Travel Guide // Zermatt
I live by the mantra, “Take the trip!” but it is one thing to take the trip, and it is quite another thing to take THE TRIP. Skiing Zermatt was a bucket list, capital-t Trip, and if you’re as into skiing & eating & surrounding yourself in the majesty of nature as I am, then Zermatt should be on your bucket list, too.
Because Zermatt is the most beautiful place I have ever skied. Full stop. For people accustomed to skiing the American west, the sheer scale of the Swiss Alps is mind-blowing. Multiple times each day, I’d casually ski around a turn & be gobsmacked by the view. There are also charming chalet restaurants scattered everywhere, mountain goats casually munching off-piste, and if you’re into that sort of thing, world-class skiing.
Here are Priss & Vinegar’s tips for planning your very own Swiss ski adventure to Zermatt:
GETTING THERE // We flew into Zurich & then took the train (an approximately 3 1/2 hour ride) to Zermatt. The last hour of the train ride is rather scenic. No iPad use requested or granted!
STAY
❄️ I vastly prefer ski-in/ski-out accommodations, which is bratty, I know, but skiing doesn’t feel like a vacation if I’m constantly schlepping my child army to & from the mountain. Sry. We selected the Rifflealp Resort for this precise reason. You walk directly from the nicely-appointed hotel locker room onto the piste. It truly doesn’t get easier. I also have a soft spot for historic hotels with a sense of place, and the Rifflealp (opened in 1884) has that in spades. It feels like a little castle on the mountain, albeit a very luxurious castle that just underwent a significant & very tasteful renovation.
Despite the hotel’s grandeur, children are quite welcome, with a kindergarten room for little ones, a children’s table at dinner, a game lounge for older children, teddy bears on arrival, and bunk beds in select rooms. My children also LOVED the breakfast buffet, where they ate their body weight in Nutella crepes. The indoor/outdoor warm pool with a view of the Matterhorn was the cherry on top!
❄️ I would also consider Cervo, a chic, on-mountain hotel that’s accessible to the village while still being truly ski-in/ski-out. If a discreet, in-town, boutique hotel is your vibe, the Monte Rosa would be a perfect choice.
❄️ If you’re traveling with a large group of family & friends or just prefer the creature comforts of a private home, Kid & Coe has some lovely rental chalets in Zermatt. Unlike other vacation rentals, Kid & Coe properties are designed with families in mind, include concierge services in the rental fee (major), and offer housekeeping & private chef service upgrades if that’s your vibe. Through my partnership with Kid & Coe, my followers can use code: PrissandVinegar150 for $150 off any Kid & Coe rental .
SKI
⛷ With long, narrow trails & minimal signage, Zermatt is not a beginners’ mountain. It is, however, ski paradise for people who want to feel like they’re on a mountain adventure instead of lapping the same run over and over. We skied six straight days & still didn’t see everything Zermatt has to offer!
⛷The Ikon Pass includes seven days of skiing in Zermatt, so all of our lift tickets were covered by our passes. If you ski at least one week per year, the a ski pass is absolutely worth purchasing. The number of mountains they include worldwide is impressive! To note: if you plan to ski over the border into Cervinia in Italy, there is a small additional charge.
⛷ Hire a guide! I originally booked a private instructor to take the six year-old off my hands because he can’t hang with the rest of my ski crew. (Sorry, Mac.) However, Peter from Stoked was such a blast that we all stayed with him the whole time! He was the mountain guide/ski instructor/local personality we needed, guiding us around the mountain (essential for first-timers), teaching us all to be better skiers, and getting us into coveted restaurants without reservations. (More on that later.) We all completely adored Peter & couldn’t imagine visiting Zermatt without him. Highest recommendation!
LUNCH
On-mountain lunch is the heart of the Zermatt dining scene, so make sure you book those 2pm seating lunch reservations asap. I recommend erring on the side of making more reservations than you need? Inclement weather can make getting to certain parts of the mountain impossible, so my family ended up missing two reservations but thankfully had our guide, Peter, on hand to snag us a same-day table elsewhere.
🧀 My favorite lunch was at Findlerhof, where they serve truly exquisite food (including the best quiche of my life) on sun-drenched decks with Matterhorn views. The lemon sorbet coupe with vodka is the ideal way to finish your meal, if that’s your thing. (And it IS.)
🫕 Chez Vrony is a must for Swiss classics in a chalet chic setting. The building is charmingly labrinthine, with many levels of dining rooms and decks filled with stylish skiers lunching on excellent salads, rosti, Bloody Mary Soup (add vodka, duh) and famous hot chocolate.
🍕 Ice Pizzeria surprised my crew with excellent pizza at the top of the Matterhorn Glacier. (Request a table by the window for truly spectacular views.)
🧀 When I imagined what a ski day lunch in Zermatt would look like, the charming chalet setting of Restaurant Zum See is exactly what I pictured. The food is excellent, with housemade pastas & desserts (do not skip the napoleon!) that taste like they were made with a Swiss grandmother’s love.
🇮🇹 I did not make it to my reservation at Chalet Etoile in Italy (the border didn’t open due to high winds) but everyone says it is spectacular & not to be missed!
APRES
🍹 Sunshine and live music make apres at Cervo such a pleasure. The vibe is festive but not raucous, so you could absolutely bring children here if you so desire.
🍺 The apres scene at Hennu Stall is reportedly such a rager that they moved the closing time up by two hours following a drunken ski accident. So don’t bring the kids, but definitely head there if you’re looking to PARTY, euro ski mountain style.
🍾 I ran out of time to make it to apres at Champagne Bar & I’m still not over it. They had me at yellow & white striped awning. So chic! Next time.
🧊 The whole family loved Iglu-Dorf for a midday cocoa or an apres ski spritz. In addition to being an on-mountain bar, Iglu-Dorf is also a hotel where guests stay inside an actual igloo. My children loved exploring inside & viewing the beautiful ice carvings. (Don’t miss the giant octopus!)
🥂 The apres scene at Bar 2’222m at the Rifflealp is decidedly serene, with fur-topped chaises & blankets to snuggle up under while you sip flutes of champagne.
DINNER
🫕 With a leisurely late lunch on the mountain every day, dinner felt like a bit of an afterthought? My family was delighted to spend time at the hotel pool and then enjoy dinner at one of the three restaurants at the Rifflealp Resort, including our children’s favorite, Ristorante Al Bosco, where they fell in love with meat fondue. (I was partial to the little espresso cup of flavorful consommé & sherry they bring you after the fondue experience!)
🍽 In town, I’ve heard wonderful things about Myoko (Japanese), Restaurant Schäferstube in Hotel Julen (fancy Swiss), and Sonnmatten (homestyle Swiss).
*To note, this trip was not sponsored in any way. These opinions are all Priss & Vinegar’s own!