What Are the Best Zermatt Hikes Near the Matterhorn?

The Matterhorn is arguably the prettiest and most iconic mountain in the whole world. And Zermatt, Switzerland, has the ideal location to soak up these spectacular mountain views. A bustling and fashionable town mixed with a vast network of Zermatt hiking trails creates the perfect summer hiking holiday. Find the best Zermatt hikes to see the Matterhorn as well as the ideal sunrise spot. Plus planning tips for Switzerland, how to budget and a short afternoon itinerary for Zurich.

Itinerary

Zermatt

Zermatt is a world-famous mountain resort village in the Swiss region of Valais. It is best known for its picturesque location underneath the Matterhorn. At 1,620m (5,315 ft) above sea level, it is a hub for skiing, mountaineering, hiking, and alpine tourism. Zermatt is in South Switzerland on the border to Italy. The village has a car-free policy—only electric taxis and horse-drawn carriages are permitted—preserving its clean mountain air and traditional charm. The Zermatt hikes are the best way to take in the epic alpine scenery and get the best views of the Matterhorn.

Since visiting Chamonix and seeing Mont Blanc, I’ve always wanted to visit Zermatt and see the Matterhorn with my own eyes. The Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route multiple-day trek is a bucket-list trek for me. Originally, I was researching Lauternbrunnen, Wengen and Grindelwald for a Swiss hiking trip, but the accommodation prices were double Zermatt! In the end, we booked a 6-day trip in late July to tackle the best Zermatt hikes and the Matterhorn.

Key Highlights

• Matterhorn: The iconic peak dominates the skyline and attracts climbers and photographers alike.
• Skiing & Snowboarding: Zermatt offers year-round skiing, including the highest ski area in Europe with access to Italy’s Cervinia.
• Hiking & Biking: Over 400 km of trails in summer, including routes to mountain lakes and panoramic viewpoints.
• Gornergrat Railway: A cogwheel train reaching 3,089m with breathtaking views of the Matterhorn and surrounding glaciers.
• Glacier Paradise: Europe’s highest cable car station at 3,883m, with views of 38 four-thousanders and access to glacier experiences.

Zermatt Atmosphere

Zermatt blends luxury and Swiss tradition, offering everything from Michelin-starred dining and premium hotels to cosy alpine chalets. The pedestrianised roads lined with wooden chalets, boutique shops, outdoor brands and the river through the middle create a calm alpine ambience. There are plenty of options for affordable food and drink to enjoy after the Zermatt hikes.

The Best Zermatt Hikes

• Hörnlihütte – My favourite of the Zermatt Hikes and No.1 on my Best Mountain Hikes list. A hike normally from Schwarzee to Hörnlihütte at the base of the Matterhorn. A popular day hike and overnight stay for climbers attempting to summit the Matterhorn.
• Gornergrat & Riffelsee – The famous Gornergrat Railway offers great views across to the Matterhorn, and Riffelsee has a perfect reflection of the iconic Swiss mountain. My second favourite of the Zermatt hikes and No.5 on the Best Mountain Hikes.
• Five Lakes Walk & Oberrothorn– The 5 Lakes Walk is a family-friendly hike taking in lovely trails and water reflections. The 5 Lakes are: Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee, and Leisee (from Blauherd to Sunegga direction). It can be made more challenging with an ascent of Oberrothorn (3,414m) above Unterrothorn.
• Edelweiss Höhbalmen Trail – This is a fantastic hike Zermatt valley without cable cars or trains. The beautiful alpine meadows and views of the Matterhorn are mesmerising. It’s a hard climb to start and a long day out!

Planning

Transport

The nearest airport is Zürich (3.5h) to Zermatt, with fast trains linking the 2. Bern is closer than Zürich, but flights often are more expensive with limited airports served. In comparison, Geneva is 4hours away but has a longer train connection (4hours) to Zermatt. There is a direct train to Visp from Zürich, passing through Bern. Then change at Visp to the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn for the 1-hour ride to Zermatt. Cars are not allowed in Zermatt, so you need to park in Täsch (5km down the valley) and take the 12-minute train up to Zermatt. The train from Zürich Airport to Zermatt can cost as little as £50, but it’s best to book early online! The Swiss Card can be used to get reduced half-fare prices as well, see the Budget lower for how to make the most of the trains and cable cars with it.

