Is anyone else dreaming of their next European getaway? I know I am!
After a year with trips few and far between, I’ve been reminiscing on all of the fun vacations my husband and I have taken together, and my favorite will always be our honeymoon. I shared all of the details on why we choose Switzerland and France for our honeymoon here, but today I’m so excited to share the third stop on our trip: Zermatt!
Kevin and I had so much fun exploring Geneva (read all about it in this post), but our stay in Zermatt was definitely the highlight of our trip! From skiing during the day to cozying up fireside with fondue and fine wine, the honeymoon was everything we could have dreamed of and more! Zermatt is such a picturesque village, and the backdrop of the Matterhorn behind the charming Swiss chalets was simply magical. Whether you’re planning an active ski weekend or a romantic getaway to wine and dine, Zermatt offers something for everyone. Keep reading to learn more about our honeymoon + our tips for planning a romantic getaway to Zermatt!
For more tips on Switzerland, check out:
Geneva // Klosters // Montreux, Gstaad, and Gruyere
SHOP MY LOOK:
Getting there:
The best way to get to Zermatt is by taking the train from either Zurich or Geneva. For our honeymoon, we opted to go through Geneva as you can see in this post. If you’ve never traveled through Europe on their metro system, you’ll be pleasantly surprised because they are always on time and pretty inexpensive. Unlike flying, you can buy your Eurail pass up until you are literally on the train – although I don’t recommend that. The night before we were leaving the hotel in Geneva, our concierge bought our train tickets for us. I recommend doing it this way rather than far in advance.
From Geneva, we took the train to Visp and then switched to a smaller train that went from Visp to Zermatt (Zermatt is the last stop on this route). This took us about half a day and the views were amazing! You get to see the large houses lining Lake Geneva and the Castle of Chillon while you are in the valley, and as you work your way up the mountain to Zermatt, those lake views turn into beautiful snowy mountains and rushing rivers. Most trains have restaurant cars, but I recommend stopping at the convenience store at the train station to pick up food and drinks, because it doubles in price once you’re on the train with fewer options.
Once you get to the Zermatt train station, you’ll see cars that look very different from what you’re used to. All the cars in Zermatt are electric, so they’re much smaller and quieter. Most hotels have a house car, so make sure to call in advance with your arrival time so you don’t have to walk to your hotel. Everything is pretty close, but with luggage in a new town, it’s nice to have a ride. We opted to stay at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and this is one of the only if not the only hotel in Zermatt that has a horse drawn carriage pick up!
Where to Stay:
When we travel, we like to stay centrally located so everything is nearby. We also knew we wanted to stay somewhere that had the traditional Swiss style, but still had all the modern luxuries we are used to. With this criteria, we opted to stay at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and were very pleased with our decision! Since this was our first time to the area we wanted to have a room with views of the Matterhorn, so we upgraded to a Deluxe Suite. Being that this is a ski location, I highly recommend getting a larger room because winter clothes and boots take up a LOT of space, and you don’t want to constantly trip over your stuff. Luckily our room had 3 closets and a large living room, so we were able to be organized and fully unpacked. Another surprise about this room? It had 3 patios!
I’m usually not a breakfast person, but the morning buffet at the Zermatterhof was insane! They had all the typical dishes you would expect, plus a full cheese display, a new fresh pressed juice every morning, sushi(!?!), large German pretzels, and complimentary champagne! The dining room where breakfast is served also adds opulence to this meal. The glass roof ceiling is adorned with chandeliers and the wood detailing on the walls is out of this world. If you’re like me and don’t love breakfast, you should still go at least once for the experience.
The spa can also not be missed – especially after your body is tired from a day of skiing. Their large pool never felt crowded, however, their hot tub did seem a bit small – especially for a ski town. Nevertheless, this did not affect us because their two steam rooms, sauna, and ice room (!) were available to guest with no extra fees. One funny thing about this spa versus ones in America is that the dressing room was co-ed!
Other Notable Hotels:
Where to Eat/Drink:
There are a ton of great places to eat and drink in Zermatt, but you do need to have a reservation to eat at many of the restaurants in the village. Kevin and I learned this the hard way one night when we tried to walk into dinner with no reservation. Three places that looked empty on the inside told us they were fully committed. Luckily, we ended up finding somewhere great that would take us, but keep this in mind for your Zermatt vacation!
Sonnematten
This restaurant is about a 30 minute walk from town center and is worth it! This restaurant is in a more residential part of the town so it wasn’t very crowded and it was delicious! After eating many heavy meals on our trip, we opted for the soup and salad and we both agree this is one of our top meals of the trip!
