TOBLERONE PEAK
After few days in Italy, we decided to cross the border and visit Switzerland. We only had few days before going back to US, so Zermatt was the obvious choice for us. Hike The Seven Lakes trail and see the Matterhorn was on our bucket list for some time, so we were very excited to visit to this mountain resort.
To access Zermatt, you must take the train from Tasch, as visitors cars are not allowed into Zermatt. Tasch Train station has a big multi level covered parking, and it is very secure and convenient. The parking price is 16 CHF per day, and you can pay in one of the many pay stations before exiting the lot. The return train ticket to the village is 16.40 CHF per person, and you have trains every 20min from 6am till 10pm. All information regarding parking, trains and prices can be find on www.zermatt.ch a very informative web site regarding everything in Zermatt.
Zermatt offers many great skiing in winter, hiking and climbing in summer, but main attraction is the peak of Matterhorn, the World Famous peak from Toblerone package. There few fantastic trails in the area, and it all depends on you mind set. The one we took is the Seven Lakes trail (5 Seenweg) from which you can have make some amazing photos of this magnificent pyramidal natural wonder. The trails takes between 3-5h to complete, depending on how lost you will get. The trail signs are bit confusing, not clearly showing the direction and time need till next stop. The best part, approx 2/3 of the way we made a pit stop at Mountain Lodge Ze Seewjinu, the only tavern/lodge on the trail, offering some great food (and fantastic hot soup) and very cold beer. Enjoying the views of the Matterhorn from the lodge’s terrace was the absolutely the best part.
Main street, Bahnhofstrasse, is full of restaurants, bars and very expensive shops. After full day of hiking, we decided to try the oldest restaurant in Zermatt, Du Pont Restaurant, in Oberdorfstrasse 7. This traditional cute little place offers traditional Swiss cuisine, including cheese fondue and raclett. The price (24 CHF) of fondue is per person, which includes melted cheese, bread and potato to dip. It is a fun for whole family to dip fresh bread into this perfection of melted different cheeses and cognac.
We stayed on Best Western Hotel Butterfly, just two blocks away from the train station. This cozy hotel was a perfect choice, as it was few yards away from the main street - Bahnhofstrasse, with all the restaurants, bars and shops. The Hotel offers amazing buffet style breakfast, with some amazing pastry and cheese selections.
