Visitor reviews for Zermatt Ski Resort

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• March 03, 2010
  Michelle from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I can't comment on the negative or positive reports. I can only say what my experience was. Just IMO, since most of the reviews here seem to be majorly experienced skiers. As a newbie, I thought it was a little bit hard but worth putting in the effort to learn as quick as possible. By the end of the week I was skiing reds, whether that means the reds are easy I don't know.
  I went last year for the first time; this was my first time skiing and I had an amazing time. I agree, it's not necessarily the best place for beginners. As a kid I did a bit of dry slope which meant I did at least know which way to point down the hill, but without the opportunity of ski school I did lose my teddy at times. But, after a bit of guidance (yes, the locals are friendly and we found an instructor who could give me an hour) there was enough variety to keep me happy, and out of the way of the more experienced people. I went with others who were more experienced and the variety meant we could easily go off and do our own thing, and meet up without going way out of our way.
  The snow was perfect, at least for me it was.
  Cervinia was definitely worth a visit, and yes, it was cheaper for food over that side.
  I thoroughly recommend paragliding, worth every penny, and the pilots were great.
  Yeah, stuff was expensive. But if you're there to dine out and drink then you'll be disappointed. If you're there for snow and skiing then you can eat okay and have a great time.

• February 27, 2010
  Jon from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  What is it about human nature that means opinions must be polarised? Something is either heaven or the pits, and the writer alone must be right. So, by way of novelty, here is a balanced perspective on Zermatt from someone with 20 years experience of the resort, and many others across Europe.

  Connection. It takes a little under 4 hours from either Zurich or Geneva airports by train with one change, usually in Visp. I’d recommend Zurich as the trains are better, more regular, and the journey more spectacular. From our perspective, the journey is part of the holiday; recognise the Visp-Zermatt section is part of one of the world’s greatest train journeys – the Glacier Express. But then some people genuinely prefer the convenience of a 3 hour coach journey with a pee-stop at Moutier services.

  Snow. The skiing at Zermatt is exceptionally high which means it tends to hold its snow well. However, the horseshoe of 4,000m peaks surrounding the resort can often deflect snow fronts, meaning it is comparatively dry. Consequently the best skiing tends to be mid to late season, by which time not only are the pistes well covered, but enough snow has accumulated on the rocky bases of the itinerary and off-piste runs. The Triftji area, the Kumme-Tuftern link and the itinerary runs below Schwartzee tend not to open until later January. Note that most disgruntled reports are written just after New Year.

  Skiing. Zermatt is not a good choice for adult beginners, although for children the ski schools and beginner facilities have improved beyond recognition in recent years. There are a few serious black runs (particularly if Trifti-Stockhorn is open), but otherwise they tend to be short links between pistes. For intermediates through to advanced skiers who, like us, prefer speed to buttock clenching, it is up there with the best, especially if you throw in a couple of trips to Italy. We have never suffered particularly from queuing, although if the snow is incomplete and the resort full (ie Xmas / New Year) then it could be different.

  Location. Zermatt is a big resort, and the convenience & experience can vary greatly with location. The area around the main street is convenient but busy. Best to stay NW of the river (but not too high) or in Steinmatten. Winkelmatten is much more modern, but quite isolated (although the new Furi-Riffelberg lift has improved the ski connection). Essentially there is nowhere to ski from your chalet, and very few that you can ski directly back. This irritates those accustomed to the big French resorts. Personally, I prefer a few minutes walk to warm up in the morning, and the lure of a bar on the way back.

  Charm. True, the main street has been overdeveloped in places, but only yards either side there are some beautifully preserved quarters; check out Englischer Viertel, the area around the English church, and above the Church Square. Much of Steinmatten retains its charm. However, the fringes of the town are very modern, bordering on functional. Once in the mountains, there are some truly delightful mountain restaurants, particularly in Findeln, Zum See, Fluhalp and Stafelalp.

  Prices. Zermatt is not cheap, and there is plenty of scope for the careless or carefree to haemorrhage cash. With a bit of care, it can be reasonable, and from experience, far more so than the big French resorts. Ask around, check out review sites (eg tripadvisor.com), watch where the [value conscious] mountaineers go, read the menu before you enter, and avoid anywhere the clientele wear mink. There is a huge variety of excellent places to eat at UK prices or below. Among our favourites include (in rough price order) the Julen Schaeferstubli, Swiss Chalet, Stockhorn Grill, Pizza Roma, Sparky’s & the North Wall.

