Zermatt

Zermatt is located in the Swiss Canton of Valais. The capital of the Valais is Sion, some 38 km from Zermatt. Languages spoken include German, French and Swiss German. Though the Matterhorn may be the Canton’s most famous landmark, other points of interest in the Valais include the Aletsch Glacier, Furka Pass, and Grimsel Pass. Zermatt is in the German speaking part of the canton of Valais.

Zermatt Unplugged is a music festival. It typically happens in mid-April, when the weather is warmer, and spring skiing is well underway. Visitors can enjoy the music in the sun on the terraces of many mountain restaurants.  There are also acts performing in the Alpine music village in the centre of town. The dates for each year are advertised online and you should try and get tickets early, as the acts can be very popular.

Typically the main winter season in Zermatt will end in late April. If it’s a particularly good winter season, then it may last a little longer. Similarly, if the snow is melting quicker, the season may be shortened. However, the glacier area is open 365 days a year, so skiing is always possible in Zermatt.

Snow can come to Zermatt at any time of year although it’s most likely to start snowing significantly in November/December. Then it should continue well into April, sometimes May. Because of the height of the glaciers, rain down in the town during summer can fall as snow up high. So you can get snow on the tops of the mountains even in July and August.

The winter season in Zermatt tends to start late November. The resort opens fully from early December, with access to the Sunnegga and Gornergrat areas to as well as the Glacier (which is open all year round). The winter season tends to last until late April, good snow permitting. The resort has extensive artificial snowmaking facilities to combat low snow seasons. Even after the winter has finished, you can ski on the glacier all year round.

In the early 19th century the Matterhorn was considered unclimbable. Which of course attracted a lot of attention from mountaineers. Zermatt’s first Hotel opened in 1838 to support increasing interest in the area’s climbing potential. Edward Whymper’s successful summit in 1865 bought the area fame and so began its journey to become one of the world’s most wealthy tourist locations. Before this, it was just a quiet farming town with little documenting it before the 13th century. Today, there is still a charming historic centre to the village, as well as some grand 19th century hotels. For more information, you can visit the Zermatt museum in the centre of the village.