Accomodation

Zermatt has a wide range of hotels and accommodations for all seasons. I chose to book an Airbnb, which is the cheapest option! There is the Matterhorn Hostel as well, but these all book up quickly. If you’re looking for a hotel, then Hotel Alpenhof or Hotel Matterhorn Focus are good hotels. And Zermatt has many luxury hotels with the well-known Mont Cervin Palace, CERVO Mountain Resort and The Omnia for those who fancy a more comfortable and luxurious stay.

When to visit?

The summer hiking season is from July to September, when the weather is primed for hiking and mountain biking. The days can be mixed with hot temperatures but storms in the evenings, and cooler at elevation. The cable cars in Zermatt are open generally all year round, with different prices in summer vs winter. For Zermatt hikes, I would prepare for any weather, but the trails are well sign-posted and marked. Winter months (December to April) offer world-class skiing and snowboarding with connections over to Cervinia in Italy. The shoulder months in Spring (May-June) are much quieter as the hiking trails open, but be careful of the late-season snow. And Autumn offers crisp, cool air with fewer crowds and pretty autumnal colours.

How Expensive is Zermatt?

Switzerland is not a cheap country by any means, and Zermatt is no exception! Importantly, Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc and not the Euro as currency. Zermatt is one of the country’s pricier resorts for eating out (restaurants, cafes, drinks), hotels, and ski passes/cable cars. Whilst budget options exist, it’s worth having a good amount of spending money to enjoy Zermatt. One way to save money, depending on your itinerary, is to invest in the Swiss Half Fare Card, which gives 50% off ticket prices for transport and cable cars after purchasing. We calculated we saved over 100CHF by buying the Swiss Card (120CHF) compared to paying full price for every train, mountain railway, funicular and cable car (see more details in the Budget section).

How Long to Visit?

We spent 5 nights in Zermatt and would have loved to spend more time there. We planned 4 long hikes with 2 days of travel to and from Zürich. I would recommend 1 week in Zermatt to not rush the amazing Zermatt hikes and trails whilst balancing affordability. And we found an afternoon in Zürich enough to see the main sights.

What to pack?

For this hiking trip, we used the trusted Hiking Packing List for the main items, then added in some casual wear for the evenings and Zürich. The weather was forecast to be warm, but as with every mountain resort, expect rain and storms at any point. So we had wet weather gear along with our lightweight summer hiking equipment, too, for the unpredictable Zermatt hikes and weather.

Zürich to Zermatt (Day 1)

Zürich Airport

On some trips, the travel to the destination can feel like a slog. This journey from Zürich Airport to Zermatt is one of the most scenic train rides I’ve been on! Zürich Airport is a massive international hub for flights, where good deals and convenient timings can be found. The Airport is a 10-minute ride from the city centre, so usually, the train is quiet when boarding. This is particularly handy when finding seats and storing luggage. The train to Visp takes 3h20 and passes through the Capital (Bern). Some tickets require a change at Bern and Zürich Centre, whereas some are direct to Visp from Zürich. The train tickets cost from £50 to £93, depending on the time of day and the number of changes. The journey takes you into the mountains and past Alpine Lakes such as Lake Thun at Spiez.

When we (Roisin and I) arrived at Visp, we found that a rail replacement bus service was being run due to a landslide damaging the railway. We boarded the roasting coach with no Air Con and rode up the valley towards Täsch. Then we could board the short train, finally up to Zermatt after only 4 hours since landing in Zürich. A fast and efficient transport system! The train station is centrally located, and there are horse-drawn carriages to help transport you around town, as Cars are banned.

Zermatt Town Centre

Upon arrival at Zermatt, we hauled our bags up the hill to our Airbnb apartment, which overlooked the town. Then set about exploring the picturesque town and finding the local supermarket. Zermatt has a unique mix of high-end fashion boutiques, watch brands and designer clothing next to outdoor equipment and souvenir shops. The town is known for its luxurious hotels and shopping; however, we were determined to do the trip on a budget. The 2 main supermarkets are Coop and Migros to shop for groceries and stuff. We planned to self-cater to try to keep costs down. The town is busy in the evenings with people coming off the mountains, the bars filling, and the restaurants packed. Our stroll to Kirchbrücke saw the Matterhorn in cloud, so we would have to wait, but we got a nice sunset before a torrential downpour and thunderstorm at night awoke us.