  In conclusion, you can find bigger resorts, more convenient, less developed, certainly cheaper and closer to the airport. But Zermatt’s combination just works for us, as it does for thousands of others, who come back year after year. Everyone is different (thank goodness), so see if it appeals and works for you.

  Oh, and there’s a pointy mountain I’ve run out of space to tell you about.

• February 27, 2010
  Bozorgzadegan Abbas from IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF
  

  Is there anyone to invite me to Zermatt for alpine ski? I've read resort reviews and eagerly would like to see and skiing there! I am 63 years old and no more time for such an experience!!!

  [note from the editor: this post will stay on the site for a short period as it is not a resort review]

• February 22, 2010
  Josage from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I’m glad some of the reviews of Zermatt here are so bad! Means the place is free of all you moaners so all the more space for me! As far as I’m concerned Zermatt is heaven.

  A few facts to counter what other negative reviewers have said:

  Expensive: yes, but no worse value for money than a dreadful chain coffee shop in a big city such as London.
  “50 – 60 SF for a mediocre plate of Pasta”. Sorry but that’s plain wrong. The main courses at several Zermatt restaurants are very tasty for around CHF 19 – 30.

  “surprisingly new and commercial touristy feel” . Maybe (partly because the place has quadrupled in size since 1950) but there is plenty of rustic old world charm if you go to the right places – and anyway I’m sure most of us want ‘modern’ in our hotel/chalet accommodation. You can’t have it both ways.

  As regards the slopes at Zermatt. Many of the ‘harder’ ski runs (eg Stockhorn) are closed until late season due to the climate which is quite specific to Zermatt. That is no fault of the Zermatt ski authorities. Most guidebooks do warn that the Stockhorn slopes are closed until later on in the season.

  One thing I do agree on is that signing and naming and the piste map are poor.

  “travel [transfer time] is obscene” That is totally subjective. The train connections from Geneva and Zurich are very efficient, and wonderfully scenic. The train up the valley from Visp can not be any faster. If it was the Swiss alpine mountain experience would not be what it is.

  I do agree that the buses (note spelling) could be better and the taxis can be a bit intrusive – but again you can’t have your cake and eat it.

• February 18, 2010
  Steve from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I've just spent two weeks in Zermatt. It's an odd place, on the one hand picturesque (the majority of buildings being wooden) and still true to its farming roots, on the other, a high street that gets as busy as the Champs-Élysées in spring, lined with expensive watch shops. Do people really spend £100,000 on a wrist-watch? But walk 25 metres off the high street and all the crowds disappear and you can find the charm that made Zermatt popular.
  The skiing is not for beginners. A good resort for good intermediates. Be prepared to put in some leg and stick work every now and again. Snow cover wasn't brilliant despite heavy snows in the Alps, some pistes were grassy and left open. At morning rush hour be prepared for a 30min + wait to go up the mountain. Get up early and avoid it. There is currently a problem with the Matterhorn gondola, it keeps breaking down, (sometimes it can be stationary for 20-30mins) still you can enjoy the scenery. The cable car that goes to the top station (Matterhorn Paradise & Cervinia) can be very busy. I waited for over an hour in a queue of hundreds of people to go to the top, it was highly unpleasant.
  The mountain restaurants are expensive but some of them are extremely good. £15-£20 for a single course with beer is the cheapest that I found. Try the restaurant at Stafel, red 52, for fine dining in sheepskin chairs. At village level try the Swiss Chalet for a traditional setting and great cooking. Eating fairly frugally but enjoying a three course meal every other day, I spent £400/wk, if you're a big drinker that figure could easily double.
  It can take a long, long time to get to where you want to be on the mountain; the Zermatt & Cervinia lifts are slow and there can be some lengthy walks to lifts on the Zermatt side. The multitude of electric taxis in Zermatt became annoying, and due to their silence, quite dangerous! Invest in a pair of the readily available studded rubber crampon type things that go over your boots, brilliant for getting about safely on the often extra-ordinarily icy roads and for mountain walks. There are some lovely winter walks at Zermatt with welcoming restaurants and hunters lodges to refresh you. I found the Swiss to be, without exception, extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful.
  There is a lot of investment taking place into improving the lift system and access across the mountain.The lift pass is very expensive probably for this reason.
  So, an amazing location but not the best skiing experience I've ever had. I returned home with mixed feelings. It's a very beautiful place and the people are lovely. I had one day of great skiing without lengthy queues, enjoying the long pistes either side of the Swiss/Italian border but for me the series of long delays getting up the hill fairly ruined the skiing experience. It was brilliant to have a good look at the Matterhorn and to be able to ski below three of its sides but some of my favourite memories are from the winter walking rather than the skiing. If they can speed up the lifts and do something about that terrible cable car to the top station it will be sensational.
  

