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Hi Danielsan,
Good to hear from you again. Sorry to hear even the trip didn’t start off too well. These things do happen and I am glad you still had your occasional beers to relax and chill out at Zermatt.
After we returned from Zermatt from our last trip in Dec 2023, we read that there was a terrible flood in the little town mid 2024. Hope they have all managed to get back to normal by now.
Waiting to read the rest of your report.
Hi Leo,
You will need to remain flexible because there may even be a possibility that the rides up to the Matterhorn may be shut down if the weather is too windy. Make sure to check the websites for daily updates and the webcams. Zermatt with snow all around is beautiful and we hope you get a chance to enjoy the little village when you are there. Just be careful not to slip on icy streets.
There are quite a bit of train transfers going up to Grindelwald, so do start your journey early if the weather permits you to do so.
Happy travels ! 😁
Hi Deb,
Sorry to hear the noisy kids and man in the hot tub took away the peace & tranquility of the stay at CouerDA.
Our stay during late Nov was nice & quiet – goes to show experiences can differ so much depending on the date & time of travel.
I realised glass showers seem to be the norm for many boutique hotels and tho we have no issues with that, I totally understand why others aren’t keen on this concept
Glad to know the accommodation at Wengen went well.
Any plans for another trip to Switzerland?😁 although we do miss the scenery, the jet lag & costs (especially the changes to the OB pass) means we will not be returning for now.
Hi Deb,
It was great reading your detailed trip report – I completed it and your experiences brought back lots of memories for me, tempting me to return inspite of being there 5x😁. With all the foodie descriptions of the meals, I felt very virtually “full” after reading them. LOL.
It really is amazing just how picture postcard perfect Switzerland is and how they managed to weave in the public transport to make those beautiful views so accessible. There is still so much to experience and it’s impossible to take in all the sights even after so many repeated visits. Perhaps that is because we like to stay in each place for a minimum of 3N to soak in the atmosphere, have a cuppa and chill at an outdoor cafe or restaurant without rushing from place to place. Glad you had the opportunity to do that.
Ah I see you stayed at Couer Des Alpes where we enjoyed our stay during our time in Zermatt. Looks like more and more tourists are visiting Switzerland and I wonder if there is such a thing as “off-peak” anymore especially if all the rides are still open.
You did a great deal of homework and it’s so good to know that it paid off. Thanks once again for taking so much time to do such an extensive trip report.
Regards
Hi Queenie, I definitely agree that travelling on 1st class Saver Day (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/) or even Pt to Pt (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/regular-ticket/) is much better than getting stressed with bookings on the Panoramic trains.
Glad you were able to experience the beautiful scenery of Switzerland 👍🏼
Hi kAYEN,
Reading reports like yours always brings back memories of our trips to picture postcard perfect Switzerland.
So glad you enjoyed yourselves and managed to cover so many places during your trip. This site is such a treasure chest of amazing information, run by a fantastic team!
Stay safe!
Hello Ash,
A delightful trip report that brings back memories of our past trips, missed trains included 😁
So glad you experienced the beautiful lakes & alps all within a week.
They do have luggage forwarding services which you can think about if ever you visit again. (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/luggage/).
Regards.
Thanks Alpenrose for the links to the video. The staff at the hotel we stayed in last year (Couer D Alpes) mentioned that this is the first time it has been so disastrous. Hotel Coeur is on much higher ground so they are not affected in terms of damage. Some parts of the middle of the town which is not near the river is apparently still ok. We walked those areas impacted by the flooding and it’s even more emotional when watching the video.
This link is useful for the latest updates for transport as well.
https://www.zermatt.ch/en/Media/Liveticker-Zermatt-Matterhorn/Aktuelle-Situation-Zermatt-Matterhorn
Hi Lastlook, the staff there told me that many of the shops, hotels and restaurants are going to have to do massive cleanup. It was pretty scary looking at the video and seeing familiar places that we walked when we were in Zermatt last year. I assume those business above street level should be able to open up.
Hopefully your trip wont’ be too soon. Stay safe.
Maybe your husband will realise after one day at St. Moritz that it’s sufficient and you can use the other day for the horse drawn carriage activity. LOL. In any case, why don’t you just do a search on the activity, get your notes and information ready just in case you have a change of plans and fit it in. That way, you are ready anytime.😁
Hi DebH,
No worries as these are just suggestions. I can’t quite remember what I shared with you as I was rather active on the forum some months ago – so to be safe, I thought I’d just let you know in case I didn’t.
Hopefully there’s always another opportunity to visit Switzerland to do what you missed out on. I only shared the horse drawn carriage into the Fex valley because it’s not something we often get to experience in many parts of Switzerland. So it’s something different for you to think about another time, should you decide to return to the Engadine.
