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Home > Switzerland > One Day in Zermatt: The Perfect Itinerary With Things to Do

One Day in Zermatt: The Perfect Itinerary With Things to Do

By Dymphe / January 10, 2023

One day in Zermatt is incredible to experience and it's the perfect amount of time to explore the town. Zermatt is an amazing destination in Switzerland and there's so much to do!

In a day, you can see all highlights of the town. You can ride the Gornergrat Railway, see a mountain, visit a museum, go skiing and do so much more!

If you're spending 24 hours in Zermatt, you will definitely have a wonderful time.

I'll first start with some information to know before traveling to the town. After that, you can find the perfect itinerary for one day in Zermatt! And this guide ends with some other things to know, such as where to stay during your time in the town.

Mountain in Zermatt
Buildings in Zermatt

Table of Contents

  • Why Spend One Day in Zermatt
  • The best time to travel to Zermatt
  • Itinerary for One Day in Zermatt
    • Start your one day in Zermatt with breakfast
    • Ride the Gornergrat Railway and see the Matterhorn Mountain
    • Go to the Matterhorn Museum
    • Lunch
    • Go hiking or skiing
    • Dinner
  • How to get to Zermatt?
  • Where to stay in Zermatt for one day?

Why Spend One Day in Zermatt

Zermatt is one of the most beautiful places to travel to in Switzerland. Many people know this wonderful destination for its skiing. 

As the mountains are very high, you can go skiing for the whole year. So it's even possible in summer! This makes the destination very unique.

Flowers and a mountain

For that reason, it’s a very popular ski destination. If you love skiing, this is the most important reason why you should travel to this town.

But besides that, Zermatt has so much more to offer. So it’s not only a great place to travel to if you like skiing!

For example, the town looks wonderful and wandering around there is amazing. It’s so magical to see all mountains and the beautiful buildings.

The town of Zermatt
Ski lift and trees

Another amazing reason to go to Zermatt is that it’s a movie location as well! This makes the destination even more special. You can see the town in the Third Man on the Mountain. This is a Disney movie. 

So if you travel to Zermatt you’ll experience what it’s like to be in a Disney movie in real life.

Also, if you love hiking, this is a great destination too. If you're spending 24 hours in Zermatt, hiking is one of the most fun activities.

And Zermatt has even more to offer! For example, you can see the Matterhorn Museum there. There’s definitely something for everyone’s liking in this town.

Matterhorn Mountain and snow

This is an itinerary for one day in Zermatt. That’s because, in a day, you can see all highlights of the town. It’s the perfect amount of time to visit the town for the first time. But this itinerary is also perfect if you go back there, but don’t have a lot of time to be there. 

The best time to travel to Zermatt

You can visit Zermatt every month. Every season, the town has something else to offer. 

But I'd recommend traveling there in summer. In summer, it's not very cold in Zermatt. The average high temperature is about 68°F (20°C) in summer. So that’s a great temperature!

And at the same time, it’s still possible to go skiing. That makes summer an amazing time to go there. You can both enjoy the warm weather and enjoy skiing!

So if you're spending 24 hours in Zermatt, summer is great!

A lake and Matterhorn Mountain in Zermatt

But traveling here in winter is amazing as well. Winter is very popular for those who love skiing. The temperatures are low, but that's a great experience too! It's also very magical to experience Christmas here. There's a lot of snow, so it will feel like a Christmas movie. 

You can also go here during autumn or spring. The average temperatures are higher than in winter but lower than in summer. So if you like that, it's pleasant to go here in these seasons as well. 

Itinerary for One Day in Zermatt

It's time for the itinerary! You're going to spend a wonderful day in the town.

Whether it's summer, fall, spring, or winter, this guide is perfect! You'll definitely make the most out of your time here.

Have fun exploring the amazing Swiss town!

Buildings and snow in Zermatt

Start your one day in Zermatt with breakfast

It is the morning of your 24 hours in Zermatt. First things first, let's go for breakfast!

Typical breakfast in Switzerland consists of bread, butter, and jam, or other toppings. Furthermore, people drink milk, hot chocolate, or coffee with it.

When you are only a day in Zermatt, you want the most authentic experience. So I'd recommend getting some typical Swiss breakfast.

A great place for this is Bistro Fuchs. There are a few locations in Zermatt. Here you can try out authentic Swiss bread with toppings and a good cup of coffee. This place has a lovely atmosphere.

Also, while you are here, you should definitely try out their homemade Swiss chocolate.

Ride the Gornergrat Railway and see the Matterhorn Mountain

One of the best things you can do in the town of Zermatt is to ride the Gornergrat Train. This is a train that goes from Zermatt to Gornergrat. Along the way, you can see beautiful views of the landscape of Switzerland. The total train journey takes about 33 minutes.

The Cornergrat Railway

What's unique about this train ride is its altitude. The train ride starts in Zermatt at an altitude of 1604 meters above sea level. From there it goes to the railway station of Gornergrat. This station is 3089 meters above sea level, which is very high.

In fact, this railway is the second-highest railway in Europe. That's a unique experience you definitely have to have when you are only one day in Zermatt.

From the top, you have a beautiful view of the Matterhorn mountain. But you can see much more from there. You have a panoramic view here, with many high mountain peaks that are spectacular to see! And if you like photography, this is also a good place to visit!

Snow, a mountain and a blue sky

What's great is that you can do this train ride all year. In summer, hiking from the top at Gornergrat is amazing. And in winter, this is a popular place for skiing.

So riding the Gornergrat Train is a great thing to do. And it leads you to many other great things to do in Zermatt!