• February 16, 2010
  Ken from AUSTRALIA
  

  Our family spent a week in Zermatt in the first week of February. It was our first visit and we were overwhelmed by the size of the resort and the fantastic network of lifts and pistes. We rented an apartment with views of the Matterhorn and therefore were able to self cater. There are a number of supermarkets in Zermatt and their prices were reasonable and appeared no more expensive than in other parts of Switzerland, except meat from the local butcher was quite expensive.
  It snowed the day before we arrived, so the conditions were quite good, and you could find lots of powder stashes on either side of the highway width pistes. We had blue sky days 5 out of 6 which provided great visibility and excellent views of the Matterhorn and surrounding peaks.
  Conditions did get a bit icy on some runs late afternoon towards the end of the week, but, overall, given the cold temperatures the snow condition remained very good throughout the week. Lift prices by Australian standards are quite reasonable - adult, including Cervina, is about 405 franks for 6 days and even 16 year olds attract the child rate which is about half this amount.

  Sure the restaurants and cafe's were expensive, although we did find a cafe above a bakery in the main street where you could get pasta and other light meals for about 10 franks, together with great coffee and service.

  Zermatt is a picture postcard Swiss village and is what we imagined a Swiss ski resort would be like. Our family enjoyed our week immensely and would definitely return.

• February 14, 2010
  Sam from SINGAPORE
  

  Zermatt is an unbelievable experience. Not many place in the world have a vertical of 2200m that you can ski in one go. Then after a couple of those, retire to one of the outstanding mountain restaurants for the best mountain food. It may be on the expensive side, but certainly better value for money than some of the other European ski resorts. The scenery is also exceptional. Arriving by train in early afternoon certainly makes up for the time it takes to get here.
  Zermatt is also a great place for a non-skier or on storm days. You can walk around town and discover the hidden parts or take one of the forest walks that will take you through the forest to one of the mountain restaurants. We were here twice when there was a big dump and ski lifts were closed. We still enjoyed it and had a great time.
  We have skied all over the world: in France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, US West Coast and have been coming to Zermatt on and off for the last 12 years. We always look forward to returning.

• February 08, 2010
  Jo from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Having just returned from our week in Zermatt I felt it imperative to leave a review here after all the awful reviews left by other people.

  I've been skiing since age 2, raced since age 12 and started teaching/coaching from age 20, so with over 26 years skiing under my belt, I've got loads of experience and skiied all over Europe and also in North America.

  So, what I can't understand is all the bad reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed the skiing. Yes, Gornograt and Klein Matterhorn areas have a lot of easy runs, but there were some good reds and blacks. We loved skiing around Rothorn and Sunegga areas and were always first up the mountain in the mornings. We didn't experience huge queues or crowded slopes, which surprised us after the reviews we'd read.

  Our hotel was great, lovely staff and wonderful food. Yes it was expensive, but then where isn't in the Alps? We found it to be no more expensive than anywhere else we'd skied in Europe.

  We mainly used the ski bus to get around, we did use a taxi once and between 7 of us it cost 21CHF to get from Matterhorn Gondola to town.

  It was a shame that there hadn't been a lot of snow before we went, but there was plenty of snow on the pistes and some good moguls over on Stockhorn and Trifji. The pistes were well maintained, most if not all the lifts were open during the week.

  We found the best place for Apple Strudel, at Alpitta on the red coming down from Gornograt to Furi - yum!!!

  We found the Gornograt train to be a very long trek up the mountain and only did it once for novelty, the Sunegga underground train is the best and fastest way to go.

  We wouldn't take our daughter to Zermatt until she is about 6/7 years old as we didn't feel it was very easy to get children from the hotel to the lifts and up the mountain to the ski schools. We recommend Zermatt for everyone as there is plenty to offer.

  Only thing different that we'd do is rather than take the coach transfer from Geneva we'd take the train as we think this would be easier and quicker.

