Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 9 Transcript

Visiting Zermatt

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Announcer

Welcome to the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast. Your host is the founder of holidaystoswitzerland.com and the Switzerland Travel Planning Facebook group, Carolyn Schönafinger. On this podcast, Carolyn will be joined by a variety of guests who share their knowledge and love of the country to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Hello, and welcome to episode nine. One of Switzerland’s most recognisable natural landmarks is the Matterhorn, the iconic triangular-shaped peak that rises above the alpine village of Zermatt. No doubt you’ve seen many photos of the Matterhorn before, and it also features on the packaging of Toblerone chocolate bars. Rising more than 4,000 metres, the Matterhorn is a site you just have to see to believe. And one of my fondest memories from Zermatt is rising early and watching the sunrise turn the Matterhorn orange. It’s something I’ll never forget. Well, Zermatt may be best known as being the home of the Matterhorn, but this beautiful village offers plenty of other attractions and things to do, as you’ll discover in today’s episode. My special guest is Janine Imesch of Zermatt Tourism. Janine is passionate about Zermatt and loves sharing its charms with others. And I’m sure after you’ve listened to today’s episode, you’ll be ready to include Zermatt in your Swiss itinerary. You’ll find the show notes from today’s episode at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode9 so to be sure to check those out for additional resources to help with your trip planning. Now, let’s join Janine. Hi, Jeanine. Thank you for joining us today.

Carolyn Schönafinger

It’s great that you’re here, and I’m I’m really looking forward to talking about Zermatt.

Janine Imesch

Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to talk about Zermatt and to bring you a little bit nearer everything what we have here in our beautiful destination, just beside to the Matterhorn.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Beautiful. Now, could you start by sharing a little bit about the history of Zermatt and how and why tourists started to visit the village?

Janine Imesch

Yeah, it’s short and the long story, let’s say, Zermatt is quite a It started before the tourist came, it was just a farmer village. So people lived here, they were farming, there were cows and sheep, and it’s just like to survive. There was no tourism, nothing. And then slowly, first explorers came to attract. They get attracted by the mountains, by the flora and fauna. And so they came. But the people, they were not able to talk to them right because they couldn’t speak in English, because they were the British coming into our country. And it was strange, let’s say. And then there was one person, he said, okay, there is something going on. We could earn some money here because people are really interested into that. So the first hotel arrived in 1839. It was only three beds. So hotel three beds. Today, it’s called the Hotel Monte Rosa. So it was the first hotel really into that history. And then it started the big thing where tourism started or Zermatt get a point on the world map was on 14th of July 1865, because then we had the first ascent of the Matterhorn.

Janine Imesch

A party of seven people climbed the Matterhorn successfully. There were one person from Chamonix, two local people, and four people from the UK, British people. And there was also one Lord in this party. But what happened by climbing down the Matterhorn, there was an accident and four people died. And so because there were English people, also, Queen Victoria was, of course, not amused, and she wanted to get into a law that saying it’s forbidden to climb mountains. So everyone was now focused on Zermatt, on the Matterhorn, what happened and so on. And there we started. So 1891, first train operator to come into Zermatt, 1928, first winter season, and so on. So we were growing for a farmer village to a destination where we have now 2.2 million overnight stays. But it’s also really nice to see we have still 6,000 inhabitants here. So we have kindergarten, school, we have shops, and out of that also many hotels and restaurants. So when you compare it a little bit with other destinations, not in Switzerland, but abroad from Switzerland, it’s a little bit different because we grew up with a tourism. There was a life before and now with the tourism.

Janine Imesch

And of course, also the future is always the balance to find for the locals and from the tourists. So no Disneyland, real tradition. And that’s a little bit how Zermatt and the Matterhorn became famous.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Great. So it’s a very authentic village. And have you always lived in Zermatt?

Janine Imesch

If I always have lived in Zermatt, no. I I always lived in Täsch. So what is Tasch? We have the destination, Zermatt Matterhorn. They are three villages. The biggest, of course, is Zermatt. And just before, Zermatt is Täsch. And there I grew up and I went to school to Zermatt. And also for me as a local person, it’s always amazing to get in the morning to Zermatt and see the Matterhorn. It always looks different. And that’s why it’s easy to live in this area. Definitely.

