. It takes 33 minutes to reach Gornergrat. There are several stations along the way that you can stop, take pictures or hikes. Some of the popular stops include Rotenboden for the famed view of Matterhorn reflecting on the Riffelsee when it is still. There is also Riffelberg and Riffelalp for great views and hikes. However it is all seasonal. Since most of the hiking trails were covered with snow when we visited we gave all of these a miss.

Tickets

Booking tickets in advance for the train is emphatically advised against. The views at Gornergrat are hugely dependent on the weather. Some days it is covered in thick clouds that you can’t even see the valley below, forget looking at the peaks around you. Some days the valley is covered in low lying clouds but the peaks are visible. Best way to determine if you should or should not visit Gornergrat is by looking at the live webcam. I have spent days looking at the different webcams in Zermatt and Gornergrat from months before, noting down what the weather forecast calls for and the how the views actually look. Also noted down when the views were the best. I can say without a doubt that mornings had the best views. The earlier the better. On some days even when the weather forecast called for clouds (partly/mostly cloudy), the views at Gornergrat were still extraordinary in the mornings with some sparse clouds drifting, adding more beauty to the snow capped peaks. 

We paid 114CHF per adult for the return trip from Zermatt in end of May. Sam went free with her Junior Karte. There are some cheaper tickets available in the afternoon. I decided against it due to the uncertainty in the weather and also because the sun will be directly behind the Matterhorn making photography a little difficult. I still had plans to visit in the afternoon in case the weather was extremely good the evening before.

On the day of the visit I looked at the webcam in the morning and the weather forecast and decided it was worth to spend that kind of money. So we left around 8:30 am after checking out of Hotel Täscherhof. Just as we reached the GGB the 9:10 departed and we had to wait for the 9:45 train. With time to kill we wandered around and for the first time I saw the Matterhorn shining bright in the morning sunlight in all its glory!

The Coop at Zermatt was one of the best we encountered in the whole trip. They were well stocked with fresh baked goods, juices, salads and sandwiches. After I purchased the tickets at the kiosk I made a trip to Coop to buy some French Croissants and juice. I love their ginger shot. Great buy to keep travel nausea and tummy troubles at bay!

The cog wheel train

This is Europe’s highest Cog wheel train and operates 365 days a year since 1898. It is also the world’s first fully electrified cog railway. It travels from Zermatt at 1620m to Gornergrat at 3089m over 9.4 kms of cog wheel track and makes a vertical climb of 1469m. The scenery from the windows of the train are unparalleled. It is better to sit on the right side of the train going up. To do this, buying a priority boarding would be a good idea during the peak season. As we visited in the low season we did not purchase it but stood near the doorway before they opened so that we could rush to grab a seat on the right side. 

As the train makes its way up you’re rewarded with views of the Matterhorn with the the town of Zermatt spread out in the foreground. Slowly we leave the town behind and our views are replaced with mountains, Alp-pine trees and some snow. As we climb, we leave the greenery behind for pristine, white snow! All the while the Matterhorn refuses to leave our line of vision. We also see the valley to the north of Zermatt which is guarded by several 4000m peaks on either side. 

Gornergrat – things to see and do

As we arrived at Gornergrat a little past 10 am, we saw crowds for the first time in the little station’s narrow platforms. As the elevation is over 3000m, the oxygen will be thinner and some people may require a few minutes to acclimatise. Children under the age of 3 are not recommended to visit spots over 3000m as they may not be able to communicate difficulty with breathing. We saw a couple with an infant that was likely only a few months old and the baby was constantly crying.

The station had an old world charm to it with its stone building, narrow platforms, the red GGB train and snow all around. People from the arriving train we spilling out into the platform and past the turnstiles into the snow. We stuck to the cleared pathways and ventured behind the station building to gape at the Matterhorn.

