Zermatt lies beneath the iconic Matterhorn, first successfully climbed in 1865. One of the world’s very best ski areas, combining tradition and history with a huge international ski area, Europe's highest pistes, long runs, steep off-piste terrain and excellent mountain restaurants with glorious views. 

Zermatt’s Matterhorn Ski Paradise lives up to its name. Zermatt’s four ski sectors – Rothorn, Gornergrat, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Schwarzsee – are all interconnected. All of them except Schwarzee have top lifts reaching over 3000m, and those on Klein Matterhorn access Europe’s highest pistes at 3820m, from where you can descend all the way to Zermatt, a distance of 21 km and 2,279 vertical metres. Or with the International Skipass you can head off in the other direction, skiing across the Italian border and down into Cervinia.

It’s a huge shared ski area – 360km and 52 lifts –and with great variety. There are good nursery slopes, gentle blue runs for novices, plenty of challenging reds for intermediates, and a long, high North-facing ridge from Hohtalli to Stockhorn that is the jumping off point for several steep official ungroomed ski routes.. And for those who want to learn, improve or explore, there is are several ski schools and guides, and several heliskiing operations. 

You access car-free Zermatt on an old cog railway. Our simple 3* Hotel Gornergrat Dorf is in the village, across from the railway station, and at the base of the train to the train to the Gornergrat area. You can get around Zermatt on foot, electric taxis, horsedrawn carriages and local buses.