Carolyn Schönafinger

I bet. Now, Zermatt, it’s a car-free village. So how can people get there?

Janine Imesch

Yeah, you just have to walk and hike. No, just kidding. Of course, it’s car-free. It was always car-free. It came up with the infrastructure, how it looks like. So they decided to stay car-free. And now when you think, Oh, how arrived there, there are different ways to do. So one, for example, when you arrive by train, for example, from the airport, you have a train that’s going into Zermatt and you have one change, where you change the train company and all the rest is easy and smooth to get into the village right away. From there, you can call, for example, the hotel porter, and there are little electric cars, and they come to pick you up at a station with you and your luggage, so you don’t have to walk around with all the luggage to get to the hotel. And this is really easy. The second thing, because people also like self-driving, from there, you drive into Täsch, where I live, and And from there, you have the possibilities to park the car. They are private and also official or public parking spaces. And there you have two opportunities. So one is you go up, for example, by a shuttle train.

Janine Imesch

You go easily with a little, how you say, where you put your luggage on when you got also on the airport, you drive into that directly to the train, and within 12 minutes, you’re already in the village. The second opportunity or possibility to go up to Zermatt is by taxi. So I said car-free – taxi, how does it work? Only till the entrance with a special permission, you can drive into the village because also food and this stuff have to be driven into the village. But for that case, you have the taxis. But also for a train, it’s so easy. And for the ones that want to really have a nice arrival with a lot of time and have an amazing scenery, then, of course, the arrival by the Glacier Express is amazing. So this is a train ride from Saint-Moritz to Zermatt. It’s a panoramic trip. You sit down about seven hours, you eat, you drink, and you look at the whole Switzerland, the mountains, the lake, the rivers and so on. So this is really a must do. And since only about two years now, there’s, for example, also the new Excellence Class. And this is like flying business.

Janine Imesch

So you have all window seats, really comfortable seats. It’s so luxurious travelling because you also have a concierge. You have a five-course menu. You have even a bar in that train. So it makes it really like a nice excursion or trip to arrive to Zermatt or go from Zermatt to Saint Moritz. So this is not to miss out when you really have time and then explore also the area by train and arriving to Zermatt.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Perfect way to arrive, that’s for sure. Now, it’s fair I want to say that most people that come to Zermatt are probably there to see the Matterhorn, which we’ll talk a little bit more about later. But the village itself has got plenty of things to see and do also. What do you recommend that people make sure they see in the village of Zermatt?

Janine Imesch

So this is definitely, as I said, from the history. We are young, but also with all the farming. You have an old part of the village, for example, and there are houses from the 15th and 14th century. So really old wooden houses. And in some houses, there are still people living in these houses. And the others, they are there because they were used for shelters to store food and dry meat and so on. So this is really something we do not miss out. And if I talk about Zermatt itself as a village, everything is in walking distance. So we are not a big city. You can walk from the entrance to the end of the village, let’s say in about 20, 25 minutes, and it’s quite flat. So when you go around this, the old part is really at one point to see. We also have, for example, the mountaineering cemetery. So this is like, they are not dead bodies, but it’s more like a memorial for all the people who died around the mountains because we are surrounded by 38 peaks higher than 4,000. So climbing, again, back to the history, people came climb and so on.

Janine Imesch

And later on that stage, you couldn’t send the dead bodies abroad. There were no possibilities. There were no cars, no trains. So what have you done? So you buried them there, for example. There are no bodies now anymore, but they are still the graves and so on to show also the respect for all these people and these pioneers. And then we have a wonderful museum. And when you say, some people say, Oh, museum, what’s museum? But it’s also really nice for the whole family because it’s on the ground and it’s also called Zermatlantis. That means the village above, as you know, Atlantis, above the sea. And this is Zermatt underneath, so you go downstairs. And then it’s like it’s a travel back to the history. You got houses and it shows you Zermatt around 1800 with how tourism came. You even can see the rope, the original rope from the first ascent of the Matterhorn and how tourism came, how we were trading with Italy over the passes and so on. So this is really something special and also nice to see a little bit how we were converted into the Zermatt village and Zermatt lifestyle we are today.

