Walks round Zermatt
Circular Walk from Zermatt, Switzerland (1 hour 30 mins walk up, 10 mins funicular train down)
For anyone spending just a day in Zermatt but wishing to do some mountain walking in Zermatt and take in the fantastic views, an ideal walk is up to the mountain hut restaurant / café at Findeln. From here there are stunning views of the Matterhorn and the surrounding snow-capped mountains and its location would be hard to beat. It is well worth the effort to appreciate the beauty of the Zermatt area and get away from the crowds of tourists in the village.
A free leaflet in the Zermatt tourist office contains a map all detailing the most popular Zermatt walks and gradients so it’s definitely worth picking one up before heading off.
From the centre of Zermatt, follow the river heading towards the Matterhorn then head uphill as signposted to Sunnegga Paradise and Findeln. The path zigzags its way up quite steeply (but on a good, clear path) through the forested mountain side, next to a gorge, and with glimpses of the Matterhorn on the way up until it is clearly visible. It takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes up to the mountain hut (one way). From the hut to Leisee (mountain lake with picnic area) takes a further 15-20 minutes along a well-walked and gradual uphill path. There are lovely views from Leisee and it is a great photo opportunity.
From the lake you can walk for a further 10 minutes or take a free glass lift up to the mountain railway station from where you can descend, via a funicular railway in a tunnel, to Zermatt in less than 10 minutes (14 CHF or 7CHF with a half-fare card). If you have longer you could walk back down the same route or walk along the Alpenweg then down through the forest following one of the routes which would take approximately 2 hours for the return walk to Zermatt.
An alternative is to take the funicular railway up to Sunnegga then walk back down though you’ll be more deserving of your refreshments at the mountain hut if you do as we did and walk up!
This entry was posted on Sunday July 19th, 2009 at 5:00 PM and is filed under Places to Walk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
Leave a Reply
Where Can I Go Exploring the UK and Abroad