Edelweiss Höhbalmen Trail (Day 2)

Edelweiss Mountain Hut

After a hearty homemade breakfast on the balcony overlooking Zermatt, we prepared for the day. The hiking backpacks were sorted, and we hit the trail from our apartment for our first of the Zermatt hikes planned. Our plan for most of the best Zermatt hikes was to save money by hiking from the town to the epic trails instead of using the expensive cable cars. First up was the Edelweiss Höhbalmen, which was highly rated on AllTrails for its Matterhorn views. The day was looking unpredictable with a confusing start. Under Mammut Klettersteig (Via Ferrata Region), the signposts told of a trail closure up towards Berggasthaus Trift. This threw a spanner in the works at the beginning of our day hike.

We retraced our steps and used AllTrails to find a different route up towards the Eldelweiss Mountain Hut. The path was steep, yet we eventually arrived at the Hut perched neatly above Zermatt. To our dismay, we found the path up to Berggasthaus Trift was still closed, so once again we hit reverse back through the Alpine flower-covered meadow. Our luck was running low with dark clouds approaching fast.

Höhbalmen Viewpoint

We hiked up a steep trail towards Bänkli auf Höhbalmen. This is a 1,100m brutal ascent from the town to the Höhbalmen viewpoint. We were not fast enough, however. A torrential downpour engulfed us, forcing us to quickly put on waterproof jackets, trousers, and backpack rain covers. The next hour was fairly miserable with the mighty Matterhorn half covered in cloud, and our appetite for lunch was disappearing. It shows that even the best of plans can be changed with poor weather. Slowly, the rain eased, and the clouds began to lift for some moody views and images of the Matterhorn and the Zmuttgletscher valley. The saving grace was the Arben Wasserfall (see Infographic) for an impressive photo opportunity.

Zmutt Trail

The trail itself was easy, just wet as we hiked back along the Edelweissweg past Zmutt towards Zermatt. The afternoon was wearing on as we hadn’t eaten lunch, but the blue skies had appeared to our surprise. Typically, we didn’t get these conditions at the Höhbalmen viewpoint. On the opposite ridge, we could see the Hörnlihütte, which was the objective for Day 4. The views behind us were jaw-dropping in the sun, but still, the Matterhorn summit teased us by remaining hidden in clouds. The Edelweiss Höhbalmen trail is one of the best Zermatt hikes with easy pathfinding and probably good views; however, my experience means I can only rate it 3/5, given the weather and closed trail.

Five Lakes Walk (5-Seenweg) & Oberthorn (Day 3)

Zermatt 5K Run

One of my new favourite things to do whilst travelling is a run. Having done them in Valencia and Tuscany in the heat, I was intrigued by how the altitude would affect me. The 5K route we did was through the main street towards the Sportplatz Zen Stecken, then back along the Vispa river. We crossed a bridge and then ran back to finish near the Sunnegga-Rothorn Station, feeling happy with our fast 5K around town.

Leisee, Mosjesee & Grunsee

The 5 Lakes Walk (5-Seenweg) in Zermatt is very popular and the No.1 out of all the Zermatt Hikes on AllTrails. Most people ride the underground funicular to Sunnegga, then up the gondola to Blauherd Station to start the walk. However, we chose to ride up to Sunnegga, then hike to Leisee first. Once again, the weather was not ideal, with low clouds settled upon the Zermatt Valley. Our hopes of seeing the Matterhorn or other mountain tops were low. We followed the easy, soggy hiking path to Mosjesee, which was very moody with the clouds in the pine forest. The trail climbed up to Mountain Lodge Ze Seewjinu; this was maybe the most interesting part. Not many people were on the lower half of the 5 Lakes route as we reached Grunsee. Grunsee would offer good views across the valley.

Grindjisee & Stellisee

Next up was Grindjisee after a steep gravel road section. The reflections of the trees in the water were nice, but nothing too exciting. On the hike up to Stellisee, we finally got a view of some mountains peeking through the clouds. This hope was cancelled when we joined the crowded trail from Blauherd with people eager to see their first lake. We had climbed up the long, hard way and didn’t bother stopping at Stellisee with the large groups of non-hikers. Instead, we powered up to Fluhalp  Mountain Hut and Restaurant. We took in the views of the Findelglescher and the mountains on the Italian border. We had a decision to make about either returning to Blauherd or heading up towards Rothorn Station and onto Oberrothorn (AllTrails).