Janine Imesch

So this is also something to not miss out. And then just walking around and to see you We’ve already mentioned it is an authentic traditional village. All houses, also the new ones, we build a lot with wooden houses. So it’s also a law in the community so that we can’t just build a skyscraper and that’s it. No, we we’re really taking care that we still stay in our history where we are, exactly. Of course, mixed with some luxury and well-treated offers.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Of course. And shopping, too. There’s lots of shopping options.

Janine Imesch

Exactly. And there, of course, don’t miss the chocolate. There are bakeries that are doing chocolate in the shape of Matherhorn. We have even many cows here in Zermatt, and we have a shop that is just producing that milk from Zermatt. So no external milk. Just that milk, they produce Raclette cheese, maybe you know, where you put the Raclette just underneath the fire and you slide it down to your table. You have fondue, they are doing other kinds of cheeses, of course, because we love, of course, cheese. And of course, like shopping all these traditional Swiss souvenirs, but also sport gears, watches, and so on. So you can mix it up a little bit with shopping, of course. And of course, the restaurants, when you’re tired about shopping and looking or watching the museum and so on.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Good. Now, when you’re strolling around the village, you might come across a couple of animals that are quite unique to the Zermatt region, too. What What can you tell us about those?

Janine Imesch

Exactly. I mentioned already regarding the cows. They are not so far away. Also in the summertime when they’re up in the Alps, you see animals all over the ground. So one really typical local sheep is the black nose sheep. It’s so cute. It’s so cute that we even announced it to be our mascot because it’s totally white and he’s black on the knees and on the nose. That’s a black nose sheep. So female and male, they have horns, and they are really, really curious and really lovely sheep. So in the summertime, they’re up in the mountains, but not so high up. So when you walk, suddenly you can see a whole bunch of these little sheep, and it’s always worth it to take a picture with them. And sometimes you also, you really can touch them because they’re so curious. They’re coming over to you and looking, what are you doing? So that’s really nice. And then I would say that’s the most, let’s say, the most topic that is photographed in Zermatt. It’s not the Matterhorn. That is the black neck goat. So when you think, how is that possible? So the black neck goats, they’re also living here in the summertime.

Janine Imesch

They’re in the shelter of the end of the village. And at nine o’clock in the morning, they walk through the main station. So what you will see that the restaurants are taking in the flowers, that not the black goats are eating the flowers. And they’re walking through the main street. Why? Because they go to the field to spend the day outdoor and eat, and they’re also supported or a little school boys and girls that are with them the whole day. So what happened, all the people are standing in the main street and taking a picture of this goat. And the same again is happening at five o’clock. And if they’re once a little bit too late, even tourists are coming in to the tourist office and asking, Where are the goats? So it’s really interesting. And also to say is we are car-free, but thanks to these goats, we have traffic jam because the traffic jam because the pedestrians are staying or waiting and taking pictures. So it’s quite hard to walk through them because they are so famous. And Yeah. When we’re talking about other animals, it’s really we are in the mountains. So it’s really likely that you can see deers, ibex, and a lot of groundhogs.

Janine Imesch

They are walking around and you see how they are whistling, this sound. So it’s really nice to see also together with all the birds. So definitely, wildlife, you can see easily here in Zermatt.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Wonderful. Now, one of the things that You can’t help but notice when you walk around the streets of Zermatt is the Matterhorn. It seems to be there, whichever corner you turn, it’s there looking at you. And there are three main excursions that you can take to get up even closer to the Matterhorn. Could you tell us a bit about each of those, please?

Janine Imesch

It would be a pleasure, because always if they ask me, what should I do, which peak? It’s really difficult because every excursion peak is so unique. So when we start with the highest point where we can go up, this is the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. It’s located on 3,883 metres high up. And this is the highest cable car station in Europe. You can go there all year round. And why it’s so special? You’re on the glacier, and you can ski in there the whole year round. There’s a glacier palace where you can go into it, and then you’re really in the glacier. There are sculptures, and you can really have a nice look how it feels like to be in a glacier. But not only that, there’s also a big platform. And with this platform, you can access by elevator. And from there, you see the 38 peaks I mentioned before, which are higher than 4,000 metres. So you see, for example, down to France, where is the Mont Blanc, you see the Monte Rosa, which is the highest area in Switzerland, the highest point of Switzerland. And this is just amazing. You see down to Italy because it’s right at the border to going down to Italy.