Many buildings in Zermatt

Go to the Matterhorn Museum

After this, it's time to visit a museum!

The Matterhorn Museum is a very interesting museum to visit in the morning of your one day in Zermatt. And it is a more unusual thing to do in Zermatt. If you want to learn something new, this is an incredible experience!

This museum focuses on the history and culture of the town of Zermatt. You can see how people lived here in the 19th century. Furthermore, you can learn a lot about the first people that went up Matterhorn mountain.

You can see here real old buildings from the town. In these houses, you can see many historical objects from the town. This is very interesting and adds to your experience of your 24 hours in Zermatt.

Lunch

In the town of Zermatt, there are several places for lunch. There are many options to choose from, so you can have whatever you like.

One of the best places for lunch is Cervo Kitchen in Madre Nostra. There are a lot of lunch dishes to choose from here. You find here soups, burgers, salads, fondue, and more. And there are many vegetarian options as well, which is always great.

Another great place for lunch is Restaurant Vegistube. This is a vegetarian restaurant that serves both classic and new dishes. Furthermore, the place has an atmosphere you would expect from a Swiss restaurant.

Go hiking or skiing

In the afternoon, you can go hiking or skiing depending on what you like most. You can go by the Gornergrat Train, which you already rode this morning. Or you can use one of the lifts in Zermatt.

Zermatt is very popular for skiing. It is the highest ski resort in Europe and many people go here. So if you are one day in Zermatt, you too can't miss out on doing this.

A large building and people in Zermatt

There are lots of pistes and ski lifts. And a lot of skiing areas to choose from. In fact, there are more than 360 kilometers of pistes during winter.

A ski lift in Zermatt

What's great is that you can also ski in summer. In some areas, there is always snow throughout the year. This is because of the high altitude of Zermatt.

To get to these areas, you have to take the Klein Matterhorn cable car. This cable car is the highest of its kind on earth and leads you to Matterhorn glacier paradise. The view from the top is incredible. And you find here lots of winter activities.

Besides that, Zermatt is a great hiking destination in the summer. There are more than 400 kilometers of hiking trails, which is impressive.

A path in Zermatt

If you are one day in Zermatt and you like hiking, then this is a great activity to do in the afternoon.

Along the way, you can see the most beautiful natural scenery in Zermatt. There are 38 peaks of four thousand meters or more in the surroundings of Zermatt.

And because there are so many trails, there's always a hike for you. Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced hiker, there is a route that you can choose. Hiking here can be a very relaxing experience or a challenge.

Dinner

It's time for dinner! After spending one day in Zermatt and seeing this lovely town, I'm sure you're hungry.

Zermatt has many amazing restaurants. So you'll definitely love having dinner here. You can wander around the town and go to a restaurant you like.

Buildings in a town

But there is one restaurant I'd recommend! Restaurant Julen is one of the most amazing places for dinner in the town. The chef of this restaurant is Joe Lackner.

He's an amazing chef and with his team, he makes new menus each day! This is a great place for lunch in Zermatt, but you can also reserve a table for dinner.

One of the dishes on the menu I'd recommend is the Massaman Thai curry. It's with vegetables and potatoes and it's so delicious! But there are so many other delicious dishes on the menu you can choose from. 

Furthermore, the place looks very nice from the inside. It's a great restaurant to spend your evening at!

How to get to Zermatt?

It is very easy to get to Zermatt. That's because there are good connections to the town. This is also why it's great to spend 24 hours in Zermatt.

But you cannot get to Zermatt by car. In Zermatt, there are no cars allowed. Thus, if you want to travel by car to Zermatt, you have to take public transport after that.

When traveling by car you have to go to Täsch first. In Täsch, there is a shuttle train to the town of Zermatt. Or you can take a taxi from there.

You can also travel to Zermatt by train. This is the best option, because along the way you can see the beautiful scenery of the mountains. And it is the fastest way to travel.

The train is a convenient way to travel if you are coming from cities in Switzerland, Italy or France.

If you want to travel by airplane, you have to go to an airport that is near first. From there you can take a direct train to the town of Zermatt. Close airports are those of Geneva and Zürich. From there the journey by train takes about 4 hours.

Besides that, you can reach Zermatt by taxi or by helicopter. But those options are less convenient, because of the cost.

Where to stay in Zermatt for one day?

If you are only one day in Zermatt, you want to make the best of your time here.

In other places, this would mean choosing a place to stay that is near the activities of the place. But that's not needed for Zermatt.

A view of the houses in Zermatt

The town of Zermatt is a very small town, so staying anywhere in the town is great. Each hotel is in or very close to the center of the town. Because of that, it doesn't matter where you stay. And your choice should depend on the hotel, rather than the location of the hotel.

There are some great hotels in Zermatt. Depending on what you want and your budget, one might be best for you.

A great hotel in Zermatt is the Wellness Hotel Alpenhof. You find here all you need for a relaxing stay. There is a great spa area, a pool, a sauna, and much more.

But there are so many other hotels that are great to be in! So there are enough places to stay during your 24 hours in Zermatt.

Save this post to Pinterest if you like it!

Itinerary for one day in Zermatt Pinterest image
One day in Zermatt Pinterest image

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Categories:
  • Europe
  • Switzerland
Tags: GuidesZermatt
  • Hi there! I’m Dymphe, a travel blogger and content creator with a passion for exploring beautiful destinations and travel photography. I’ve been traveling for years and I decided to start this blog to help you do the same in Europe, the United States, and beyond. More about me.

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