Zermatt, Switzerland

*Scroll to the bottom to see all of the pictures from this trip with captions for a little “story” of sorts! 🙂

We left Lake Como knowing we’d have a fairly big travel day ahead of us, 6 hours to be exact. At this point, we were excited to leave Italy. We had so much fun exploring Italy, but we had seen so many cities that, while each beautiful, had many similarities (ornate churches and “old rocks” as Jeff would say). We were ready for the mountains and to see something different. 

We started traveling through the Italian countryside to make our way to Switzerland, and it was so fun to see the changing landscapes. We went from inner-city living to pastures and cute little homes overlooking meadows. It was so picturesque. As we started getting closer to Zurich, we could definitely see the change in architecture. The buildings were less stonework and more brick. The train station in Zurich was so beautiful, and even the peek into daily living in this city was quite fun. Just outside the train station was a little park where we saw a mother on a bike with a large square basket on the front of the bike taking her kids for a ride. There was a family greeting each other with a large dog that I asked to pet. They acted quite confused; I don’t think they understood me, but they obliged. 

Our time in Zurich was very short (about an hour), but we enjoyed exploring and even seeing the differences in the train station. They had hot dogs and pretzels in a little grocery store inside the train station! You could tell they were really catering to people that commuted daily and needed real food, not just fast food. I wish more train stations and airports would accommodate this! It was nice to have a choice in lunch that wasn’t just a piece of lukewarm pizza or a sub-par sandwich. 

We then got on the train that would take us to Interlaken and Lucerne. When we got on this train, I could tell Jeffrey was so excited to be heading toward the mountains. He was just giddy and all smiles. This train also had a different feel than the Italian trains. It was a double-decker train with cushioned seats that allowed for multiple seating arrangements based on your party. There were single seats that faced each other, double seats that faced each other, even a bar overlooking a large window that you could spread out your lunch or computer. As we started getting closer to Interlaken, the views just got prettier and prettier. The water was a beautiful blue green and the mountains became more and more magnificent. Each time we’d see a hint of a larger view, we’d get more and more excited. We began talking about what it would take to move here and how gorgeous daily living would be. (We would laugh about this later as we realized just how expensive it is to live in Switzerland.)

We ended our train ride and boarded another smaller train with wooden seats and very large windows to take us into Zermatt. We sat across the aisle from a group of girls from San Diego who were on a girls’ trip to hike in the Alps. They were fun to talk to and to overhear what they were excited to experience on their trip. As we got closer and closer to the Matterhorn, Jeff and I couldn’t believe the views and the elevation change as our train car had a steeper and steeper incline.

Soon, we saw the Matterhorn and could take in just how surreal it was to be in Zermatt. Once we had been stationed, we exited our train and started walking towards our AirBnb. As per usual, our AirBnb was a good half a mile walk uphill to an apartment complex, on the top floor, no doubt. It also started pouring as we were walking through the quintessential streets of Zermatt, so we got out our rain gear and started walking. It then started POURING, and by the time we made it tour our apartment, we were soaked.

We entered our little home and were humbled by just how small this room was for the $500 we had paid to stay there for 3 nights. It was smaller than a dorm room with barely any room to lay our bags out on the floor. We had a view overlooking the buildings of Zermatt and the construction currently happening. It was a little underwhelming (if I’m even allowed to say that considering where we were). We had thought we had booked a view of the Matterhorn, and the construction blocked a lot of the beauty of the homes. Regardless, we had a pretty mountainside to look at and were able to appreciate it nonetheless. We settled in quickly and fell asleep for an afternoon nap almost immediately.