Janine Imesch

And also there is really new at the moment. They are just constructing now the Alpine Crossing. It’s a project that will be in 2021, ’22. And then it’s It’s possible to do the whole year. The whole year, you’re able to go from Switzerland to Italy without hiking or skiing because a cable car brings you safely up and down. So it makes a European crossing there one country to the other. Really amazing. And the view up there, it’s just amazing. You really feel up in the sky. The other point is the Gornergrat. Also amazing excursion. I know it sounds like marketing here, but it’s really like a lift here. But there it’s going right at the middle of the village. There’s a cogwheel train going up on 3,100 metres. From there, 29 peaks higher than 4,000. And there you can really see down to the glaciers. And the view of the Matterhorn is again different, is another angle. And up there you got the restaurant, you got the viewing platform and also little hikes to do. And also in Gornergrat train, when you take that train, you always can hop on and hop off.

Janine Imesch

So there are different station stops when you can go out. And what to do there, I won’t tell you now, I won’t tell you now because we are talking that shortly later. But this is definitely something also to visit. So also the cogwheel where you open, all that view. And to say in Zermatt, you have the highest border of the forest in Europe. So it’s really nice when you go up by train and suddenly you are above the forest and everything’s changing. And the third one, I’m sure all of you heard already of the Toblerone, the chocolate with the triangle form. And this is the view with the Rothorn. This is really Toblerone classic view. From there, it’s also a lot to do. It’s also the Explorer, adventure, mountain. And it’s really nice to access with a cable car. And as you see, if you want to really see the classic view, and maybe you don’t have so much time, the Rothorn is really nice to go there and also explore from there the whole mountains around you. As you said, always in a positive sense, stalked by the Matterhorn.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Is it possible to do all those excursions all year round?

Janine Imesch

Good question. Yeah, more or less. So the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and the Gornergrat, these two are open the whole year around. Even in high season, you can also do both. The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and the Gornergrat with one ticket in one day because they build a new cable car, which makes the access really easy that you can have these two peaks in one day. And of course, in the off-season, as we told, the Rothorn is closed. But for the Gornergrat, the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, it’s always open. We’re also an all-year destination. So the hotels are open, not all of the 110, but you find a bed. And from there, it’s really easy to explore, to hike, to ski, whatever.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Oh, good. So now I did actually want to talk to you about skiing, and it’s possible to actually ski all year round in Zermatt. So not only are most of the excursions available all year round, you can actually hook on your skis year round as well.

Janine Imesch

Exactly. So we have a large summer ski area with 21 kilometres. We also have many national team skiing teams that are coming in the summer to train, then to win the medals in the winter season. But of course, Zermatt is really well known as a ski resort. It also gets awarded many, many times because the infrastructure is just amazing. There are no queuing, no waiting time. It’s so snow-guaranteed. We are located, Zermatt, on 1,620 metres. And as I said before, the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise goes up nearly to 4,000 metres. So you see a little bit where we are in. So this is snow guaranteed. Also, you can ski on the glacier, also in the summertime, and that makes it special. So in total, we got 360 kilometres of slopes, and there is something for everyone. So you got for advanced, you got for beginners, we got beginner’s park, we got a different kinds of levels to ski. And And as I mentioned before, because we are on the border of Italy, you can also ski down to Italy. So you start, for example, in Zermatt, you’re going up to Rothorn, you start skiing up and down, no problem.

Janine Imesch

And then suddenly you’re finding yourself in Italy having a pizza or pasta, and really Italy made, and an Espresso. And for the dessert, you’re coming back to Zermatt area to eat some good chocolate as a dessert. So you see, that’s really fun to ski in these two countries. Really easy to crossing over coming up back. And this makes it really special. What is also unique in the area when we’re talking about skiing, it’s not only us. It’s also done by many, many people coming since years. It’s also the unique mountain restaurants. So don’t think about big restaurants where you have 100, 200 people, and there’s one meal after the other. Think about cosy old house style, which are converted by restaurants, and everyone has a speciality. Is it lamb? Is it raclette? Is it Rösti? These things, which makes it really nice. And because everything is also covered with snow, we are so high, there’s also a lot of possibilities to ski in and ski out. So this is also… It’s all about snow and it’s all about skiing, and that makes it really popular. So also, if you want to say, let’s do a trip to Switzerland skiing in November or in April, you are served because this is really snow guaranteed.