  We'd definitely go back.

• January 23, 2010
  Rupert from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I am genuinely surprised at the negative reviews of Zermatt below. As an experienced skier (skied from the age of 5, at least twice a year for past 25 years) who has skied in just about every top resort in Europe, USA and Canada and avoids piste skiing for steep and deep whenever conditions allow, I love Zermatt. It has fantastic off-piste providing you know where to go. If you don't have good back-country experience/avalanche qualifications and the right equipment then hire a guide - skiing on the glacier without one is just plain stupid. Zermatt has plenty of English speaking guides that are not prohibitively expensive if there are a few of you going. They will provide transceivers, shovels and probes for your party. As for food - Zermatt is a gastronomic delight - whether it be lunch as Zum See or a simple evening meal at the Post (recently refurbished and uber cool). Nothing is cheap in Zermatt - don't expect burger bars! - but you get what you pay for - taxi's are extremely expensive - but fit five and work out cheap if you are a group - budget an extra £40 for a week's taxi journeys whenever you need them and your holiday will be transformed.
  I don't recommed Zermatt for beginners as the beginner slope is half way up the mountain - and there is not a lot of really easy stuff. Intermediates, however, will love it. Advanced - there aren't many blacks - you'd be better of leaving the piste altogether.
  If you don't ski at all - the village is picture-postcard and very atmospheric. As a package for a mixed group, I would give Zermatt 4/5 stars.

• January 08, 2010
  James from UNITED STATES
  

  Today is my last day at Zermatt and I am excited to be leaving. Over the past 6 days the conditions have been horrible and the entire resort disappointing. The food and lodging is ridiculously expensive. I don't mind paying a premium for location but the markup here is about 100-150% with most restaurant entrees ranging from $30-45 for mediocre food. Zermatt has a surprisingly new and commercial touristy feel and not the old world charm I was hoping for. Also, the car-free claims are not really true since you're likely to be run over by the multitude of small electric taxis or big buses weaving around pedestrians.

  I consider myself an advanced intermediate skier who spends most of the day on US slopes; on blacks with the occasional double diamond on a powder day. I have skied Whistler, Taos, Tahoe, and Utah. By comparison, the slopes at Zermatt are EASY - there are about 3 blacks at Zermatt and a few orange (although most were closed due to lack of snow). All the blacks I did were very simple, boring and groomed. Beware: The entire resort was icy and had very poor snow cover - the base now is from 6" to 40" Turns out Zermatt only gets about 300 inches a year and 60% of the resort uses man-made snow (that should say something)!! Zermatt's guarantee of snow due to the glaciers is misleading, because the glacier skiing is flat and lame. Most pistes look about the same, narrow, smooth and groomed with few or no signs; many of the runs just seem like roads. No trails have names marked, only numbers, if you're lucky enough to even find a sign. I've heard there are challenging pistes, but it looks like they are only accessible with a guide and a helicopter at a cost of $400 per person with a 3 person minimum for a couple hours - such a waste when there are many resorts with challenging blacks, double and triple diamonds that are in-bounds and included in the lift ticket!! The quality of skiers here was also amazingly bad - I had anticipated there being amazing skiers since this is Supposedly the #1 resort in Europe, but maybe it is overrun with rich tourists that can't ski. The few steep slopes were cluttered with poor skiers weaving across the entire slope and stopping every 50 feet. There are also extensive transport systems across the resorts - trams, trains, lifts, gondolas and buses - but they often take an indirect route with many stops (the Matterhorn Express has two mid-mountain stops and a transfer!). From my hotel near the village center I took a bus, and then the Matterhorn Express - all this took at least 45 min to 1 hour before I even touched the slopes. Getting from one side of the resort to another, or to Cervinia, is also very time consuming, aside from the fact that once you get off a transport you often have to walk down hallways, down stairs or take elevators all in your ski boots. The transport systems seem unnecessarily inefficient and time consuming. I have never spent so much time getting around and not skiing!!

  As for the views of the Alps and the Matterhorn, Cervinia easily has Zermatt beat with much more striking slopes and mountains. Cervinia is not demanding, but it is somewhat easier to get around and cheaper to eat. I have also been to the Austrian Alps at Axamer Lizum and the Stubai Glacier and I enjoyed both much more than my time at Zermatt, although not challenging both had better snow, better views, better signage and more efficient transport.

