Summer: May 1 - October 15

Winter: December 1 - April 30

As a sole proprietor with a capacity of one tour per day, I can be fully booked far in advance.

Zermatt & Gornergrat tour from Zurich

First we travel by train to Zermatt.

In Zermatt we board the Gornergrat mountain railway. On busy days, we get priority boarding so that we can board ahead of everyone else and select the seats with the best views of the Matterhorn.

This mountain railway will take us on a spectacular journey to one of the best vantage points for the Matterhorn, the Gornergrat.

The views from this summit, located at 3,090 m/ 10,140 ft. above sea level, are impressive. On a clear day, you have perfect views of the Monte Rosa massif. See the Dufour Peak, the highest peak in Switzerland, the Matterhorn, and the Gorner glacier.

You will have plenty of time to relax, enjoy the panorama, and have lunch. When you are ready, we start the descent back to Zermatt.

In Zermatt, you can have some free time for shopping or early dinner before we head back to Zurich.

For the train ride fron Zurich to Zermatt we have two options:

Direct route in both directions

The direct route to Zermatt, through the Lötschberg base tunnel, is ideal if you want to maximize your time in Zermatt and at the Gornergrat, or if you want to have a shorter tour duration.  During the winter months, it's the only available option, due to the short daylight hours.

Longer route to Zermatt on the outbound (only available during the summer months May - October)

During the summer months we can take the BLS Lötschberg mountain line on the outbound which is more scenic than the direct route. Enjoy the fantastic views of the Kander valley in comfortable first-class carriages.

In Brig, we change to another regional train, which will bring us to Visp. In Visp we make another change to a train to Zermatt. We arrive around noon.

Inclusions

- All required train tickets in first class for you and the guide

- Gornergrat mountain railway tickets for you and the guide (price includes entry fees)

- Meeting at any centrally located Hotels, Apartment, or Airbnb

- Return to any centrally located Hotel, Apartment, or Airbnb after the tour

- Fee for the private guide, who will stay at your disposal throughout the tour

- Car-free tour by train, mountain railway, and aerial cable car as per the tour description

- Photography by the guide (with your own camera or smartphone)

- A booklet with comprehensive information about Switzerland (one per party, for groups of four persons or larger are two printed copies included)

- Use of a mobile hotspot with unlimited data (Speed: 4G)

What is not included in the tour price?

- Your meals and drinks

- Any personal expenses

- Optional activities

- Travel insurance (participation at your own risk)

Please regard that your lunch is not included in the tour price.

During lunch hours:

à la carte restaurant at the Gornergrat (summit) * +

This restaurant serves various specialties of Switzerland and the Canton of Valais.

Vegetarian dishes are available.

Click here to download the menu

Click here to read the restaurants' reviews on TripAdvisor

self-service restaurant at the Gornergrat (summit)

This restaurant serves a range of hot and cold dishes, including comfort food and local dishes.

A few vegetarian and vegan options are available.

Click here to download the menu

Click here to read the restaurants' reviews on TripAdvisor

Outside of regular lunch hours:

We can have a late lunch after descending from the Gornergrat. There are various restaurants in Zermatt.

Quick lunch:

There are bakeries, convenience shops, sandwich outlets, a sausage stand, and a fast food outlet in Zermatt, where you can grab a bite, either before or after the visit to the Gornergrat peak.

International food options:

McDonalds (at the village of Zermatt)

(online menu not available)

Restaurant Golden India (at the village of Zermatt) *

Click here to read the restaurants' reviews on TripAdvisor

* This option may not be available at all times, especially during low season (i.e. April, November, and early December). If you want to eat at this restaurant, please let me know at the time of booking, so that I can check availability for our tour date.

+ For restaurants marked with a plus (+), reservations are recommended. I'm happy to reserve a table for you.

Disclaimer

Restaurant menus, prices, and options are subject to change.

The restaurant menus are hosted as a PDF file on the restaurants' websites.

The activity level is moderate: frequent changes of trains (the changes are easy but require some walking and steps to get in and out of the trains), a walk through Zermatt at your discretion, a walk at the Gornergrat at your discretion

I can meet you at any centrally located hotel in Zurich.

Click here to see a map of the pick-up area

If you're staying outside of the pick-up area, I can meet you at the central train station of Zurich.

Weather forecast

Once a reliable weather forecast is available (usually one to three days before departure), I will send you a link to the forecast.

If there is bad weather forecasted, I will include my recommendations for our tour day.

I use the weather forecasts provided by the Federal Office of Meteorology and SRF (Swiss Radio and Television).

With the link below, you can check the weather forecast at any time by yourself. The forecast is available for the next five days.

Operability

This tour can run in any weather condition except during a storm. During a storm, the Gornergrat railway has often to halt operations or run only on parts of the route for safety reasons. If there is a storm with gale-force winds in the forecast, I need to cancel the tour. On rare occasions, there may be a cancellation due to landslides, avalanches, and other natural forces or the risk thereof. I will fully refund the deposit in this case.

Your options in case of bad weather (tour specific)

early bird or standard rates

If you booked an early bird or standard rate, then a free cancelation is not possible anymore once a reliable weather forecast is published, as I need to purchase train tickets in advance for these rates.

You can choose a different tour/mountain peak in an area with better weather (if available, the price of the newly selected tour will apply).

We can do the tour as planned despite the weather.

I also have a few full-day train tours. For example, the Glacier Express route on local trains tour. These tours are ideal on rainy days as we are for most of the day inside and not exposed to the weather, and as on rainy days the views are usually better at lower altitudes. Further, this tour has a lower tour price as it doesn't require any expensive mountain railway tickets.

If not having perfect weather is a dealbreaker, you can cancel by forfeiting the deposit.

Swiss Travel Pass rates

If you have booked a Swiss Travel Pass rate you can cancel the booking up to 12 hours before departure for a full refund of the deposit. Hence if the weather forecast looks bad you are free to cancel the tour free of charge if you desire.

All other options which are published under the early bird and standard rate section are also available to you.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

You can spontaneously extend or shorten the visit to the Gornergrat summit.

You can spontaneously shorten the visit to Zermatt. We have a connection back to Zurich every half-hour. The connection at 6.37 PM is the latest possible departure time from Zermatt.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

You can spontaneously extend or shorten the visit to the Gornergrat summit. The train between the Gornergrat summit and the village of Zermatt runs every 24 minutes or 48 minutes (depending on the season).

You can spontaneously shorten the visit to Zermatt. We have a connection back to Zurich every half-hour. The connection at 6.37 PM is the latest possible departure time from Zermatt.