Pt 2: Trip report Zermatt Nov 2023 & Zurich Christmas Mark
A traveler shared their amazing experience in Zermatt, highlighting their extended stay to enjoy the stunning views and activities. They took day trips to Montreux and Morges to use their Saver Day Pass, exploring beautiful sights and local museums despite some rainy weather.
- Consider booking refundable accommodations to allow flexibility in your travel plans.
- Explore both Montreux and Morges to take advantage of your Saver Day Pass, as both offer beautiful scenery and cultural experiences.
- Dining options can vary, but find affordable restaurants like Grampi’s for tasty BBQ ribs and Republic for hearty hamburgers.
- Expect cold weather in Zermatt, especially if traveling in late November, and be prepared for early darkness around 16:30.
AI-generated summary-
PT 1 report and the nice photos of the Matterhorn rides can be read on:
https://www.myswissalps.com/community/thread/trip-report-zermatt-nov-2023-zurich-christmas-market/
Having enjoyed ourselves so much in Zermatt in the lovely hotel and incredible views, we decided to further extend our stay and cancel our two other accomdations (Nyon and Basel). This is why we opt to book refundable accomodations rather than non refundable, in case plans change.
Pt 2:
DAY TRIP TO MONTREUX from Zermatt
We still needed to use our Saver Day Pass for Wed 22 Nov which was bought much earlier in anticipation of our stay in Nyon. So we did a day trip to Montreux inorder to use up the pass and give us a chance to see Lake Geneva..The weather was overcast and around 5 degrees Celsius. The train ride from Zermatt to Randa was stunning and the journey from Visp to Montreux was also interesting with views of the rocky cliffs, some terraces & vineyards along the way.
It was a short walk from the Montreux station down to the lake and it was one day before the start of the Montreux Noel Christmas market. So many were busy setting up their booths along the promenade, making the walkway a little congested. We walked a little further up to enjoy a little more of the lake. Too bad the ferris wheel was not ready for us to take a ride.
Montreux was just ok for us as the scenery was more or less the same after a while so we headed back to Zermatt after 1hr as we didn’t want to get back to Zermatt when it was too dark. The ride to Montreux and back was a total of about 5hrs journey and we got back just in time for our 6:45pm dinner reservation.
DAY TRIP TO MORGES MUSEE DU CHATEAU
We had to utilise our Saver Day Pass which we had booked for our original trip to Nyon. So we decided to take the train to Morges to view the Musee Du chateau museums. The train ride was scenic and we saw some vineyards and large rock cliffs along the way. It was a rather wet day but thankfully when we arrived at Morges, the rain stopped so we walked 550m to the Chateau. The entrance is quite small with stairs leading up to the reception. The receptionist was helpful in giving us an idea of what we could view and there was a senior discount so we paid CHF 9 instead of 10.We were impressed with the museum and felt the attention to detail was excellent in the various exhibits. From the Vaud Military museum, artillery museum and the Swiss Historic Figurine museum – we only managed to cover those 3 museums which was more than enough before we needed to head back. Unfortunately there was no english explanation but just viewing the exhibits was interesting enough for an indoor activity.
During the train journey back, we were wondering whether to drop by the Montreux Christmas market 1st day – but the rain was starting to come down quite heavily when we were on the way, so we felt it was best to return to Zermatt (it gets dark around 16:30pm) during this season.
ZERMATT IN MID to END NOV
Zermatt is usually on “snooze” mode during this period of our stay.The hotel owners told me that they only opened up for bookings in Nov 2023 because Zermatt was chosen to host the Men’s and Women’s Ski championship 2023 during the 2 weekends we were there (something we did not know frankly). Hence a few more restaurants opened up because of this. Unfortunately for the town, both ski championships were cancelled because it was just too windy up on the slopes, making it too dangerous.
