August 1st is Swiss National day, so with Friday off for the holiday weekend I decided to head down to Zermatt, which is in Southwestern Switzerland near the border with Italy.
Zermatt is best known for being a small resort town (skiing in the winter; hiking in the summer) at the base of the Matterhorn. I didn’t have much of a plan for the day and instead just hopped on the three hour train from Lausanne and figured I’d play it by ear.
The town of Zermatt was very nice and indeed had a clear resort-type feel. After walking around for a little while, though, I was ready to get away from the tourist crowd and check out some of the natural beauty in the mountains above. The hiking was pretty incredible – particularly when you get up to the base of the Matterhorn.
The hills not far above Zermatt are nice as well, as they’re populated with small log cabin-type farms and restaurants that look like they’ve been around for centuries.
During the course of the day it felt like I had hiked through a number of different geographies. At the lower levels, there was a distinct forest feel (almost like in the Sierra Nevadas in California), while higher up there was more of an alpine feel with glacier and snow-capped mountain views.
And as you got up to the base of the Matterhorn, the scenery was much more barren with a lot of rock and snow. The views were great throughout, just very different depending where you were. Here's a view of the Zermatt during the return hike.
The train ride as you’re departing Zermatt is also very impressive, as the train hugs the edge of the mountain and at times you overlook nothing but sheer cliffs and a long way down. For those with height issues, it’s probably best not to take a window seat if you ever make the journey. For everyone else, though, definitely grab a seat by the window and enjoy the views.
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