Rick Steves’ Europe: Falling in Love With the Matterhorn

Zermatt is a tiny-but-touristy town of roughly 6,000 people nestled at the dead-end of a long valley in Switzerland’s remote southwest.

Zermatt is often socked in by clouds—but if you’re lucky to be there on a clear day, you’ll see the Matterhorn peeking out above the chalet rooftops and surrounding hills. Rick Steves’ Europe

I have a confession: I’m in love with the Matterhorn. There’s just something about this triangular peak of Disneyland fame—the most recognizable mountain on the planet. Just seeing it is one of the great experiences in Switzerland. And hiking with that iconic summit as a background is even better.

The 14,690-foot Matterhorn towers above Zermatt, a tiny-but-touristy town of roughly 6,000 people nestled at the dead-end of a long valley in Switzerland’s remote southwest. While it’s barely two hours from Bern and Interlaken by train (or about three hours from Zürich or Lausanne), it’s not really on the way to anywhere. Especially considering its inconvenient location, many travelers find it overrated. If you make the trek and are met with only cloudy weather, you may end up with a T-shirt that reads, “I went all the way to Zermatt and didn’t even see the Matterhorn.” (This isn’t rare; it took me multiple trips before I caught a clear glimpse of it.)