Why you should go to Zermatt on your Switzerland vacation

If you’re traveling to Switzerland, you probably have some of the mainstays like Zurich or Geneva on your itinerary. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with visiting those cities. But if you want a really unique experience in Switzerland, you should travel to the little town of Zermatt. Most people have never heard of it, but they have heard of the majestic Matterhorn. That’s right, the wizard hat-shaped mountain sits overlooking Zermatt. The Matterhorn is one of the highest summits in Europe and because of its unique shape, one of the most impressive to see for yourself.

But the views aren’t the only good reason to travel to Zermatt.  Switzerland, being the neutral country that it’s known to be, has a lot of influence from other European countries. Zurich, for example, is a bit of a colder version of a quaint German town. The people are a little less fond of beer and not as friendly, but you still get the Bavarian fairy tale cottege-esque architecture. But Zermatt on the other hand, is a uniquely Swiss village. This is the Switzerland you see in advertisements and movies, a beautiful picturesque village surrounded by the highest peaks of the Alps. If you like nature, even if you don’t ski, I can’t stress enough how beautiful a place this is.

So what kinds of experiences can you expect  from this beautiful village? Well, if you’re looking for a hotel in Zermatt, I have a suggestion for you. During winter season, you can actually stay in an igloo in Zermatt. The snow hotel includes igloos for families and romantic igloos that include your own personal snow sculptures where you can cozy up to your honey in a special two-person mountain expedition sleeping bag. Makes the Best Western sound like a shack, doesn’t it? But worry not, if you don’t like nature that much, you can stay some of the beautiful lodges, including the highly-rated Best Western Butterfly, where you can sleep in a cozy bed with beautiful views of the Alps and a warm fireplace.

Your lodging alone might be worth the trip, but there are a lot of other interesting activities to fill up your time. If you love to ski, you and almost every other tourist in Zermatt will be hitting the slopes of the Alps. You can take the lifts 12,740 ft. up the side of the Matterhorn and get some serious speed on the way down with some of the best mountain views you’ve ever seen. You can even take the cable car into Italy. Talk about a day trip. If you’re not the skiing type, you can still take gorgeous hikes or go snowshoeing around the base of the mountain. Or skip the walking altogether, and take the Gornergrat Bahn up to the peak of the Gornergrat where you can enjoy beautiful views of all the surrounding mountains, including the Matterhorn. You can also enjoy hiking and snowshoeing on the Gornergrat. Or you can enjoy lunch and a warm drink at the top.

There’s enough mountain to keep you busy on your feet and skis for days, but when you tire of that, you can always enjoy the shopping and dining down in the village. There are plenty of interesting shops and boutiques where you can pick up new gear or just a new outfit. And of course, the snow bunnies need a place to unwind and have a good beer so the town is dotted with bars and restaurants. They get fairly busy during high season. The prices are high but the food is worth it, especially the desserts. Good thing you’re going to be doing so much physical activity because the chocolates in Switzerland are to die for.