Oberrothorn

Of course, we picked the challenging option and started the steep climb up the track. The altitude at Rothorn Bergstation is 3103m up, so we had some serious elevation to deal with. I had poorly fuelled, so I was running low on energy as we hit the trailhead to Rothorn Station. However, I was determined to climb to Oberrothorn with Roisin, another 300m climb to 3414m at the summit. We took our time climbing the loose and narrow path, seeing more serious hikers up here compared to the 5 Lakes. We summited at nearly 2 pm, therefore, enjoyed a late lunch on the summit with minimal views and only some blue sky above. The descent down was fast but careful, with a final kicker to reach the Rothorn Station to catch the cable car down.

Rothorn Station

Finally, at Rothorn Station, we were rewarded with spectacular views around Unterrothorn. The Matterhorn had shown its beauty with blue skies, white clouds and an imposing presence over the valley. It was so special that we skipped a cable car to soak up the views and enjoy a much-earned chocolate bar. The cable car down to Blauherd had great forward-facing views of the Matterhorn. Then we continued down the gondola and funicular to reach the town in the valley. Honestly, I didn’t rate the 5 Lakes Walk too much. This hike was saved by the fact that we still managed more than 1400m of climbing at over 3000m of elevation with some great views of the Matterhorn from Unterrothorn.

Hörnlihütte Hike (Day 4)

Schwarzee

It was my 27th birthday, and I was excited for the big hike! First, we walked down to Fuchs Bakery for a pastry and coffee to treat ourselves. After 2 days of uninspiring weather, the mountain conditions were promising for the Zermatt hike to Hörnlihütte. When researching Zermatt, I soon discovered this hike on AllTrails, and it ticked all the boxes for ideal day hikes. The original plan was to hike down the Glaciers Trail from Trockener Steg station to Schwarzsee, up to Hörnlihütte, then descend to Zermatt. But with not much ascending and a little uninspiring Glacier Trail, we changed the plan in the morning, thankfully. We started in Zermatt town and decided to hike up past Furi up to Schwarzsee, then onto Hörnlihütte. Most people take the cable car straight to Schwarzsee, where the hike is around 3 hours to the hut.

The hike had great alpine hiking weather of around 20°C, and the clouds lifted in the early afternoon to unveil the beautiful landscapes. The start of the hike was along the river, then through little chalet hamlets while steadily climbing. Then Roisin (Girlfriend) and I hiked through the forests before arriving at the alpine meadows. By the time we arrived at Schwarzsee, we had already climbed 1200m to see the fresh hikers straight off the cable car. Another 600m of higher altitude ascending on rocky and steep terrain awaited us.

Hörnlihütte

After hours of peace, we hiked along the crowded trails and saw the diversity of hikers, groups and climbers all heading to the hut. My favourite part was the stairs, ropes and steep rocky sections on the final push. The Hörnlihütte terrace was packed, so we continued above to get a closer view of the Matterhorn and found a lunch spot at the base. One of my favourite parts of my birthday was relaxing and soaking in the Matterhorn. Our descent to Schwarzsee was rapid, and we headed down in around an hour to the cable car. This hike broke my personal record for the most amount of climbing in a day with 1812m too! I would highly recommend heading up to Hörnlihütte as the top views across the Matterhorn are truly breathtaking.

Klein Matterhorn

We left it late but managed to get a cable car up to Klein Matterhorn (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise). The ride up was exhilarating, travelling over the glaciers and seeing Breithorn, one of the most accessible 4000m mountains for mountaineers. At the top, we had missed the chance to visit the top platform, so we ran outside to grab some photos before being hurried down on the last cable car. I was a little disappointed we couldn’t spend even 5 minutes on the summit. At Schwarzsee, we were joined in a gondola by an American couple who inspired us. The woman had just climbed Breithorn, and her Husband had literally just climbed the Matterhorn! I was in awe and spoke about the technical difficulty, and traded stories about Nepal with them eagerly. I wish that the Gondola ride could have gone on further, but I had met an aspirational couple.

Grampi’s

To celebrate my birthday, we had pre-booked an Italian restaurant called Grampi’s. It didn’t give us a lot of time to get ready after a full day’s hiking. Plus, a quick call to Garmin for Roisin to complain about her smartwatch not tracking GPS. We arrived and were treated like royalty by the attentive and friendly staff. The table had a prime spot overlooking the street below. Surprisingly, we were offered a complimentary drink to celebrate my birthday before we ordered delicious Pizzas, which we enjoyed over a bottle of wine. Before I even had the chance to look at the dessert menu, a Tiramisu was brought to the table for us to share, another complimentary gift from Grampi’s.