Janine Imesch

And if you want to really explore it once in the summertime, then it’s worth it. I mean, imagine going up skiing in the morning and then late in the afternoon, or maybe you play golf in shorts. Yeah, that’s really… You can’t do that everywhere. So it’s really a unique experience.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, wonderful. Okay, so skiing is really popular in winter. Hiking is a really popular a pastime in summer. Is there trails for all levels of hike or only for the more experienced?

Janine Imesch

Four hundred kilometres of trails. So I guess that’s a good answer, what we can find here. You can have hiker levels. If they prefer only to do it for 30 minutes, no problem. If you want to do seven hours, no problem. You find it everything. Even if you want to do multiple day tours around our area, everything is possible. And the good thing, because the cable cars are also working in the summertime, so if you’re fed up to walking down, you just take, you hop in in the next gondola, and you’re cruising down to the village, and fine, that’s it. And the good thing also is to hiking in Zermatt or walking, it depends which level you are, you don’t need a backpack. So now you’re thinking, why? When I’m starving, when I’m thirsty, what I’m going to do? Restaurants all over, so stop in the next restaurant, have an ice tea, have a tea, have a glass of white wine, really popular for this area, some food, dry meat, and so on, and then you can go on. And if it’s too hot and you’re too sweaty, there are also little lakes where you can jump in, have a little swim, and that’s it.

Janine Imesch

Another point I like to talk about when we talk about hiking in our area, we do have the longest suspension bridge in the world. And when we’re talking about the longest suspension bridge, then we’re talking about 494 metres long. And the highest point is 85 metres. So it’s a fantastic feeling when you are on this bridge. And this You can’t drive there by car. It’s located in Randa. That’s the other area I told you from this destination, Zermatt Matterhorn. And it’s about a four-hour really walk up and crossing over the bridge and going down. Maybe not really for beginners, let’s say. I mean, you can be a beginner, but it’s a fitness you need. But if you stay there, it’s just amazing. And the good thing or the interesting thing of this suspension bridge, which is also It was not built to attract more people because we want to be the longest and the highest and so on. It’s just needed because it’s a very popular hiking trail going through where you go multiple days from for example, to Zermatt, and that’s why we need this suspension bridge. And suddenly they found out, Okay, that’s the longest one in the world.

Janine Imesch

So it’s really a nice experience.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Good. And for someone who is perhaps a beginner and just wants to do a nice easy walk when they’re in Zermatt, which one would you, or is there a particular one that you would recommend?

Janine Imesch

Yeah, of course. There are, for example, one which is really nice is a five-lake walk. It’s moderate. It’s 2.5 hours, and now you think, Oh my God, two and a half hours, but it’s a lot of flat parts, and you’re walking through different lakes. This is really something to do, which is really nice. Then you have also a trail, which is the area from Blauherd, so underneath the Rothorn. And there you got like 30 minutes really flat also to a lake. And also they are easy to see the animals that I mentioned before. So it’s in no time. You always think you’re up in a mountain. I was talking about high mountains, but still to walk there. Also, if you’re a beginner, if you want to have an easy day, you have so many possibilities that make it easy because we’ve got also families, and they also want to be outdoor and hiking. So that’s why they offer a lot of trails, which are for beginners or easy walks.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay. Well, I was actually going to ask you about families and what other activities are there that families and children in particular would enjoy?

Janine Imesch

I always say if you are a family and you want to come to Zermatt, it’s good if you’re a family that are really keen to doing things together because that Zermatt is really done for that. Is it like climbing? Is it like skiing together? Or is it also we have a family park where you can swim in the water, where you have playgrounds, where you have water games, and so on. There’s also adventure programmes where you can send your children, and they do half a day, as I said, climbing, kick-biking, so these kind of bikes, skiing. They do a forest fun park. It’s like climbing from tree to tree. So it’s all about active. There’s also a gorge where you can climb and walk. So when your children, maybe 10 years old, the whole family can go with a guide in about two hours. They’re climbing into a gorge underneath the water, but you never get wet. So this adventurous things are there. But of course, if you have younger children, they are playgrounds you can go and do some barbecue outdoor, like theme trails, where they learn about Wolli, for example, our mascot, the black-nosed sheep, where you have about flowers, and so on.

