Zermatt Attractions: Gorner Gorge and Museum Guide

October 20, 2026

If you only have a few days, the attractions worth planning around are the cross-border lift route to Italy, the underground Matterhorn Museum, the Gorner Gorge and the Glacier Express. There are no coach tours or hop-on hop-off buses in Zermatt, because private vehicles are banned and two electric bus lines, free for visitors at last report, cover the village. This page gives 2026-27 adult prices in Swiss francs (CHF) and the seasonal gaps that catch visitors out.

Matterhorn Alpine Crossing

The route links Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia in Italy through nine stops, among them Furi, Schwarzsee, Trockener Steg, Glacier Paradise and Testa Grigia. Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours each way. A one-way ticket is CHF 147.50 in spring and autumn, CHF 161.50 in July and August, and CHF 127.50 from November to April. Bring a passport or ID card, as the operator says it may be checked at the Testa Grigia border post at 3,480 m. The ticket includes the Glacier Palace ice gallery and the SnowXperience area on Plateau Rosa. A bad-weather guarantee is announced by about 11:00, and luggage forwarding costs CHF 20 a piece. The Italian section and parts of the Swiss section close for works in autumn and winter, so look at the operator website first.

At Glacier Paradise (3,883 m) the air is thin. Children under 3 may not ride the last stage, and everyone should walk slowly, drink water and avoid alcohol.

Glacier Express

The train between Zermatt and St. Moritz takes about 8 hours. Second class costs CHF 166 and first class CHF 284, and a seat reservation of CHF 54 is compulsory on top. Neither the Swiss Travel Pass nor Eurail covers that reservation, and dogs are not carried. There is a yearly service break from mid-October to early December. The price page lists the current fares. Count it as a travel day.

Matterhorn Museum

Zermatlantis is mostly underground and shows old village houses, a multimedia room and objects from the first ascent in 1865, among them the broken rope. Adults pay CHF 12, seniors from 64 pay CHF 10, students CHF 8 and children aged 10 to 16 CHF 7. Children up to 9 enter free. It is open in the afternoons and shuts for a few weeks in November, so check before you go. Read the museum entry on MySwitzerland for the free-entry passes.

Gorner Gorge

A series of wooden walkways crosses a gorge cut through serpentinite, a green rock about 220 million years old. The access was built in 1886 and 1887. It lies roughly 15 minutes on foot from the southern end of the village. Admission is CHF 5.50 for adults and CHF 3 for ages 6 to 15, and younger children enter free. Take some Swiss francs in case cards are not accepted at the gate. It is a summer sight that closes from about mid-October until the end of May. The official gorge page has the dates.

Peak Pass and booking

A one-day Peak Pass bundles Glacier Paradise, Rothorn, Gornergrat, Furi-Riffelberg, the Randa-Täsch-Zermatt train and the local bus. It costs CHF 190, 212 or 234 depending on the season, and it is not valid for skiing. Compare it with single tickets before buying. Listed tours and tickets are on GetYourGuide .