I had never been treated so well at a restaurant, and to top it off, we were given a cleansing lemoncello shot too! We were grateful and gave a generous tip for the hospitality. Afterwards, we walked around town before enjoying some cocktails at Snowboat. We got a table outside where we took in the views, yet we did not realise the amount of alcohol we had consumed and the effects of alcohol. I was more drunk than I realised when we returned to the apartment, worth it for a fun birthday.

Gornergrat & Riffelsee (Day 5)

The previous evening’s drinks had translated into a hangover. It was a later start to the Gornergrat hike compared to the other Zermatt hikes. Despite our headaches, we had a brutal hike from the town towards Riffelsee instead of paying for the expensive (Over £110 return) train tickets up the famous Gornergrat Railway. My main gripe with this hike was the large crowds and poor hiking etiquette and manners.

Riffelalp

The hike (AllTrails) started in Zermatt from the Airbnb and walked past the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car station to start our ascent. The start was pleasant along roads up towards Furi, even if plenty of electric taxis passed on the road. Roisin and I turned left up a steep forest trail, zigzagging up fast, which was a little killer. The day was heating up, and the sun was getting warm as we made our way to Riffelalp Resort for a quick break. The next section was my favourite, after a gravel track, we entered the alpine meadows. We got lovely floral pictures of the Matterhorn and had a quiet trail before a few groups of hikers descended from the middle station.

Riffelsee

We arrived at Riffelberg, which has a Gornergrat station, and the difference in crowds was immediate. The views across to Schwarzsee and the Matterhorn were clear with blue skies above, so the large crowds made sense. We chose a lower path to Riffelsee, which did not take the 1h10 advertised, more like 30 mins for us (warning fast hikers). Briethorn and Klein Matterhorn were looking imposing too as we hiked under Riffelhorn (a climber’s dream training ground – we will be back!). We stopped at the 1st smaller lake to grab pics of the reflections before continuing up to the larger, higher lake; this tactic worked well and meant less waiting for a prime spot.

Gornergrat Station

After a lunch spot over Riffelsee, we continued up through the Alpine Garden and walked away from the crowds along the left of the railway and up the last push to the summit. The top of Gornergrat was as hectic as expected as we weaved our way through the crowds to the observation deck to complete the hike. It wasn’t our longest hike, but with 1568m climbing was steeper than others in Zermatt and harder with the mid-20 degrees heat. One surprise was that no card machines were working at the ticket office, and they were asking for over 200 euros in cash!! (Which unsurprisingly we did not have). After hiking all the way up from Zermatt and giving up on the rude officer, we managed to get onto the train thanks to a useful assistant to enjoy the train down and a much-needed sit-down.

Zermatt Shops

The journey on the Gornergrat Railways is a great experience, seeing the Matterhorn and fellow Zermatt mountains on the rack and pinion train. We managed to depart the station without any issues from the staff and took the opportunity to look around the Zermatt shops on our final day. We first visited the outdoor sports shops such as Decathlon, Mammut, Intersport and The North Face, where I picked up a green T-shirt. Then we visited a souvenir shop to pick up a fairly pricey magnet, postcard, and coaster to meet the min card spend of 10CHF. At least we had something to remember the great Zermatt hikes by.

Matterhorn Sunrise & Zürich (Day 6)

Matterhorn Sunrise

On the last day in Zermatt, we woke early before sunrise in the hopes of seeing sunrise over the Matterhorn. Our chosen spot was at Mürini, a 20-minute, 1km walk with almost 100m to climb from the centre. We left at 5:45 am in the hope of timing the first light hitting the Matterhorn summit. We judged it well and found a good spot along with many other avid photographers and tourists. The photographs that my Fujifilm X-T30 captured were like a postcard. It might be one of my favourite sunrises, and I would recommend sacrificing some sleep for the memories.

Zürich Train

All great trips must come to an end. And after doing 4 of the best Zermatt Hikes, we were satisfied with our achievements and ready to leave the beautiful Zermatt valley. We retraced our steps back to Visp with a train, then the rail replacement bus back to the lower train station. We then hopped on the next available train to Zürich with a change in Bern. The train journey was as scenic as the first, with rolling hills, lakes and mountains to observe. We were fortunate enough to get seats with our luggage on both trains before arriving at the Zürich central station with an afternoon to enjoy the city. First, we stored the backpacks in the train station at the baggage lockers on the lower floors so we could not haul the backpacks around all day.