We woke up to it raining, once again, and realized we made the mistake of not getting any food before our nap when it had been dry. We started looking at local restaurants to see what sounded good and found that an average price was far more than we wanted to pay. For a burger and fries (not even a drink!), the average restaurant price was 30 Swiss francs, which was $40ish US dollars. For one, singular meal! Crazy! Armoring up again in our damp rain jackets, we hiked back down through the construction and rain to a grocery store called Coop to get breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the next 3 days. Even this was a challenge, as fresh meat was crazy expensive too! We ended up getting ingredients to make wedding soup (meatballs were the cheapest thing of any substance that we could find), bread and peanut butter, muffins for breakfast, and a couple snacks to add to our backpacks for hiking. Powerade also became a staple of our time in Switzerland and fueled many of our hikes. It was still expensive, but it actually felt really good to grocery shop and feel a little like a local. Even making the wedding soup that night was so enjoyable- who knew I’d be craving to cook again after eating out for a week? 

At the grocery store, we paid the extra 10 cents per bag so we could carry our groceries. I saved these bags so we could reuse them for the duration of our time in Switzerland. We walked back in the rain, trying to shelter our fresh groceries, when we ran across the San Diego girls, coming down from a trail completely drenched. They had tried to get a hike in and beat the storm, but it was very clear that they did not make that goal and were exhausted and done for the day. It made me all the more grateful to have our AirBnb already set up with food ready to be cooked.

That night, I made the wedding soup, which was honestly the best wedding soup I’ve ever had! Their chicken bouillon is amazing in Switzerland- they don’t even sell liquid chicken broth, you have to make it yourself. The flavor is so much better than ours! We then watched Fixer Upper in German (which was hilarious), showered, and went to bed, excited for whatever the next day would hold.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Waking up, we had a very big decision to make. Which pass would we buy for what gondola ride?

We decided to sleep in until 8:00 (which was much later than our travel norm considering the early mornings we had had previously). Over breakfast, we discussed our goals for our time in Switzerland and how we would explore. We knew we wanted to explore the mountains via gondola, but there were many options of varying expenses. There was a pass that only took you to Gornergrat or a pass that only took you to Riffelberg, but it just seemed incomplete. In the end, we decided to splurge for the complete package: the $300 (each!!) peak pass that allowed endless gondola rides up and down any lift. 

After purchasing the passes, we made our way to the ticket booth to pick up the cards that would serve as our unlimited pass. At this point, I was getting quite nervous. I had never been on a gondola before, and I was really nervous for how the ride would be. I do not like anything thrilling. I’ve never been on a rollercoaster. I don’t like fast, droppy, spinny, or startling. Would this gondola ride be smooth? Bumpy? Fast? I had nothing to base it off of.

After a quick bathroom break, we got on the gondola, and after a few minutes, I settled into the ride and realized that it was going to be smooth and comfortable- nothing to be scared of. I was greatly relieved considering how much the pass had cost and how much of the mountains I wanted to see. As we started ascending, my jaw just dropped lower and lower. These views were unlike anything I had ever experienced. And quite frankly, they set the bar extremely high for any other views I will ever see again. To be *a part of* the mountains as we were lifted into the realm of steep cliffs and peaks was so surreal, and every foot in elevation made for new angles of glaciers and views of Zermatt as it became minuscule in the distance.

Once at the top, we went inside the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. It was a series of ice hallways carved from the ice itself. You could look up into cracks in the ice and see ice crystals. In other parts of the ice, it was super smooth and blue, looking more like a frosted glass than actual ice. There were different ice sculptures, including one of the Virgin Mary, a bald eagle, bulls, and even a bench you could sit on with “Zermatt” carved from the ice. There were also sheepskin seat coverings to sit on to keep your tush warm from this ice. (This was extremely common. Almost every chair in open-air seating at restaurants had a sheepskin covering to keep the chair warm since the weather can change so quickly in Zermatt.) There was also a slide with little mats to slide on and a restaurant overlooking the mountains. (We stopped here to pay the couple Swiss Francs to use the bathroom before starting our hike for the day.) I also made sure to take a picture with the sheep- duh!

