The Zermatt List

If you've followed my blog for the past few years, you already know how much I love Zermatt and have declared it numerous times as "my happy place"; therefore, it will come as no surprise that when Ryan's cousin Chris was here visiting us last weekend, we felt compelled to introduce him and some other friends to Zermatt.

I often send my favorite Zermatt recommendations cobbled together in an e-mail list to friends and family who visit, so below I finally decided to compile everything in one place for future visitors.  Follow these  recommendations and I'm sure you will have the time of your life in my "my happy place":

Restaurants / bars

1. If there's one restaurant on my list you try, make it Chez Vrony! It's on the ski slope in the "Sunegga" area (you'll see what I'm talking about when you look at a piste map). It's only open for lunch since its on the slopes, and you have to make a reservation early. If the weather is good, try to sit outside and catch the view. In the afternoon, they also normally have a bar set up outside and sometimes a DJ.
2. Restaurant Schaeferstube or Chez Julen is to die for as well (both restaurants share the same kitchen), they are known for their lamb dishes. It is in town.
3. Check out the après ski scene across the street at Papperla Pub, awesome live bands. In town.
4. Snow Boat bar is also fun après ski. Also in town.
5. Restaurant Whymper Stube has really good traditional Swiss foods (i.e. fondue) and ambiance. In town.
6. Champagne Bar near sunegga on the slope leading into town for a glass of bubbly on your way back down.  Forewarning, this slope is narrow and may be closed if there isn't good snow cover.
7. Cervo bar/restaurant which is accessible via the same slope down to town or also an elevator up from town.
8. Zum See restaurant in the Furi area - the food is debatably better than Chez Vrony and it is a bit quieter for the more serious foodie.

Areas / other info

1. There are four different ski "areas" in zermatt. 3 Swiss and 1 Italian. You have to pay extra to access the Italian area. There is more than enough skiing to do on the Swiss areas without paying this surcharge, so there is no need to purchase it unless you specifically want to check out the Italian side and/or if you are spending more than a few days here and you want to cover more territory.
2. Each ski area has its own form of transportation to the top, ie gondola, cog train, or metro inside the mountain. Sunegga metro is the fastest way to get on the mountain skiing in my opinion.
3. Glacier paradise area is really cool experience because it is so high and on a glacier, the skiing is actually quite flat on the glacier though, so don't expect anything extreme.
4. In my opinion the most beautiful views of the area are from the Gornergrat summit, where you can overlook the Monte Rosa glacier and the Matterhorn.
5. The pistes are always in fantastic condition and are big wide open cruisers! Honestly the best skiing in the world in my opinion is in Zermatt.
6. Check out the shopping on the Main Street in zermatt, "Bahnhofstrasse". You can get everything from touristy trinkets, to chocolate, to high-end designer clothing.
7. Don't miss wandering through the oldest street in Zermatt with traditional Swiss houses ("Hinterdorfstrasse"). You can also enquire at the Tourist Office in town for an official tour of the street. 
8. All of the above recommendations are for winter tips in Zermatt, but most are equally applicable for the summer. In fact, it's hard for me to say which season I enjoy most in Zermatt, both winter and summer are amazing.  In the summer, Zermatt has fantastic hiking trails and you can either hike up or take the various lift systems up to the various restaurants. I highly recommend doing the 5 Lakes trail in the summer.

Hotels

1. We often stay at the Hotel Tascherhof in the town of Tasch in the winter, it is much cheaper and easier to find a room here because it is outside of Zermatt. The train from Tasch to/from Zermatt takes only around 8 minutes and costs 8CHF round trip for half fare card holders / CHF16 round trip for tourists. It runs 24-7, but it runs less frequently later at night. 
2. If you want to stay in Zermatt and money ain't no thang, stay at the Hotel Post, which has a very unique style, many on-site restaurants/bars, and a sauna/wellness center.
3. If you want to stay at high-altitude and have a real Swiss alpine hut experience (in the summer), hike up and stay at the Fluhalp.

Posts from my previous WINTER trips for inspiration
My first trip to Zermatt
Holidays in Zermatt

Posts from my previous SUMMER trips for inspiration
Spending the night at a high-altitude alpine hut
Girl's trip to Zermatt
The 5 Lakes Trail

And because every trip to Zermatt results in beautiful photos that beg to be shared, here are some photos from our latest trip:

The snow cover wasn't great for off piste skiing, but the pistes themselves were in great condition. 

At the Champagne Bar

At Papperla Pub

Stopping for lunch at Chez Vrony