  This has been a most disappointing ski experience and I will be happy to return to Whistler and Utah for future ski trips knowing that I am not missing too much in the Swiss Alps. I have no idea why this resort is rated so high. All I can think of is that it's frequented by Brits and locals that have never skied at a real world-class resort with actual natural snow and interesting runs!

• January 05, 2010
  Eric from UNITED STATES
  

  Expensive, very expensive. Nothing is inexpensive here: beer, food, room. Expect to pay 50-60 SF for a mediocre plate of pasta. Coke 6 SF, beer start at 6 and go up. Same beverages and food over in Cervina 1/3 the cost.

  Lift passes rival Vail or Aspen in terms of cost, without the flexibility. Better places to ski cheaper.

  The snow reports were less than factual over the last 2 weeks. Zermatt needs 200+ real centimeters to be even barely skiable. 400 for great skiing, have been here during those periods. When snow is at his depth here (400+), sell your children and come here. Oh yeah, that is what it will cost.

  The crew here is 2 expert, one advanced skier. We found the new lift layouts her and in Cernvina not an improvement on the old setup. You are forced into more limited skiing area with more people. Close works in shaves and dancing, not on the ski slope.

  If you like skiing with rude drunk Brits, go to Austria: same ambiance, same drunk Brits, cheaper cost. Chamonix, Val D' Isere, Lech-Zurs offer comparable skiing at a lower cost.

  If you must come here stay in Cervina with lower costs and similar acces to the slopes. Since one cannot forecast when fantastic conditions occur, save your cash.

  Oh, travel time to get here is obscene for the experience. The Hotel Bristol is a good hotel so consider it if you must come, however, get the half board option.

• January 05, 2010
  Harry from AUSTRALIA
  

  Sadly, I also think the skiing at Zermatt is boring. I stayed at Cervina for a week towards the end of last season and regularly skied over to Zermatt. The scenery at both resorts is spectacular. The skiing at Cervinia is perhaps a little less boring than at Zermatt and the eating at Cervinia is much better (Zermatt's on mountain eateries are rubbish). I enjoyed my week there but wouldn't bother going back. For us here on the other side of the world, North America (particularly Colorado, Wyoming and Utah) is closer and has much better skiing than Europe generally. Even better is Japan (but we are trying to keep that a secret).

• January 03, 2010
  Matt from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just returned from Zermatt, and was so very, very, very disappointed with the resort as a whole.

  If I could explain why from two perspectives.

  1. We are experienced skiers who have done many seasons between us. We're interested in itinerary, steeps, chutes, bumps and other challenging stuff. We found Zermatt to be unbelievably boring, with only one area that we had to illegally hike to get to as it was made perfectly clear it would not be opening till february. Zermatt lifties closed lifts at the first opportunity to do so, and did so with impunity. Truly awful people, with no concept of duty to the skiers who were paying through the nose for the area pass.

  2. As a group of families who have now taken to doing your one major ski holiday per year Zermatt proved to be totally inadequate - some for reasons it cannot control, but mostly for reasons it could. Geographically it is a fairly long transfer, and along with the train and taxi's you inevitably end up taking, it saps the energy out of even the hardened traveller. As Zermatt is a petrol-free resort, it relies on public transport such as taxi's and bus's. Taxi's are a disgraceful rip off, whose drivers are lunatics who take to interpreting fare's by whatever they feel like charging. Bus's are infrequent, exceptionally small, cramped and badly linked. The bus situation is inexcusable. Zermatt relies on a bus network which is just woefully inadequate. The lifts are always a walk up or downhill and even at non-peak times you are guaranteed some form of queueing. On peak, it will take 1-1.5 hours to get up to the top of the glacier. Ridiculous? Yes.

  Lifts and particularly connecting lifts that are important to put people back in the correct valley for them to ski home in close absurdly early. Some as early as 15.00-15.10. How any resort in decent conditions can justify closing lower linking lifts so early and with such a horribly inflexible attitude is just beyond belief. On the Italian side it's soo much better; most lifts closing at 16.00-16.15. This was all consistent with the trend of Italian value vs Swiss style-over-substance. Zermatt is a RIP OFF. Full stop. Food and drink in Italy is cheaper, and in a different world of quality (particularly the coffee). Zermatt's glitz and beauty (the Matterhorn is undeniably an imperious neighbour) hides its poor quality and bland skiing. Bland for experts, overly crowded and stressful for beginners who struggle with miles of walking with ski's and lifties that close lifts whenever they want.

