Day trip from Thun to see the Matterhorn
A traveler and her husband are planning a trip to Switzerland in September, focusing on a day trip to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn from their stay in Thun. They are considering two options: taking the Gornergrat train for scenic views or having a leisurely lunch at a Matterhorn-view restaurant, and they seek advice on transportation and budget-friendly dining options.
- Catch the earliest train from Thun to have ample time for sightseeing in Zermatt before dark.
- Consider buying prepared food from grocery stores like Coop to save money on meals.
- Check the webcam for weather updates in Zermatt to ensure good visibility of the Matterhorn.
- Use the Swiss Travel Pass for discounts on train tickets, including the Gornergrat Bahn for scenic views.
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My husband and I will be visiting Switzerland in September 2022. We will be staying in Murren, Wengen and Thun. I want to see the Matterhorn via a day trip. From Thun it’s about a 2 hour train ride to Zermatt. I see two options.
Option 1) At Zermatt, take a train to Gornergrat and take a scenic ride on the GornergratBahn to get in views of the Matterhorn. My understanding is this is only a 30 minute trip (one way??). So it seems like I would have plenty of time to take this trip and get back to Thun before dark.
Option 2) At Zermatt, find a restaurant with great views of the Matterhorn and just spend a leisurely time having lunch. Since I’m trying to see the Matterhorn on a budget, this seems like the cheapest route to go. Any advice on doing this or any restaurant suggestions you can offer would be appreciated.
Question: With option 1, has anyone does this and is it easy peasy? I envision hectic runs from one train to the next. Not sure how far I have to go from Zermatt station to the Gornergrat station. I’m not sure of the cost yet either. I plan on having a Swiss Rail Pass. But I’m not knowledgeable enough yet to figure out the cost of taking the GornergratBahn.
Just an FYI – We’re are not hikers or skiers. We are seniors and not in great shape.
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Hi Julianagen,
Yes, a day trip to Zermatt from Thun is certainly doable. Just to let you know, Zermatt is fairly small and compact. On a clear day you can see the Matterhorn clearly from the base town. To get a closer view, it’s best to take a trip up the mountain 🙂
Both of your options are possible. If you take the earliest train out from Thun, you will have enough time to take the train to Gornergrat, enjoy the view at the top, and still have time to explore this lovely mountain village before catching the train back. In September, the days are still fairly long — it doesn’t get dark until after 8pm so if you plan your arrival and return journey carefully, you’ll be back in Thun before night falls. The cogwheel train journey from the Zermatt base station to the top of Gornegrat takes about 40 minutes. The route is explained in detail here: http://www.myswissalps.com/gornergrat/gettingthere Please check the timetable for train departures: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable The Zermatt train station is located just opposite the Gornergratbahn station.
If you’re interested in a shorter excursion and an alternative to Gornergrat, I’d recommend taking the funicular to Sunnegga. It’s a short journey to the middle station (less than 10 minutes), where you can have a lovely view of the Matterhorn while having lunch or afternoon snacks at the restaurant. Details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sunneggarothorn/gettingthere
For more sightseeing options in Zermatt, have a look here: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt/activities
Regards,
Anna
Thank you Anna. You always have a lot of detail information and tips to give. I didn’t even know about the Sunnegga idea! Now I have three options to consider.
Hi Julianagen,
Another idea for Switzerland on a budget is to visit a Coop or Migros – grocery stores, and pick up something from their wide variety of prepared foods / sandwiches. We also have picked up fruit (can wash in WC or rinse off with water from many public water supplies) to eat with the meal. If you look, there are utensils and napkins you can pick up as well. Then take it to the place of your choice and enjoy at your leisure. We have done this in Zermatt by visiting the Coop near the train station on Bahnhof Strasse, bought food and taken the Gornergrat to the top, and eaten it there. Restaurants can be pricey, and this is a convenient was to save a few bucks. The Coop we visited in Zermatt is at the back of a small mall – so you have to walk through the mall to get to it. I think the mall is the Viktoria Center, and their address is: Bahnhofpl. 6, 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland, very near the Gornergrat station. Just one idea on a forum that has many! Good luck in your continued planning.
BTW, I attached one image showing the last bit of track to the Gornergrat station with the Matterhorn in the background from one of our previous trips.
micalj
Attachments:
Hello Julianagen,
In Zermatt, you can be lucky, …or not. Micalj’s photo shows they were very lucky with the weather. But there is no guarantee you can see the Matterhorn on a day trip. It would be a good idea to decide on the spot, depending on the weather, rather than putting that daytrip on your agenda months in advance. Weather forecasts in the Alps are accurate 5 days or less in advance.
Snowman
Hello micalj
Thank you for your tips. In order to save money we don’t want to eat out every meal. So we do plan on stopping at grocery stores to buy sandwich fixins’. My question/concern I have is how do we keep them from going bad? I’m not concerned about the bread, but the meat and possibly the cheese will need to be kept refrigerated. Most hotels we are staying at do not have a mini refrigerator in the room. I know I can buy fresh the day of eating them. But there will be days where we will have to get up early to catch a train and won’t have time to stop at a store beforehand. So I’m thinking we’ll have to shop the day prior. In that case we will need to keep the food refrigerated.
Hello Snowman,
I have the same concern about being able to have good weather on the day we go to Zermatt. That is why we will be staying in Thun for three days. The plan is to check the Zermatt weather for these days and go on whichever day has the best forecast for viewing the Matterhorn. Do you think this plan will work? I have no idea what to look for in the weather reports. Should I look for reports of sunny and clear, or time a fog will lift or ???