Zürich Old Town & Lake

We were free to explore Zürich and started with a quick walk through District 1 to Lindenhof, the old town. This hilltop vantage point has great views over the Limmat River and of the Grossmünster towers. We took a gentle stroll along the shops past the impressive twin-towered cathedral to Zürichsee. The Quaibrücke has my favourite viewpoint of the city with St. Peter Church, Grossmünster and Fraumünster Church above the skyline. The shores of Lake Zürich are bustling with locals soaking up the sun, playing sports and swimming. The tranquil lakeside Arboretum Zürich park, in particular, was busy with people enjoying the summer. I would recommend the lakeside promenade walk before heading into the Old Town.

We walked back towards Quaibrücke and over to the Zürich Opera House along the waterfront. There are many marinas and people enjoying watersports on the lake itself. And in the high 20°C temperature, we found a hidden gem of an ice creamery called LucyGoose. It’s much quieter than Mövenpick and offers some of the best ice cream I’ve tasted! We enjoyed the refreshing treat outside the Opera House before walking into District 1 again. Paradeplatz is a large square with the important Swiss banks surrounding it. Similar to Zermatt, there are high-end boutiques everywhere as well as more affordable shops. We planned to enjoy dinner in the city before heading over to the Airport for the flight home.

Zürich Dinner & Airport

Landesmuseum Zürich is located next to the Central Train Station and is a must-see thanks to its Chateau design. The Platzspitz park behind it is another popular green space for bikes and people to roam around. For dinner, we walked over to OH MY GREEK! via Langstrasse. I would highly recommend this Greek Cafe Restaurant as there were generous portions, great vegetarian options and very affordable for Switzerladn. Before our final train, we took a gentle stroll over to Old Botanical Garden, where we took in the beautiful flowers and plants, reminiscing on our Zermatt Hikes and Alpine adventures.

Zürich is easy to navigate on foot in general, with plenty of pretty streets, churches and things to see in a day. Finally, we returned to Zurich HB, where we collected our luggage and hopped on the train to the Airport. Zurich has a large departure area due to its vast international flight connections, so we browsed the duty-free, local shops and enjoyed a last drink before boarding the flight to the UK.

Budget

As mentioned, Zermatt is not a cheap destination, far from it! Yet there is a way to save money depending on your itinerary and plans. The Swiss Half-Fare Card is a 1-month travel card that gives half-price tickets on all trains, buses, boats and most mountain cable cars and railways. The card costs £110 (120 CHF). The plan is to use Zermatt cable cars/trains (Matterhorn Paradise, Gornergrat & Sunnegaa-Rothorn) would cost 342CHF (£315 / $425). However, with the Pass, the total cost would be £157.2 (then the card costs total £267.5). The other benefit is that the trains from Zurich to Zermatt and back cost only 50CHF in total instead of 100CHF. We managed to save some money by only buying tickets from Schwarzee to Klein Matterhorn, then to Zermatt, which cost only 59CHF instead of the 120CHF per ticket.

We kept our costs down by minimal shopping and only eating out once at Grampi’s. The food & drink budget could be much bigger if you prefer not to self-cater. The Swiss Travel Pass gives unlimited travel on public transport, entry to many museums and attractions, as well as 50% off mountain cable cars and railways. This option worked out more expensive as it costs 244CHF vs 120CHF for the Swiss Half Fare Card. For a 1-week trip and using the cable cars and trains, it’s worth investing the 120CHF in the Half Fare Card.

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What is the best Zermatt hike?

Zermatt really does offer some of the best hiking in the Alps, in my opinion. Rivalling even Chamonix in France for drama and variety! The best of the Zermatt hikes is undoubtedly Hornlihutte due to the challenging ascent, technical terrain, stunning views of the valley and being up close to the Matterhorn. Whilst some people prefer the laid-back Gornergrat and Riffelsee, they were too busy with tourists who had no interest in hiking or respecting nature. I believe the Hohnbahlmen (Edelweiss trail) would have been my second favourite hike if not for the bad weather and closed trail. When I return to Zermatt, I would love to try to climb Breithorn to experience mountaineering and potentially the Monte Rosa Multi-day hike, staying in mountain huts.