Bracing crystal air, bright sunlight, sparkling ski-slopes, breath-taking panoramas, an almost tangible feeling of sitting on top of the world: this is Zermatt, Switzerland. It is a picturesque Alpine town that welcomes visitors all year round and offers the very best heart-warming Swiss hospitality.
Zermatt nestles in the shadow of the mighty Matterhorn. This picturesque, car free alpine town stretches some 240 square kilometres, and has, over the years remained faithful to its original Alpine character, while providing the ideal destination for both skiing and non-skiing visitors from Switzerland and places around the world.
If half your family are big enthusiasts of winter sports, and the other half rather less active, then a stay in Zermatt makes the ideal destination for all. Although not the cheapest of places, the extra cost is recouped time and again with panoramic views in every direction. Some of the finest skiing in Europe. Fabulous accommodation. Chic café/bars, and restaurants for lovers of fine dining.
All the Zermatt hotels uphold the high-quality standards typical of Switzerland and warm Swiss hospitality; whichever hotel you choose, you will not be disappointed.
What’s the best area to experience the city for the first time, tourists, what’s the best area for shopping & restaurants, or why is Zermatt the best resort for non skiers? Read on below to find out more best neighbourhoods to stay in Zermatt Switzerland.
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What is the Best Area to Stay in Zermatt?
Best for First Time (Sightseeing): City Centre
The city centre of Zermatt is one of the best places to stay. Although Zermatt is a car-free area, moving around the town and surrounding areas winter or summer is easy. Using either public service electric vehicles, enjoying the harmonious jingling of the bells on the many horse drawn carriages available, or just strolling through the picturesque streets. You can almost smell the exhilarating, exciting atmosphere hovering in the clean fresh air whichever way you choose to travel along Zermatt’s main streets.
1. City Centre
Staying in the town centre district, will have you close to everything you need. The regular railway station and the cogwheel railway are a couple of minutes walk, and opposite each other on the Bahnhofplatz.
Zermatt has plenty of first-class accommodation. From sumptuous 5-star hotels, to mid-range 3 and 4-star hotels, to youth hostels, and self-catering Alpine chalets and apartments. If you like to keep your head in the clouds, there are also some fabulous mountainside hotels available.
For views across Zermatt, the Schonegg Chalet Hotel sits above the town, with access via an elevator from street level. The Silvana Mountain Hotel with its fine dining restaurant, luxurious spa, and ski slopes just outside your door. The Riffelalp Resort sitting over 2000 metres high, with numerous restaurants to choose from, a spa, and plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained.
Or how about the second oldest hotel in Zermatt? Built in the mid-1850s, the hotel Riffelhaus boasts hot tubs, sun terraces and relaxing spa. If you want to go a little higher, consider the Kulmhotel Gornergrat. At 3100 metres above sea level it is Europe’s highest hotel. Open 12 months of the year, the hotel boasts its own restaurant, shops, and observatory, for those who enjoy a little star gazing.
- Best Places to Stay (Great Value): Mont Cervin Palace • Unique Hotel Post
- Best Cheap / Affordable Hotels: Hotel Romantica • Hotel Garni Testa Grigia
2. Zermatt Train Station area
There is a good choice of hotels in the town centre within half a kilometre of the train station. Hotel Omnia offers immediate quirkiness: it sits on a rock and guests enter through a tunnel, from there a lift leads to the lobby.
The Hotel Romantica offers central yet quiet accommodation and guests can enjoy its charming garden. The typical Alpine style can be appreciated at the Matterhorn Lodge; this hotel’s wellness facilities include three saunas. The historic Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, dating from 1879, proposes traditional luxury accommodation.
