Are my Zermatt activities doable in 2 days?
A traveler is planning a two-day trip to Zermatt on August 7 and 8. They want to maximize their time by using the Peak2Peak pass to visit Glacier Paradise and Gornergrat. They need advice on the hiking routes and whether their ambitious schedule is doable, especially considering their time constraint to catch a train to Geneva Airport by 4:30 PM on the second day.
- Start your day early to maximize time; take the first cog rail to Gornergrat.
- The Peak2Peak pass covers unlimited mountain transport in Zermatt for one day, but verify pricing with the Swiss Half Fare Card.
- Research the Swiss timetable for train and cable car timings to see if your plans are feasible.
- The Rotenboden to Riffelalp hike should be fine in August for scenic views.
AI-generated summary-
Dear all. Need some help.
I would like to do following in almost 2 days (Aug 7, 8)
I have one full day and next day up 4PM. I need to get back to Zermatt station to head to Geneva Airport station by 430PM train.
Day 1: I would like to take advantage of Peak2Peak pass which is valid for 1 day. Peak2Peak allows both Glacier Paradise (Matterhorn) and Gornergrat.
My plan is to take 1st Cog rail at 7am and get off in Rotenboden and do lake Riffelsee hike to see Matterhorn shadow in the lake. In the early morning the water is calm (low wind). Then head back to Rotenboden and to Gornergrat.
On the return leg, get down in Rotenboden to do Rotenboden to Riffelalp hike. Then to Riffelberg (I might have to pay extra right) and take Riffelberg express to Furi and to Kleine Matterhorn. Do you think I will be able to do this?
If I do other way around Glacier Paradise first and then Gornergrat (incl Rotenboden to Riffelalp hike), I will have enough time since Gornergrat closes later than Glacier Paradise. But I want to do the 1st option since in the morning the water is calm (hopefully 🙂 we can only hope..) and feasible for Matterhorn shadow in the Riffelsee.
Day 2: Zermett-Sunnega-Blauherd excursion.
I can blend Day 1, 2: Gornergrat and Zermett-Sunnega-Blauherd in Day 1 and Glacier paradise in next day.
In that case, I cannot take advantage of the reduced price (Peak2Peak pass). If I buy Glac Par and Gornergrat separately it costs CHF25/pp with Half fare card. So pls suggest what should I do. I don’t want to miss any of the activities I mentioned above.
Another question is does it anybody know how long it takes from Riffelberg to Kleine Matterhorn (Glacier Paradise) station via Riffleberg express)?
Is there any time stable posted anywhere?
Thanks!
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Cross off “get off in Rotenboden and do lake Riffelsee hike to see Matterhorn shadow in the lake”. We tried to do that last week. That lake is frozen or does not exist.
Thanks Shahed. We are going in 1st week of August. Things should be warmed up..
I think I would go with second option of visiting Glacier Paradise 1st.
I have seen early morning videos, the lake is not calm (small waves even with 5-7km/hr wind speed). It would be very rare to get absolute calm water. Why to bother…I am not staying multiple days to chase after that….
I will enjoy other things…
Hi Right Person,
The one day Peak Pass offers unlimited mountain transportation in Zermatt to visit Rothorn, Gornergrat and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. (This would also include trips to Sunnegga–Blauherd-Rothorn).
(There is also the Peak2Peak ticket which offers a visit to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Gornergrat in the one excursion. The pass is valid for one day and you are free to hop on and off at any station in between, as long as you do not duplicate the route. It’s not valid for Sunnegga-Rothorn).
More details on both in our Zermatt travel guide below, scroll to “All about the Peak Pass” and “All about the Peak2Peak ticket”. Both would be discounted with the Swiss Half Fare Card:
Details for the Rotenboden to Riffelalp hike is explained here and yes, as you are visiting in August, you should be fine to enjoy the trail:
You can research the individual pricing for Gornergrat and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in the links below, with online ticket purchase options too:
- Gornergrat: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gornergrat/
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/matterhorn/
With early starts to the day, I think you should be able to complete your plans. I’d use the Swiss timetable to research your journeys and view their respective timings. That way you can gauge if it’s doable for yourself.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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