Zermatt

Zermatt sits at sixteen hundred metres at the head of the Mattertal with the Matterhorn standing alone above it, and combustion vehicles have been barred for over a century - visitors leave cars at Tasch and take the train, and the village runs on small electric vehicles. Its history turns on 14 July 1865, when Edward Whymper's party made the first ascent: on the descent a rope broke and four of the seven fell to their deaths on the north face. The survivors were investigated, the rope itself is displayed in the Matterhorn Museum, and the mountain's reputation was made by the disaster as much as the climb. The Gornergrat railway, opened in 1898, climbs to 3,089 metres facing the glaciers.

What you actually see

• The Matterhorn standing alone - the isolated pyramid above the village.
• The 1865 broken rope - displayed in the Matterhorn Museum.
• No combustion vehicles - cars left at Tasch, electric carts in the village.
• The Gornergrat railway - climbing to 3,089 metres opposite the glaciers.

When to go

All year. Three days.

Honest expectations

Zermatt is expensive even by Swiss standards, and lift prices are among the highest anywhere. The village is crowded in both seasons. Cloud hides the Matterhorn on a large share of days. Everything must come by rail, which is reflected in costs.

Nearby

Gornergrat and the Klein Matterhorn are above; Saas-Fee is over the ridge.