Zermatt sits at 1,608 metres at the head of a valley in the Swiss canton of Valais, under the most recognisable mountain in the Alps. The village has no petrol or diesel cars. You arrive by shuttle train from Täsch, a twelve-minute ride that runs every twenty minutes, and get around on foot, by electric taxi or on the free electric buses. It makes après-ski unusually civilised: nobody is driving home.
The season
Zermatt skis almost all year on the glacier. For 2026/27 the winter season runs from 1 November 2026 to 3 May 2027, with Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat opening on 28 November. The ski area links over the border with Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche in Italy. The Zermatt Unplugged music festival is on 6–10 April 2027.
Where to go
Hennu Stall
A bar on the lower half of the Furi to Zermatt run, with a DJ and a live band from two in the afternoon. It is loud, it is full of shot skis, and it sits on the piste into town, so you ski or walk down afterwards: about thirty minutes on foot to the centre. It reopens for the season on 4 December 2026.
CERVO Mountain Resort
Ski-in, ski-out at the bottom of the Sunnegga side, with an après terrace from three o'clock, DJ sets and live music. The evening moves on to Ferdinand, its bar and restaurant.
Papperla Pub
In the village on Steinmattstrasse, open from three in the afternoon until midnight, and until two at weekends. Live music in winter.
Findeln, for lunch
Zermatt's best après often starts at lunch. Chez Vrony at Findeln, at 2,130 metres, serves its own organic alpine produce with the Matterhorn in view, until four. Adler Hitta nearby has deckchairs and deep house.
Champagne with a view
The Champagner Bar at Teehäuschen Flora sits on the descent from Sunnegga. One glass, one view, and then the run home.
What to wear
Zermatt is smarter than a party resort but less formal than Courchevel. Village highs in midwinter hover around freezing and nights are well below, so dress for a long walk in the cold. For the terrace, a midweight tee or long-sleeve under an open shell. For the evening, a heavyweight hoodie or crewneck, dark trousers and boots with grip. The village streets are packed snow for most of the winter.
Zermatt, worn
Zermatt is the resort that gave us the first modern Swiss poster, Emil Cardinaux's 1908 Matterhorn, and it runs through several of our designs. The Zermatt Tee draws the Matterhorn above the village. The Zermatt Stamp Tee is an engraved resort stamp. The Matterhorn Tee and the Cervinia Tee cover both sides of the border. All are cut from 230gsm midweight cotton in a boxy fit.
See every Destinations® design · The story of the vintage ski poster