After exploring the ice palace, we made our way over to the observation deck. We had to hike up a few sets of stairs, and let me tell you, that elevation was REAL. Just a few steps was WINDING, and I was breathing quite heavily just to walk. It was extremely humbling. At the overlook, there was a cross and a map of all the peaks we were looking at. It was so surreal. To think of all the hiking paths, all the crevices that had yet to have been touched by human eyes, all of the lives that had been lost exploring these mountains. Just wild. It made you feel so small to think about the challenge it is to explore land this rugged and expansive. 

After gawking a bit longer, we stepped out onto the snow where skiers were beginning their descent. We also watched a group hike up a peak in the distance. It was quite dangerous if you didn’t have proper footwear with grips. Jeff wanted to do some sort of adventure like that, but we were extremely unprepared considering we had just come from temperatures of 90° F just a day earlier. It was crazy how quickly the temperature could change based on elevation. In Zermatt, we were comfortable in shorts and a hoodie, normal for the 55°- 60° of the city. At the Glacier Paradise though, it was in the 20s. We were prepared for this, though, and it made it worthwhile to have been carrying around winter coats throughout Italy. (We did have to laugh when we first got to Zermatt- we were concerned that our AirBnb didn’t have air conditioning and that we would be warm. After a single day where it rained and cooled everything to a crisp 50°, we quickly understood why we didn’t have AC, and rightly so.)

From there, we started hiking around the bowl of the Matterhorn, aptly named Matterhorn #26. Every view of the Matterhorn was just breathtaking- I think an eighth of my camera role is just different angles of this mountain. The terrain itself was also so interesting. Some rocks were red, others white, and some dark grey. The water was an icy blue, and when you stuck your hand in, you’d lift out thin ice shards. Still, there were small, hearty wildflowers beginning their bloom beneath the Matterhorn. Crazy! The lichen was also beautiful to see, covering rock and creating its own unique patterns. 

We saw that there was a base camp for the Matterhorn (wayyyy further up than we were). We thought about hiking to it, but realized after a few forks in the road that it just wasn’t a possibility for our day. Not only was it just too far and we were unprepared for a longer hike, but the trail that we would’ve taken was blocked and maybe even incorrect. We decided to finish our hike (up a very steep and humbling rock hill), and explore more with our peak pass. 

From there, we went to Gornergrat via train (which was also included in our pass!), got off a few stops early, and explored the overlooks there. Again, stunning. On this train ride up, we met two paraglider instructors/guides and two Indian men who were about to take their first leap (literally) into paragliding. We rode the train up with them, eavesdropping on their conversation, and sneakily following them once we got off the train to watch them quite literally run off the mountain to fly. The one guide claimed to have indigenous ancestry and wore a native headdress, something he claimed he did every “takeoff.” We watched them prepare the parachutes as the men nervously waited.

They strapped themselves into the harness, waited for a gust of wind, and ran off the side of the mountain! They floated around for a bit before the guide did a few maneuvers that allowed them to increase in elevation. The one Indian man was especially daring and asked for more daring stunts for the thrill. We watched them until they were small dots off in the distance and then started to hike down to Riffelberg, another railway station.

Along the way, we saw beautiful lakes, saw small wildflowers beginning to bloom, and a marmot (The Switzerland version of a groundhog)! This section especially felt “the hills are alive” – esque. At points, we even ran down the dirt pathways, both for the vibe and for our knees (we felt so old- running somehow softened the pain on the knees while basically falling down the mountain). Running along a path like this also made me feel like Jack Sparrow, especially with my backpack filled to the brim with coats and sunscreen, an interesting mix. 

After exploring this station and sitting and admiring the fews, we took the train back up to Gornergrat to then take the final train back down to Zermatt. While I’d love to say this ride was as magical as all the others, it was most definitely not. First, I was exhausted, my legs were tired, and I was hungry. I was just done. Jeffrey had to rally for me to enjoy the end part of this day. On top of feeling all of this, there was a gentleman on our train about 6 rows up that just didn’t look well. At one point, he made eye contact with other passengers, giving them the thumbs down. Well…a thumbs down it truly was because a few minutes later, he threw up all over himself and his seat. That poor guy. He tried so hard to be discreet with it. I could not smell anything, but Jeff could, and the rest of the ride down was spent focusing on anything but that. 