The Omnia
Inside The Omnia hotel is a wonderful Michelin star restaurant that feels very modern in a historic town. Getting to this restaurant is an experience in itself. You walk through a cave to an elevator where you’re whisked up to the lobby level. You may feel like you’re in a James Bond movie when you arrive and it’s for good reason, because James Bond did film in this cave! The restaurant has a tasting menu, but we opted to order off the menu and loved all the dishes!
Saycheese!
As you know, we love our fondue! Saycheese! is a casual fondue restaurant in the basement of the Grand Zermatterhof Hotel. They have a 7:00 and 9:00 seating, which we learned is common for fondue restaurants in Zermatt.
Zum See
If you’re used to skiing in the states where the only place to eat on the mountain is a crowded lodge with overpriced average pizza, you’ll be very pleased with your choices in Zermatt! There are many restaurants on the mountain and they are all locally owned and have their own flair. Kevin’s family recommended Zum See and we were not disappointed. Don’t ski? You can walk here! Ask your hotel concierge for the quickest route.
SHOP MY LOOK:
Blue Lounge
We stopped here for a drink when we were skiing and I could have stayed all day! The views were stunning, the music was great, and they had comfortable lounge furniture that you can really sink into for the day! It’s almost at the top of the mountain, but I learned there is a gondola nearby so once again, if you don’t ski, you can still come up here for a drink and meet up with your friends that may be out on the mountain – or if you have too much fun, you can take the gondola down.
Gee’s
This restaurant and bar is in the heart of Zermatt and is always popping. We went here two nights in a row because we had so much fun sitting at the bar, talking to our new favorite bartender Nicki, and listening to the music, all while having some delicious sushi! Gee’s has a sushi restaurant downstairs but we loved being in the action at the bar!
The Stars Bar
Regardless of if you’re staying at the Zermatterhof or not, you should grab a cocktail in the Stars Bar one night. In no time, you’ll find yourself in a cozy booth singing along with the piano player. Our favorite song of the night was when the piano player serenaded us to Gangsta’s Paradise in German!
What to Do:
Ski!
Since it was our first time skiing in Zermatt we opted to have a guide take us out so we could take the guesswork out of where we should go and just follow the pro. Kevin’s family recommended Stoked ski since that who they have always used and they did not steer us wrong. Adam, who has been a ski guide in Zermatt for over 15 years was incredibly knowledgeable about the mountain and was able to tailor the day to our liking. I recommend getting an international ski pass in case you decide to ski to Italy for the day. It’s only about $10 more if you buy the international pass, but if you find yourself in Italy and only have the Swiss pass, you’ll have to buy another $80 Italy day pass to get back to the peak to go back to Switzerland.
Visit Gornergrat
This is Europe’s highest hotel with amazing views! I didn’t put this in the hotel section because it’s more of a destination and it’s not easy to go back and forth into town if you want to go out to eat, drink or shop. The open air cog railway will get you all the way to the top, but if you’re short on time and already skiing, there is a chairlift where you can see the hotel and views on your way up.
Tour The Matterhorn Museum
Learn more about where you are by touring the Matterhorn Museum! It’s only open from 3-6pm every day so make sure you watch the clock and don’t miss it!
Take The Matterhorn Glacier Ride
Take the Matterhorn Glacier Ride to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise for views of the highest mountains in Switzerland, Italy, & France. This is the nicest gondola I have ever been in – it runs smoothly with great views, but better than all that is that it has heated seats!
Hire A Photographer
After seeing Blair and Peter’s honeymoon photos from Paris, I knew I wanted to have professional photos from my honeymoon as well, because how many selfies can one couple have? Our hotel concierge connected us with Victor Cortez and he was amazing to work with! He edited and returned the photos to us very quickly and since he lives locally he knew where to take us for the perfect shots.
Relax!
Although we know we should have skied more, we were exhausted coming off of our wedding so we spent one day relaxing at the hotel, got spa treatments, and shopped around town. This was much needed and it was nice to not overbook ourselves.
Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, romantic getaway, or simply looking for a fabulous destination for R&R and exploring, Zermatt is a must-visit destination to add to your bucket list! We had an absolutely amazing honeymoon here, and we hope to visit again soon!
Planning a trip to Switzerland? Check out more of our travel guides!
Geneva // Klosters // Montreux, Gstaad, and Gruyere
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