  Conclusion: If you go, try and get over to Italy as much as possible. The skiing is slightly better, and the food and drink is in a different class. However, try not to go. It is more hassle than its worth. I regrettably say that I will never go back there.

• October 13, 2009
  Andy from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Summer glacier skiing at Zermatt was very disappointing. Of the runs shown to be open on the piste map displayed at the lower lift, half were closed to recreational skiers. International teams cordon off the rest for their own use. I took this up with the Zermatt authorities but they stubbornly refused to accept any responsibility. It was a lot of money to pay for 6 days skiing on little more than 4 wide runs.
  Don't bother with summer at Zermatt.

• March 05, 2009
  Cracker from SOUTH AFRICA
  

  Spent my 30th on the slopes of the Matterhorn at Zermatt. Watched my first game of Ice-hockey, found a few fabulous restaurants and got pictures which are good enough to grace any postcard. Hard to find a better skiing paradise. Sometimes had a full 5-seat lift to myself and powder everywhere. It's the little things that count like friendly people and the fact that you do not have any combustion vehicles so all you hear at Zermatt is a faint buzz of electric cars, snow falling and an odd party-reveller trying to find his cabin.

• December 31, 2008
  BobbyBoy from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  If I was only ever allowed to go skiing in one place for the rest of my life it would be Zermatt. I love it. It's got the best combination of slopes, and fabulous restaurants - the 2 most important things for me. It can be very expensive, but there are well priced apartments, and you can cater for your self to make it all a bit cheaper. Check my Zermatt Blog lovingzermatt.wordpress.com

• December 07, 2008
  Steve from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Zermatt is whatever you want it to be, don`t believe all these reviews. Easy skiing on the Gornergrat, unlimited off-piste/touring, astonishing scenery. Lost count of the times I`ve skied/toured there and keep going back. It never fails to delight.
  Take lots of dosh though.

• March 20, 2008
  Richard Harper from SWITZERLAND
  

  Summer and Winter in Zermatt is magical, always plenty going on, best skiing in the world, best facilities to get up the mountains, ski to Cervinia if you like pasta. Perhaps I am biased being an annual visitor. Maybe I shouldn't praise Zermatt like this, the consequence being, it might get crowded.

• January 22, 2007
  Niall McAlinden from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  IM NOT FROM THE UK, I'M FROM IRELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Spent a week in Zermatt with 2 other experienced skiers and 3 beginners. Everybody had a great time. Beginners did lessons with Summit ski school, they were very professional. I thought the ski safari was amazing and is totally worth attempting. Attempted it twice in the week but only completed once. The black run from Schwarzee to Furi and the red run from Rathorn to Gant were my two favourites. I think I spend less then a minute queuing all week and most of that was at the bar. The expensive lift pass is completely worth it. Really enjoyed the nightlife too, T-bar all the way... Stayed in an apartment near the train station called Haus Sonnamatt. It was very reasonable and extremely well maintained. Definitely the best ski holiday I've been on... Zermatt has a reputation for being very expensive but coming from Dublin I didn’t really think so.

• January 20, 2007
  laurence mitchell from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Have just returned from an excellent week in Zermatt. Mixed group from complete beginner to ten week intermediates.
  Great spring conditions, skied all areas, found Sunegga/ Rothorn best for all.
  Superb modern lift system got us to the top in no time at all. Gorgeous mountain restaurants for lunch. Stayed at the Perren, 2 minutes from lift, faultless. Overall prices no more than back in England, very pleasing. Cinema/bar very funky. We will be back,

• January 16, 2007
  Jon Jones from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just spent a week in the chalet Mazot in Zermatt with Inghams. Hosts and accommodation was very good, as was the food. Only small criticism was that the dinning room is a little cramped and there is no lounge.

  Zermatt is very pretty, with a good night life, shops and restaurants. It's a little hard to get between the runs i.e. expect to do some walking and short (5min) buses rides. Skiing was good. Zermatt runs are a little more rough and ready and not really suited to beginners. Cervinia has better grooming, but it takes around 2 hours to get there by lifts so allow plenty of time to get back or you will be stuck with a 3 hour taxi journey of around $500.