We exited the train quickly, inhaling the fresh mountain air DEEPLY after that train ride. We walked down a few forest trails (with other passengers carrying luggage- to hike with a wheeled suitcase would be wild). We made it back to our AirBnb, had leftovers for dinner, and then talked to our parents. It was a very full day filled with some of my best memories of the entire trip.

Monday, June 23, 2025

After the previous day filled with hiking, elevation gain and loss, and views upon views, we decided to have a slow morning in our AirBnb, and we didn’t get up until 9:45. This was the latest we slept in the entire trip, and it was at this point that we were starting to slow down a bit. Up until this point, we had been go-go-go, waking up early and going to bed late to fit everything in. For the first week, it was sustainable, but for the second, we started to drag some.

We decided to take advantage of our peak pass, so we went up to Glacier Paradise again to enjoy the views. As we walked into town to catch a gondola, we passed a truck with a trailer filled with the little black and white sheep that are famous in Switzerland. They were so cute!! The first day had been much clearer, so we were glad we had seen it the previous day too. We decided to hike along the “5 Lakes” trail, but only taking the routes that would allow us to see the first and last lakes on this trail. Jeff had done some research, and many other hikers shared that these two were the prettiest, with many others claiming that the others in between were more like small ponds.

For the first lake, we took a small (and verrrrry sketchy and old) incline (lift/elevator like ride) down to a play area next to the lake. We saw a little raft cable boat along with families playing in the water. There was even an English Cream Golden Retriever playing in the water with the view of the mountain behind him! How much more picturesque can you get?!

We then went to another lake with a lot more tourists. We found a nice bench and ate the pretzels we had bought at the grocery store while admiring the views. While sitting, I noticed a great blue heron in the lake! I was beyond excited as this specific bird is kind of an inside joke in my family and something I consider super special. I gingerly got closer to try and get a picture without scaring it. As I got closer and it didn’t move a muscle, I realized it was a plastic lawn ornament! And not only a plastic bird, but the EXACT plastic mold my parents have in their backyard that we lovingly named Rupert. I was so excited to tell my family and share the pictures of Rupert’s long lost Swiss brother!

After we were done at the lakes, we went back into town and to our AirBnb. It was on this walk as I was switching from my glasses to my prescription sunglasses that I dropped my glasses on the concrete giving them a nice scratch in the center of each lens. Of course. Thankfully they were still wearable, but I was quite annoyed. To add to the annoyance, when we got back to the AirBnb, I learned that my sunscreen had exploded in my backpack! Thankfully, the Italian “baby milk” sunscreen is much thinner than American lotion sunscreen, so it was actually rather easy to wash out.

We rested for a bit and debated what we wanted to do. We decided to check out a local museum (which ended up being a bust as it was very expensive for not a lot), and we walked around town, exploring some shops. We stopped at a little art shop, but many of the pieces were prints, and we really wanted original pieces to hang in our home alongside the art we had already started collecting. Since we had the train passes to get us anywhere for free, we decided to take a train to the neighboring town called Tasch just for the fun of it. There wasn’t too much to see, but we did explore a campground with lots of camper vans and enjoyed seeing different setups. We definitely missed our van at this point. We stopped at a Coop grocery store to see what we could get for dinner, and while their selection was a bust, we did get to love on a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever! I will find a dog anywhere to love!

We returned to Zermatt and went back to the Coop we had been doing our grocery shopping at and each picked out a “tv dinner” to slowly heat up in the toaster oven. While this heated up, I talked to my childhood best friend and enjoyed a surprisingly delicious chicken curry meal. We then took showers, crawled into bed, and enjoyed sleeping with the windows open.