Hi Julianagen,
A good tip is to check the webcam ahead of your trip: http://www.zermatt.ch/en/Webcams
You can find more information about the weather including where to check the weather forecast, here: http://www.myswissalps.com/weather
Regards,
Anna
If you look at the second link provided by Anna, you will read, regarding the weather: “Anything is possible.” It is indeed so in the Alps. You chose September for your trip, a good choice as far as weather is concerned, but you can’t rule out three days of cloudy weather, or even a week or more.
I recommend you to be optimistic. In addition to the weather link provided in the previous post, you can check the SwissMeteo site, for Zermatt or Matterhorn, and check the cloud coverage. Even if cloudy, the Matterhorn might be below the clouds and still seeable. Another solution is to call the Zermett tourist office a day or two before your intended visit, but a check on the webcam might be a suffucuent method.
Snowman
Thanks for the links Anna. I will use them!
Thanks Snowman. Yes I will keep a positive attitude and stay optimistic!
Hi Julianagen,
We would typically buy only what we can consume on the day’s journey as we didn’t want to be concerned with left overs. Some of the Coop’s have hot and cold food bars so that you can purchase small amounts to go. Not sure if Covid impacted these or not. Pre-prepared sandwiches are ideal for a grab and go lunch, and I’ve seen prepared single serve salads complete with dressing and utensils packaged together. We have also taken a pocket knife along (kept in checked-in luggage!) and sliced a small block of yummy local Swiss or aged Gruyere cheese that we consumed over two meals — that and some fresh apples. Most towns have a Coop or Migros, so I doubt if you’ll have to buy the day before. You are absolutely correct, if you can’t eat it quickly, it’s not good to have it around! We did the same thing in Brienz after a wonderful Lake Brienz cruise from Interlaken (included on the Swiss Travel Pass). Stopped at the local Coop for lunch and then took the Brienzer-Rothorn train up to Planalp (a way point, not the top), a gorgeous view. BTW, I attached two images taken on that train trip. I think the Swiss Travel Pass gets a 50% discount on those Brienzer-Rothorn tickets.
micalj
The more I think about it, there will be very few days in which we’ll not have access to a store to pick up prepackaged foods. Thank you for your input. Love the pictures! It’s going to be hard to wait a year to enjoy all the scenery.
I am a veteran of trips to Zermatt.
First of all, Thun is pretty close to Zermatt in relative terms so is indeed an ideal place to do a day trip from.
You shouldn’t miss the Gornergratbahn, fine views of the Matterhorn most of the way (as long as it is clear).
The Gornergratbahn station is adjacent to the main MGB station in Zermatt, so much more convenient than Sunnegga.
On arrival in Zermatt you will find the Coop supermarket is also in the same place, Bahnhofplatz, so you will have no problem buying a picnic
Another, often missed, reason for travelling up the Gornergrat railway is that it climbs up at a steadier pace, so is better for altitude acclimatisation.
Thank you 1960man! I’m pretty sure we’ll do the Gornergrat trip because we should have enough time. Good point about the altitude acclimation.
Hello Julianagen.
My name is Mike. Maggie and I used to visit Switzerland every year. We stayed in self-catering accommodation in Thun. We visited Zermatt two or three times over 15 years.
In 2015 on Friday 28th July we did the day trip to Gornergrat. Matterhorn was her favourite mountain. We caught the train to Visp, then on to Zermatt. We went up on Gornergratbahn and ate our lunch on the terrace before returning to Thun by a slower route via Brig. Things have changed since then so you will need to do some research. I am working from memory but I think we caught a train from Thun at about 8.30am and arrived back at abot 8.00pm.
Maggie may have written a trip report on our trip. If you ask our moderators they may be able to provide you with a link to that report to see if there is any help there.
Just outside the station in Thun there is a kiosk (Steinnmann I think) which sells sandwiches and cakes and drinks and maybe fruit. Service is quick and easy. You may find that easier than searching through a supermarket. She loved her holidays in Switzerland. I hope you do too.
Hi Julianagen!
An additional suggestion: you may like to use the RegioExpress Lötschberger route on your way to or from Zermatt https://www.myswissalps.com/lotschberger. It’s a scenic ride, but it does take longer than the quicker connections. So you’ll have to see whether it fits your plans.
Thank you Mike for your input. Like Maggie, the Matterhorn is my favorite mountain too. I will keep an eye out for the kiosk you mentioned. Again thanks!
Thank you Annika. I have been thinking about how to fit in taking some of the scenic trains. My current itinerary does not include any yet! So right now I’m thinking of taking the fastest route from Thun to Zermatt. Then taking a slower scenic route back. Looking at taking the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Brig. Then taking the Regio Express from Brig to Thun. I haven’t looked into the time this will take yet. The questions I still have is 1) Is the Regio Express route from Brig to Thun worth the cost and time – meaning is the scenery worth it? Your input suggests it is! So that leaves me with question 2) Is the Glacier Express route from Zermatt to Brig worth it? Question 3) If we do either of these, is there a certain side of the train we should sit on?
Hi Julianagen,
I would try at least one scenic train if I could squeeze it into my schedule. Riding the Glacier Express is a lovely experience. It is also possible to travel from Zermatt to Brig on regular trains. It’s the same route, you can check out the details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/gettingthere
Regards,
Anna
It is not to be taken lightly. I have travelled above Zermatt frequently and even half way through a stay there, I have felt unsteady when alighting at Klein Matterhorn. The same doesn’t happen to me at Gornergrat.
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