The iconic Matterhorn

At 4478m Matterhorn is not even the tallest mountain in Switzerland but it is the most identifiable. It is on souvenirs, on trains and buses, on travel brochures and guides and even on chocolates! Toblerone had the Matterhorn on its logo until they moved their production to outside Switzerland. It would be a travesty not being able to see it after it being the face of Switzerland! It’s located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Many attempts have been made to summit it. Despite it having a ridge and a gradual ascent from the Italian side, the mountaineers could not summit. The successful summit was made from the Swiss side in 1865. The Hörnli hut, perched on a ledge at the foot of the Matterhorn (a tiny spec in the picture above), is used for overnight stops in hikes to Matterhorn today. The hike to Hörnli mountain hut is a worthy hike in itself.

The ideal point to take a picture of your group with the Matterhorn in the background is the landing in the steps beyond this photo point. There are metal stairs that go up to the bridge over the railway tracks. Many tourists do not make it to this bridge and prefer to walk to the other side using the path at the end of the station. 

The second best spot would be the area behind the station towards the edge of the cliff. This area was covered in thick snow when we visited. We did not have boots on and decided not to get our shoes and socks wet. There were many people taking pictures here but we preferred the landing on the stairs to the bridge.

The photo point

There’s a free photo included with the ticket and this is located right behind the station. It is a machine that takes a picture 10 seconds after you have scanned your GGB ticket. What we found difficult was to stop the hundreds of people crossing between us and the machine despite the loud beep emanating from the machine! The photo quality was also nothing to write home about. 

The bridge

This takes people from behind the station to the other side over the train tracks. These are made of steel and are shaky. However they are the best spot to catch trains arriving and leaving with the snow covered peaks in the background.  You can also see one of the first locomotives of the Gornergrat at the Golden spot from the bridge.

Grand Tour photo point

Going down the bridge on the other side and walking up the slope you reach the Grand Tour photo spot with its bright red frame. There was a good queue here to take pictures but it’s a worthy spot. The red frame contrasting with the snowy backdrop and the Matterhorn turns out great in pictures.

Kulm Hotel and observatory

The Kulm Hotel is the highest hotel in the Swiss Alps. Rooms are available for overnight stays here. There is an observatory in the top floor of this hotel that is available exclusively for the hotel’s overnight guests and researchers. There is a restaurant and a terrace that is open to other guests. The view of the station and the Kulm Hotel with its observatory is a nice alternative to the snow clad peaks.

Monte Rosa massif

The Monte Rosa massif is the tallest mountain in Switzerland. It has two peaks – the Nordend, on the left and Dufourspitze (4634m) on the right. If you have a pair of binoculars or excellent zoom on your camera you can also see the futuristic looking Monte Rosa hut (the night stop for hikes to Monte Rosa). The glacier to the left of the mountain is the Gorner, which is right below your feet and the one to the right is Grenz.

The panoramic viewing terraces

The trail behind the hotel leads to several terraces that provide breathtaking views of the valleys, the peaks, the glaciers and entire Alps in this part of Switzerland. There are 29 mountains surrounding Gornergrat that rise over 4000m.

You can also spot the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise station and perhaps catch a gondola going up or down.

The final terrace at the top of the trail offers a 360º view of the entire Matter valley and the 30+ peaks around it. In summer there is a looping trail to take you further up the mountain and back.

By the time we made it to the top of the series of view terraces, clouds were moving in and the Matterhorn was nearly covered. Matterhorn seems to be a magnet for clouds!

We made our way down to the station for our return to Zermatt after spending about 2 hours at the Gornergrat. This time on our return train, we sat on the other side and still had views of the valley and some waterfalls. We reached Zermatt a little after one, picked up salads and some dessert at Coop and had a picnic near at one of the picnic benches near the tennis courts. It was warm but completely cloudy and I was once again glad that we decided to visit Gornergrat in the morning. We then returned to Täsch, picked up our car and made our way out of the Matter valley and onward to Lauterbrunnen.