Zermatt advice?

jdall

Heya,

I'm headed to Zermatt at the end of the week and it will be my first experience in the Swiss Alps. I'm from the states and familiar with big mountain ski resorts, but wanted to get some general advice from people who have been to Zermatt before.. like best food, pubs, lifts, etc. I understand everyone has different interests so I'll just state that I'm a 29 year old advanced level skier/boarder who prefers the kind of "local" scene, away from all the tourists traps. I prefer a more chill atmosphere rather than the clubs.

Also, my wife is joining me but wont be able to ski as she is pregnant, so any recommendations for daytime activities for non-skiers?

Thanks!

Conall Cernach

Hi, I've never been to Zermatt in Winter but I've been there several times during the Summer and am going back this year. I always find my way to Sparkey's Bar which is on the way to the cable cars. There is also a hostel in the same building so the place is usually buzzing. Sparkey's serves very good food and drink but he is also a very keen sportsman and so will be able to answer any of your sports related questions and he is English so there will be no language problems. There is also another restaurant called The Cable Car who also have a bar just across the road called The Bubble where there is often live music. They also have a bowling alley and pool tables in the Bubble. The guys running them are also English and also are into their snowboarding etc. In the centre of the town there are loads of very good restaurants and bars. The Brown Cow and Grampis are probably the busiest and are reasonably priced. If you are badly stuck there is a McDonald's near the train station.

For your wife many of the hotels have spas and the like for relaxation. There is also a cinema not far off the main street where English language movies are played.

jdall

Cool, thanks! I'll def check out those places.

zagmund

1) bring money, lots of it
2) the restaurant downstairs in the Snowboat - www.snowboat.ch - does a great tasting menu for special events, The bar upstairs is pretty good too. It's down by the Sunnegga
3) your wife should take the Gornergrat bahn on a clear day - there's a restaurant "half way" up which you can reach from the train with a few minutes walk - she can join you for lunch up the mountain. I think it was the one below Riffelberg
4) don't bother with the Glacier Express - it takes the same route down the mountain as the local trains, which have the same view and cost a fraction of the price. When you are coming down the valley the panorama cars don't add much since the sides are so steep.
5) watch out for the lunatics driving the electric buggies - which are really cars, but they want to be able to say that Zermatt is car free. Except it's not.
6) for some reason known best to the good folks of Zermatt they don't clear the compacted ice from the streets, so your wife will need to be careful walking around
7) bring more money

z

davmol

Not sure if it was mentioned in the post above but bring LOTS of money.

We were there 5 years ago and paid over 20euro for a plate of spaghetti Bolognese in one of the mountain resorts for lunch.

Conall Cernach

davmol wrote: »

Not sure if it was mentioned in the post above but bring LOTS of money.

We were there 5 years ago and paid over 20euro for a plate of spaghetti Bolognese in one of the mountain resorts for lunch.

Yeah it can be pricey. The Brown Cow does a burger and fries for around 16 Francs, I think, but other places could easily charge 26. On the plus side self catering can be reasonable. You can pick up a litre bottle of table wine for under 3 francs in the Co-op.

jdall

Damn, 26 Euro for a burger and chips is harsh. I expected high prices but will probably do more self catering and visits to the off license from what I'm hearing. We'll probably do at least one steak night though, any suggestions for quality food at a decent price? We're not too picky, Sparky's sounds pretty good.

Thanks for all the advice! I'll let you know if i find anything else worth checking out.

oceanclub

Am going to Zermatt beginning of May - sightseeing and walking rather than skiing. Any idea what kind of clothes to bring? I'm figuring lots of layers since it seems to be variable - thermals/fleece/softshell jacket/waterproof jacket, with trousers/thermals/heavy boots.

P.

Fattes

Yep being money, then double what you think you will need & then double that! Have a quick search there are a few threads here in it

Thee lift network is excellent and the trains will make it easy for your wife to get up the hill.

The church grave yard and Matterhorn museum are both excellent spots for non skiers. You will have limited terrain to ride this time of the year and the top of Zermat is surprisingly flat.

The views are jaw dropping in zee mart everywhere you look it has the highest concentration of good food stops on the planet. The chocolate shop just down from McDonalds is a must! Enjoy it it's a pretty magical place.