- Best Places to Stay (Great Value): Schlosshotel my Lifestyle • Le Mirabeau Hotel & Spa
- Best Cheap / Affordable Hotels: Hotel Sarazena • Hotel Butterfly, BW Signature Collection
3. Lift areas (Sunnegga, Gornegrat, or Gornergrat Bahn)
The Hotel Bellerive, near the Sunnegga ski-lift (Talstation Sunnega-Rothorn), boasts modern interiors behind a traditional Valais facade. Hotel Bella Vista is a family-run hotel that offers typical chalet-style rooms and great views of the Matterhorn. Another hotel near the ski-lift, the Hotel Chesa Valese, is small and arty, full of fine details and historic curiosities; the atmosphere is vintage Alpine.
To reach the slopes it is practical to use the Gornergrat railway (Gornergrat Bahn GGB). Nearby there are top-class hotels, such as the Gornergrat Dorf which caters to winter skiers and summer hikers and offers old-style cosy hospitality. There are several four-star hotels near the Gornergrat Bahn including Hotel Helvetia, Sunstar Hotel, and many others. The luxury Schweizerhof Hotel near the Gornergrat lift has three restaurants and extensive wellness facilities including a pool.
- Best Places to Stay (Luxury): Matterhorn FOCUS Design Hotel (Matterhorn Station) • The Christiania Mountain Spa Resort (Sunnega-Rothorn)
- Best Cheap / Affordable Hotels: Hotel Welschen (Sunnega-Rothorn) • Hotel Plateau Rosa (Matterhorn Station)
4. Mountain hotel above the village
Wake up every day surrounded by mountains and sky! Is this what they call living on cloud nine? Some marvellous hotels in these towering mountains confer that cloud-nine feeling. The Riffelalp Resort Hotel sits almost in the sky at 2222m and offers great Alpine hospitality. Its setting is a picture postcard and the views are stunning, especially the nearby Matterhorn with its recognisable pyramid shape topped in snow. There are many skiing schools in the area that provide ski and snowboard lessons at all levels.
Another hotel that nestles in the shadow of the Matterhorn is the Riffelhaus Hotel. This historic hotel dates back to 1853. It was built to provide accommodation for mountaineering teams setting out to conquer the Matterhorn. This pioneering spirit can still be felt in its original beams and stones that had been hauled up the mountain by mules. Now it is a comfortable and tranquil mountain retreat, and it still attracts climbers heading for the Matterhorn as well as skiers and summer hikers.
The Silvana Mountain Hotel is a ski-in ski-out turning point: the main ski pistes start right here. The Silvana Hotel complex offers visitors a choice between the main Silvana Hotel, the Silvana Lodge with its charming junior suites and the newly renovated Mountain Chalet. This hotel is popular as a summer resort; hikers and bikers find it an excellent base-camp for mountain excursions.
- Best Places to Stay (Great Value): Riffelalp Resort 2222m • 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat
- Best Cheap / Affordable Hotels: Silvana Mountain Hotel • Hotel Schwarzsee
5. Täsch (village nearby)
The village neighbourhood of Täsch, known as the gateway to Zermatt, has some 1200 residents, and sits around five-kilometres north of the town. Although accommodation is somewhat limited by number, many visitors to the district prefer to base themselves in the cheaper Täsch hotels and hostels. Either taking the ten minute commute into Zermatt on a daily basis, or starting their activities from the village.
- Best Places to Stay (Great Value): Modern Rooms by Täscherhof • Haus Aruna (Apartment)
- Best Cheap / Affordable Hotels: Matterhorn Inn • Typically Swiss Hotel Täscherhof
6. Visp (village nearby)
Just a thirty-minute drive or around one hour’s train ride from Zermatt, Visp is another popular alternative to the pricier Zermatt, and a great base for touring the area. From here, you can pick up the famous cog-wheel railway, which passes through four stations including Zermatt, on its way to Gornergrat.
This small, picture-postcard Alpine town is also the centre for cultural activity and wine growing activities in the region, with one vineyard, the Visperterminen, being the highest in Europe at 1150 metres. Accommodation is plentiful, and spreads from good value budget hostels and self-catering apartments, to 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-star hotels.
- Best Cheap / Affordable Places to Stay: Visperhof • Hotel & Bildungshaus St. Jodern