So we actually benefitted from them opening up earlier as most only open up on the 2nd week of Dec. Also the long autumn and early winter is unusual, giving us an amazing experience of two seasons side by side. We never expected to see the brilliant autumn leaves when we arrived and then in the last 4 days before we departed Zermatt, the whole place turned into a sudden snowy winter wonderland! To suddenly wake up one morning and see so much snow was a blessed treat for us!
Staying in Hotel Coeur Des Alpes made a very big difference because of the views, comfort and service. Once in a lifetime visit to Zermatt with these 2 seasons side by side and we are glad we extended our stay to 18N and cancelling Nyon and Basel was a no brainer.
The weather during our stay in Zermatt was a mixture of sunny blue skies, some rain, heavy snow etc. temperature was around minus 2 degrees to 6 degrees Celsius and it was so nice (except when the winds blew when we could see the cold air on our breath.
For 1st or 2nd timers to Switzerland, I still feel the 4th week Sept going into Oct is a good time to visit as lots of rides and activities are open. Just a personal opinion. This trip for us was exceptional since it was our 5th visit.
MORE ABOUT HOTEL COUER DE ALPES ZERMATT
The positive reviews on Google and Tripadvisor are spot on.Just bear in mind that it is around 15mins walk from the hotel to the middle of the main street where the restaurants are and around 20mins walk to the train station or Gornergrat station. There is a very slight gentle upward slope on the way to the town. Very nice in good weather but not so for those who want convenience esp when it snows or rains.
It gets dark by 16:30pm so be prepared to walk in the cold under minus 2 degrees to 6 degrees Celsius after dinner as there is no cafe or restaurant on the premises. We consoled ourselves knowing we were burning some calories. The views made up for the walk.
DINING in Zermatt
Several restaurants in Zermatt were closed during our stay but we found 3 that we specially enjoyed and frequented several times. We are not into fondue as it’s a little too rich for just the both of us but for those who enjoy it, many restaurants offer that.We made sure to have the filling sumptuous hotel breakfast that lasted us to dinner. These are the restaurants we dined in.
Grampi’s – the BBQ pork ribs are really good, tender and tasty. They allow sharing because it’s 12 individual ribs. Their pizzas as are also pretty good. We usually order one pizza to share + a tomato soup or the ribs + salad. Restaurants usually don’t like patrons to just order one dish to share, so it’s good to add a starter to the order. I usually have the Fever Tree Bitter Lemon and my spouse has the beer on the tap for drinks. much better than having to pay for water which costs more at times. Nothing is cheap in Zermatt and Grampi’s is one of the more “affordable” priced menus. Their menu is on their website.
Restaurant Julen – the Lamb is very very good. No smell. Our No. 1 pick is the Pork knuckle which is basically like Lamb Shank – fall off the bone tender tender tender. The lamb stew is also good as is the very packed home made lamb sausages (2pcs) with rosti.
If you are not too hungry, I found the mixed salad (with raisins and almonds) with added lamb fillet was just nice. CHF 25. The pieces of lamb were enough for me and very tender. I had it twice. If the pieces are too rare, you can request for more doneness. The wine (Syrah) recommended by them was just nice. Service was good. The menu is on their website.
Republic Zermatt – very good hearty hamburgers as that is their speciality. It’s a fairly spacious pub with friendly service. The duck salad was amazing – huge portion with interesting selection of greens drizzled with an asian fusion dressing. Chicken wings looked small but were actually pretty meaty.
We made online reservations for all our dinners around 6pm which is usually their 1st seating. – be aware that restaurants do give away your table if you are 15mins late. Be kind enough to cancel if you can’t make it so that others have a chance to reserve.
Brown Cow – great for the Irish Guinness draft. The hamburgers are a little cheaper but nowhere was good as Republic’s. They open all day – no reservations.
Prices are definitely not cheap but the quality of the food we had was high.
to be contd…
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Hi traveljet,
Thank you again for taking the time to write such detailed reports. Fellow travellers are sure to benefit.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you for the restaurant recommendation. We will be in Zermatt for two nights in April.
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