Matterhorn Glacier Paradise: Your Guide

Intro

After being trapped for a few days in Visp, Switzerland, earlier this year, because of an unexpected snowstorm that vanished the train tracks and roads of the Alps, I was not able to go up the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Cable Car, and seeing this mountain more up close.

Fortunately, after e-mailing back and forth with this company, very rude by the way, I was able to secure my reissued tickets to the Cable Car, since I never used them due to the storm. The problem was I had no plans to go to Switzerland any time soon, and the tickets were set to expire in 1 year. Well, I was going to be in the vicinity for Christmas, as part of my Round The World Trip 2025-2026, so I chose to sacrifice a couple of days in Berlin to go to Zermatt in Switzerland, acting as a buffer before my jump to another continent. So yeah, this was the most tight part of my trip. Any delays could lead to having to lose money and time trying to get to my destinations.

I was really hoping everything would go perfectly. But for now, I had already arrive to Visp during Christmas (you’ll see more of that in the next blog post), so I am going to focus this post exclusively for my experience in Zermatt and the Matterhorn Ski Paradise. Let’s do this!

Exploring Zermatt

It was weird seeing the trains all working after the nightmare I had in April, but here I was getting into the train to Zermatt from Visp.

I had to carry my suitcase up here and put it in lockers in the station, since I had my train back to Zurich later in the evening. So now I was free to explore Zermatt, which I could not believe I was back so soon. This is one of those places that are kind of difficult to get to, and that you think you will never come back again.

Zermatt is a picturesque, car-free mountain village in the Swiss Alps, world-renowned for its stunning, close-up views of the iconic, pyramid-shaped Matterhorn. It serves as a premier year-round destination, offering elite skiing and alpine hiking alongside high-end boutiques and traditional timber chalets.

Before my escalade to the Cable Car station, I had to buy some coffee, food and water for the road up.

It was still early in the morning, and the feeling around the town was so different from when I came back in April. The crowds and long lines of people trying to get back to the valley after being trapped for days up here.

Time to start walking up all the way to the Cable Car station. You could take a little shuttle up there, but I wanted to use the little exercise haha. It’s not super long, just a lot of steps and some staircases.

It was finally getting sunny up in here, when suddenly…

…the Matterhorn appeared! OMG it was more beautiful than last time. In April it was all covered by clouds, but now the huge mountain was very visible from Zermatt. I was feeling super lucky with the weather today. Not extremely cold, and it seemed it was going to be a sunny day, yay!

The Cable Car Ride from Zermatt to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

The cable car journey to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is a breathtaking multi-stage ascent that whisks you from the larch forests of the valley to the highest mountain station in Europe at nearly 3,883 meters. As you glide over rugged alpine terrain and ancient glacial crevasses, you are treated to sweeping, 360-degree panoramas of the Swiss, Italian, and French Alps, culminating in an unrivaled close-up view of the Matterhorn’s majestic south face.

After they checked my Free Ticket, I was able to scan it at the Cable Car station, and started ascending quickly on one of the gondolas. Everyone was ready to ski in there. I was just there for the views lol.

Zermatt is 1,620 meters above sea level, and I had already ascended to 2,324 m at the Aroleid station. That’s 704 m already, and to get to the top I would have to go to 3,883 m above sea level. The total high increase would be 2,263 m! For reference, Bogota, Colombia, is 2,600 m above sea level. This cable car really takes you more than 2 km measured vertically! Wow.

Got off in Zermatt Schwarzsee. There was an American family in the cable car I was in, with their ski instructor, and they were ready to hit the slopes from this station. It definitely started getting super cold up in here.

But here in this spot you got a nice photo frame (literally) and the Matterhorn was looking even more beautiful from here. The summit of the Matterhorn reaches an elevation of 4,478 meters. Imagine getting to that height. Before this trip, the highest spot I had been in (besides a plane of course), was Cuzco in Peru at 3,400 m above sea level. And it was really bad for me. I got altitude sickness and spent a few hours getting used to it. I was scared of this ascend I was doing now, but at least I knew it was quick and done, and would go back down immediately.