Janine Imesch

And also to say is about with the kids, kids up to nine years, they are for free on all cable cars. They don’t pay any city tax. If they stay in the same room as the parents, they don’t have to pay for the overnight, so not for the breakfast. So it’s really also a family-friendly area where you really can do a lot of things together. In the wintertime, it’s a lot about skiing, and then families like to send them to the ski schools. We have ski schools here which also have animations for the children, and looking after them when you like to go skiing. And it’s also really made for, let’s say, more generation families. If you have grandmothers and grandfathers which are coming in together with the families. So you always can easily meet up also in a mountain, thanks to the cable cars and the trails and so on. So definitely worth it to visit also with the families.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, definitely Something for everyone in the family to enjoy. Now, you mentioned before, I think you said a 110 hotels in Zermatt. What other styles of accommodation are available and what different standards of a hotel can people choose from?

Janine Imesch

So we got hotels, 110 from one to five star hotels, really special in Zermatt. Nearly 90 % are family run businesses. So this is quite unique. So you don’t really have these chains. It’s more really as a client, they know you already when you arrive, when you were little, and now maybe you come with your own family, so they know you. Also, they are in the mostly in the second, even or the third generation, where the whole family is helping out in this hotel. From one to five stars, it depends what you want. It depends on the budget. It depends on the lifestyle you want, if you want to have a wellness spa and so on, or just a normal hotel. And in the other hand, we got also many apartments, also there from one to five star. If you want to have it catered, no problem. It’s all… Everything is possible It’s just the budget is the limit. So we also have a youth hostel. And of course, nearly everyone has a view of the Matterhorn. Nearly every room has it, of course, some not, but every hotel can provide you a room with Matterhorn.

Janine Imesch

As I said before, Matterhorn is stalking you in a positive way. So even in the morning, when you are waking up and you see the Matterhorn straight from your bed, it’s definitely perfect. And yeah, there are also chalets, you can rent the whole chalet. So apart from that, a lot, the hard thing is to choose whatever you want.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, you’ve got everything covered.

Janine Imesch

Definitely.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Now, I asked a question in the Switzerland Travel Planning Facebook group that I run, if any of the members had any questions about Zermatt. So I’d like to ask you what they came up with, please. Allan asked, we will be self-driving. Is it difficult to find a place to leave your car?

Janine Imesch

Allan No, it’s not. As we said, in Täsch, don’t drive to Zermatt, don’t drive to Zermatt. Leave it in Täsch. It’s really easy. There are many, many, many parking spaces where you can park your car and then easily drive up by train or as I said, by taxi to Zermatt. So it’s easy. Also driving in Switzerland by car, it’s also easy. It’s good. The signals are really easy to find. So no worries, no worries. Great.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Now, Carmella asked, what’s the weather like in Zermatt at the end of April? Is it still snowing or would there already some parts that are green, on the mountain sides and so on?

Janine Imesch

Carmella, that’s a good question because you never know how the weather will be like. So once we’re on a mountain, we are high up, you can be in April where it’s suddenly snowing again. So you wake up in the morning and you got 10 or 20 centimetres of new snow, but it’s going fast passed away directly. And you have other parts in April where it’s already green. So I would say as a conclusion, you will have both. It starts to get green flowers coming up, not at the beginning of April, middle end of April, that it starts, and then it’s getting more and more greener. But it happens. We are up in a mountain that you can also have snow. For example, in April, we always have a festival called Zermatt Unplugged Festival. It’s an unplugged with musicians from all over the world. But also here, this is festival, and suddenly in the morning, we have snow. We said, Oh, what’s going on? But then it’s cleared up and the snow is melting again. So definitely worth it also in April, especially when you want to ski as well or doing the excursions.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay, lovely. Now, also on the weather, Myank is planning to be in Zermatt around mid-May and he wants to know, will most of the facilities and activities activities and so on be available in mid-May?

