A unique experience, lots of sun and wonderful views, including of the Matterhorn, plus a magnificent journey on Europe’s highest cog railway. That is one way of describing the route.
Wake up early in the morning at the campsite located between Randa and Täsch. A quick coffee and breakfast, then on the road towards Zermatt. Mornings here in October are freezing cold. So we gave up on a leisurely walk, but took a quick, warming march to Täsch, and from there took the train to Zermatt.
By cable car to the summit of Gornergrat (3,090 m)
We then took a mountain railway up to the summit of Gornergrat, 3,090m above sea level. The cable car runs all year round. Tickets are not cheap, but there is a 50% discount with General-Abo and Halbtax-Abo. Moreover, the panorama there is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and the impressions stay for a very long time.
This amazing scenery is formed by the Monte Rosa massif with the highest Swiss mountain, the Dufourspitze at 4,634 m, the Gornergletscher, the second largest glacier in the Alps, and 29 mountains over 4,000 m above sea level. Among them, of course, the biggest celebrity in Switzerland – the Matterhorn (4,478 m).
GGB Gornergrat Bahn railway (1989)
And it’s all within easy reach thanks to the GGB Gornergrat Bahn railway, which started operating in August 1898 and immediately became a top-class tourist attraction. At the time it was the first electric cog railway in Switzerland and the second in the world. It quickly raised the attractiveness and popularity of the Alpine tourist resort of Zermatt.
More than a century later, the Gornergrat railway is still a jewel in Zermatt’s tourist offering and is still the highest cog railway in Europe.
The journey on the railway takes around 33 minutes. You cross impressive bridges, tunnels, through forests, rocky gorges and mountain lakes. The difference in altitude is 1,469 metres.
Return to Zermatt
The hike from Gornergrat down to Zermatt is fairly light, but you walk all the way down. It can be quite a strain on the knees. And don’t forget that you are in the high mountains, at an altitude of over 3,000 m. So good footwear, sun cream and a head covering are a must. And don’t forget water and provisions.