Got on another gondola and just as we were ascending, Zermatt appeared in the distance. It looked so beautiful from up here, everything looked like a post card in this country.

We were quickly getting to Trockener Steg, where I would have to switch gondolas to reach the top. But there’s also a cafeteria in here and other amenities.

Trockener Steg and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

Trockener Steg is a vital high-altitude transport hub and mountain station situated at 2,939 meters, serving as a primary gateway for those traveling toward the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. This rugged plateau offers a stark, lunar-like landscape with exceptional views of the Matterhorn’s North Face and the surrounding glacial terrain.

• Features a large mountain restaurant and a sun terrace with expansive alpine vistas.
• Functions as a key junction for skiers and hikers, connecting various cable car lines and ski runs.
• Home to a discovery center that provides insights into the high-alpine environment through interactive experiences.

Time to switch gondolas, and now I was actually going to the very top: Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. The final climb was probably one of the most steep ones I have ever done. It was crazy how vertical it was.

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is an expansive alpine wonderland located at the summit of the Klein Matterhorn, serving as the highest cable car station in Europe at 3,883 meters. It offers a rare, high-altitude experience accessible to non-mountaineers, featuring year-round snow activities and a unique perspective of the Matterhorn that differs significantly from the classic view seen from Zermatt.

It had gotten extremely cold in here. I was covered with many layers, gloves, scarf, earmuffs, and still felt freezing in here. I started walking and the air was super thin. I had just climb 2 km vertically, and my body was feeling it.

Cinema Lounge: The highest cinema in Europe screens short films focusing on the local alpine world, including mountaineering history, flora, fauna, and the mechanics of the cable car systems.

360° Viewing Platform: Reached by a summit lift, this open-air platform provides an uninterrupted panorama of 38 four-thousand-meter peaks and 14 glaciers spanning Switzerland, Italy, and France.

Went up to the platform using the elevator and as soon as I stepped out it was done for me. I started feeling dizzy. With not too much oxygen, I did not know how all this other people were doing it, and on top of that exercising and skiing. Like how.

I still collected myself and got on this viewing platform, where I got to see many of the peaks of 3 countries: Switzerland, Italy and France.

I was really being strong here haha

But wasn’t I so lucky? Look at how clear and sunny I was. It’s like I was in the stratosphere (still the troposphere lol).

From the 360-degree viewing platform at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, you can see an incredible 38 four-thousand-meter peaks and 14 glaciers stretching across Switzerland, Italy, and France.

Mont Blanc: On clear days, you can see the highest peak in the Alps located in France, appearing surprisingly close.

Went to the cafeteria and got a hot chocolate just to recover myself. I started feeling a little bit better, but I still needed to descend, and the goal was to do it before my train ride back to Zurich later in the day.

The sign with the 3,883 m above sea level. Insane. The highest I have ever been (and probably will).

The gondolas are amazing tho, I never felt unsafe.

The descent to Zermatt

On the way back down I started breathing more oxygen, thank GOD! But the semi-vertical pull at the beginning of the descent was very scary looking.

Basically passed by all these stations, and switched where I needed to switch. The sunny day now that it was almost 11 AM made the views look so amazing.

The Matterhorn looked so clear, I could not believe that just a few months ago I was so unlucky and had to come back all the way here to see it.

The long journey back to Zermatt was coming to an end.

And here it was, Zermatt in all its glory.

My last steps in Zermatt

I had a little bit less than 3 hours to get back to the train station in Zermatt, and I was already down in the Cable Car station. I just needed to walk down, but I took my time to do so. I enjoyed some last views of this beautiful scenery.

The view of the cable car on the back, the little taxis and the carriages made it look like a fairytale.

Last view of the Matterhorn, not without getting some food for the way back, and some chocolates, because of course.

After exploring the town a little bit, now it was time to leave. No more altitude sickness, and no more having to deal with bad weather to see this beautiful mountain. My goal here was done, but I still had a very tight schedule. My flight was in the morning from Zurich, but I was now so far away.

And after getting my suitcase from the lockers, I waited for the train back to Visp, and then to Zurich. But trouble was on the way. Do not miss the next episode of my Round The World Trip, we’re finally leaving Europe!