Janine Imesch

Mid-may? Yes. As we said, the Gornergrat will be open, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise will be open. You can skiing, you can already go hiking, maybe not on the top, top, top hiking, not the whole 400 kilometres, it depends a little bit, but definitely open. And also down in the village, you can go for shopping. The restaurants are open, hotels are open. So don’t be afraid that it will be boring and so on. The life is there, the locals are living there, and also tourists are there. So definitely worth it to come also in May with more quiet than July and August, and that’s why also worth it to come over.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Great. Now, you might really need to put your marketing hat on for this next question.

Janine Imesch

Okay.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Akwhei says that she’s been to Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken quite a few times before, and she’s heading back there again and wants to know, is it worth the effort to go to Zermatt and see the Matterhorn because it’s quite a distance? Won’t the Oberland region be similar to Zermatt?

Janine Imesch

Okay, that’s a good one. That’s a really good question. So first of all, is it worth it or not? One point, the Matterhorn. Okay, that’s really marketing. I mean, I can’t really describe it in words you have to see it once in your lifetime. That is like the must see but regarding the way, because you say it’s a long trip, there I always say the way to paradise is not easy and short. So maybe it’s worth it to come over. And also to say, yeah, it’s Switzerland, and the Bernese Oberland is also really nice, but also the mountains are different. How it looks the area Bernese Oberland and the valley region, where Zermatt is. Again, it’s different. It’s mountains, but it’s different mountains, also because of the altitude and so on. So definitely different and worth it to see. I don’t tell more because it would be pity if you miss out if you do it already to Switzerland from all over. So it must be like that to see and come. And then once you see it, please get back to me through, Carolyn. Let me know if it was worth it or not.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Very good. Okay, so I’ve just got one last question for you. And if you could just sum up, very briefly, in your opinion, what is it about Zermatt that makes it a must visit destination?

Janine Imesch

For me, when I talk to other people and also talking about people that are coming since 20, 30 and 40 years to Zermatt, because we also honour them from the tourist office coming so many years. And when I hear to that feedback, it’s the feedback or the opinion that I have why Zermatt is so a destination, must visit, and so great. It’s the combination of authenticity and standard, state of the art of today, and also the people living here. As I the locals. It’s easy, say, the summer, it’s coming home because you’re feeling home, as I said, locals that are here, the combination of internationality with all kind of clients arriving in Zermatt staying here, the active together with the, let’s say, gourmet bon vivant persons. So it doesn’t matter about the budget. It all have the same goal, and it’s seeing the Matterhorn and having a good time. And all that mixed together, of course, with the Matterhorn makes it so unique and so special, and that it’s worth it to come and visit it and to explore it. I know it’s hard to describe it in words, but once when you hear, you will understand it. Why?

Janine Imesch

Because it’s beyond of everything.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Absolutely. I think you’ve summed it up perfectly. It’s a very unique experience. And as you say, when you wake up in the morning and you look out the window and you can see the Matterhorn just bathed in the morning light, it’s something you never forget.

Janine Imesch

It’s always funny to hear because people, for example, when I’m working with other regions and we go on sales activities and so on, or we’re talking to the other people, they will say, Yeah, it’s so easy. You got the Matterhorn. The marketing is there. You don’t have to do anything. And then I’m always saying, Yeah, it’s true. It’s easy to come up with this with this Matterhorn topic. But there’s a reason why people are coming year after year, season after season. So it’s not only the Matterhorn, of course, it’s one point, but it’s the mix of everything, the combination of everything that makes it so successful and so worthy to spend time here.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for giving us more of an insight into Zermatt. I know I’m desperate to get back there as soon as I can, and I’m sure you’ve inspired all the other listeners to include Zermatt in their Swiss itinerary, too.

Janine Imesch

Thank you very much. Thank you for having me. If you got any questions, Carolyn will also be specialised, I’m sure. And it would be nice to see you once here and stay healthy, and hope to see you soon somewhere.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Thanks, Janine.

Janine Imesch

Thank you.

Announcer

Thank you so much for listening. For more great resources on planning a trip to Switzerland, make sure you visit holidaystoswitzerland.com, where you’ll find trip planning tips, destination guides, information on transport, including Swiss rail passes, and much more. You’re also encouraged to join the Switzerland Travel Planning Group on Facebook, where you can ask questions and chat to other past and future travellers to Switzerland. You’ll find show notes from today’s episode at holidaystoswitzerland.com/podcast, and be sure to subscribe to the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast so you never miss an episode.

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.