  All in all the resort is best suited to intermediate skiers with little to offer the advanced skier. Beginners should look elsewhere as the runs and layout are not suitable. Also be careful, the maps and signposting are very poor and there are few nets to stop you falling over the edge of some fairly steep drops!

• December 22, 2006
  Caolac Monaghan from IRELAND
  

  Just back from Zermatt for a quick 3 day visit pre Christmas and to loosen up the ski legs!. Had a fantastic 3 days skiing in a beautiful town. Didn't find it as expensive as we were led to believe although if you wanted to make it expensive you could. The Post bar in town for great variety ( €4.20 a pint) was cheap compared to similar French resorts. Got ripped off when we crossed down to Cervinia in Italy. Seen us coming took menus off us and told us they would give us some typical Italian lunch basically cheese and bread with two bowls of pasta and salad with two bottles of house wine between 8 cost us €320 without tip!! La Tana was name of restaurant and will not be going back! Skipped back to 'cheap' Zermatt for value!. Stayed in apartment in Zermatt for €40pps per night with own fire and timber supplied. Booked through Zermattholidays.com excellent. Will definitely be back the impression of the Matterhorn overlooking you everywhere was inspirational! Great resort.

• August 02, 2006
  Alexander from NETHERLANDS
  

  Zermatt offers for me the best skiing so far. The extreme long runs with a drop of 2200 meter are great fun. Besides that, Zermatt offers one of the longest buckel run I know in the Alps... from 3400 meters height down to 2200 meters. The snow is always perfect and the weather almost always sunny (I visited Zermatt/Cervinia 3 times for one week and I experienced only one day of clouds!!) The food and atmosphere are excellent although a bit pricy!! The only disadvantage I experienced was the poor connection between the three different skiarea's coming from the south. BUT, this year with the opening of the new Furi-riffelberg lift this will be solved. Toppertje!!!

• June 28, 2006
  Andrew from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  This place is beautiful in Winter or Summer. But it is expensive, and there isn't really a reason for that except that tourists are a captive audience. Skiing and staying in Cervinia does enable you to spend all day skiing the upper slopes in Zermatt, which seem to be a lot less wind-blown than the Italian side, and a bit prettier. Some of the views are staggering. If you want to get to the bottom of Zermatt from Italy, it's a long way down to get back up again...

  And it's worth seeing the glacier from the Klein Matterhorn cablecar, while it's still there.

• April 10, 2006
  Phil Pegion from UNITED STATES
  

  Spent a week in Zermatt last March 2006. Excellent piste skiing, off-piste was limited to higher elevations. Food and atmosphere of the car-free village was outstanding. We made it over to Italy twice and had some of the best Tiramisu at the top of Cervinia (Theodulpass) and great powder skiing on our last day.
  Overall, the trip was expensive, but worth it.

• March 05, 2006
  Viv McKenna from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  What a magical place. Snow wasn't fantastic but the pistes were kept in very good condition by a dedicated team. Weather was glorious and the people very friendly. Highly recommend Franz and Heidis and their infamous trio pasta. Cost a bomb but totally worth it.

• February 13, 2006
  Jaime Huidobro from SPAIN
  

  Just came back for a week's holiday in Zermatt. Weather and snow conditions were perfect for a slope skier. All runs were in an excellent condition and we could even go over to Cervinia for extensive skiing after some good snow falls over the weekend. Food was somewhat expensive but of excellent quality and service.
  Zermatt is an outstanding resort, and a most beautiful town. Special for its car free policy and friendly people.

• January 27, 2006
  Alan Pope from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just got back from a long weekend in Cervinia where the wind had wipped all the snow away. All except for a couple of runs. Spent most of the time in Zermatt where it was a different world. 95% lifts and pistes open and in superb condition, having been topped up by artificial snow and groomed overnight. Zermatt has a vast ski area and truly colossal vertical drops of over a mile. I will definately check out staying in Zermatt rather than Cervinia next year,if we can afford it!! Cervinia is, however, friendly and fun. The Sertorelli Sporthotel is a good value 4 star hotel.

• January 23, 2006
  Peter Touw from NETHERLANDS
  

  Zermatt,
  Go to the Youth hostel, cheap and good.
  Offpiste, from the Rothhorn to Zermatt, keep right. Its fun

• January 10, 2006
  Toby from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just had an brillaint skiing holiday in Zermat for a week and i loved it It was amazing skiing again year again! Can't wait until this coming Christmas becuase i go skiing next there!