Enjoy your time and stay healthy 😁
Hi DebH,
We stayed in Pontresina and Sils Maria in 2018 (St. Moritz was just a day trip where we went up to Piz Nair and walked around the town). Being more attracted to the smaller towns, we chose to stay at Pontresina because it is a convenient base to get to Muottas Muragl, Diavolezza (I recommend this too).
We also stayed at Sils Maria. We very much preferred quaint Sils Maria to Pontresina because Sils had this lovely charm to it compared to Pontresina which was a little busier.
The VAL FEX private horse drawn carriage ride from Sils Maria into the end of the Fex Valley is an experience I would highly recommend – the views during our visit around the last week of Sept were really beautiful because of the wide open landscape. We had perfect weather and that horse carriage ride will forever be etched in our memories.
I don’t have the links right now but I think you should have no problem searching for it online – under activities for sils.ch. We used the Coretti company and it was CHF160 return journey (Sils Maria to Fex Curtins) for the 3 of us in the carriage.
It starts from Sils, clippity clop steadily uphill, past the famous Hotel Waldhaus into the Val Fex, one of the highest valleys in Switzerland. There are a couple of hamlets (300yrs old) along the way. It’s car free. stops for 15mins at the chapel in the middle of Fex Crasta. They further up to Fex Curtins where Hotel Fex is.
If you do want to consider this, make sure to book a return trip as it’s way too far to walk all the way to the end. The most scenic part is between the middle Fex Crasta to the end “Fex Curtins”. The ride allowed a 1.5hr stop at Fex Hotel so we could enjoy a drink or snack at the cafe.
As we were staying in a B&B Hotel Maria, they arranged everything for us and the “driver” picked us up right at the front door.
That trip to Engadine was in 2018 so I dont know if much as changed. If ever we return, the horse carriage would be an experience we would definitely repeat.
Again, it’s just a personal recommendation and I know you are swamped with so many choices. Just go with whatever is convenient – if you get good weather, you really can’t go wrong.
All the best!
Thank you JLB for your trip report. Great to know you enjoyed yourself although its a pity the weather and hotel didn’t work out for you at Zermatt. We also prefer the little villages compared to the cities.
September is a good month (https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/best-time-to-visit/) because it will be better for hiking. You may also catch the cow parade when they come down from the mts. Hope you get to visit lovely Switzerland again and enjoy the picture postcard views again.
Regards.
Hi Danielsan,
All is well with us, thank you for asking. Just came back from a trip to Kuala Lumpur and will be going to Bangkok In july and Japan end Nov. Currently we have no plans to visit Switzerland again as the jetlag can be quite punishing for us seniors and having been there at least 5x, we thought we will focus on Asia Pacific for a while esp Japan, given the good exchange rate and flying time is more suitable. Absolutely enjoy the natural hotspring traditional ryokan (jap guesthouse) stays with great cuisine.
I am not the least surprised that the taxi fare from Zurich to Zermatt will be very costly – although that website showed its to Zermatt station which is rather odd, considering no cars are allowed in Zermatt itself.
Hope you are well and I suppose you will be making another trip to Switzerland😁 Keep safe!
Regards
Hi Buske,
We have never taken a taxi in Zurich as the Swiss rail is very convenient. If one is travelling with heavy baggage, just use their luggage service to send it straight to the next accommodation or the next destination station to pick it up. This should work out cheaper than taking a long distance taxi.
I looked at this link and it says the taxi fare is around CHF1,230 from Zurich airport to Zermatt station. This will be a good gauge for you to compare between the train fares etc. I attached the screenshot.
https://www.gobytaxi.com/europe/switzerland
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Hi Marsha,
I did a trip report of our stay In Zermatt last year. We left Zermatt on 27 Nov. it’s really difficult to predict the weather and it’s best you use the weather app or website to check the daily reports. As we were there for 18N, there were clear days and cloudy days, snowy days and some rainy days.
Here’s my trip report that’s separated into several parts which you can read from the Forum under trip reports. I am sure you will also be able to read about the experiences of others to get an idea.
https://www.myswissalps.com/community/thread/trip-report-zermatt-nov-2023-zurich-christmas-market/
Hi Lexie, because we like heights, our choice is Birg Thrill Walk handsdown. We found the First Thrill walk underwhelming. For the First Thrill walk, you may need to bend your head down depending on your height and it’s a little narrower.
The open panoramic view of the alps from the Birg Thrill Bridge was wow wow wow for us and pretty daunting initially (go search some YouTube videos) – Sorry I can’t comment whether it will be crowded with ppl taking selfies or not if you visit. I would expect the First Thrill walk to be more crowded as that is advertised more often than Birg. When we were there a few years back in Sept, Birg wasn’t crowded at all and I think some chickened out because of the height and openness as it wrapped all around the cliff. Not many knew about the Birg Thrill walk too.
Just to be clear, it’s BIRG and not Brig. The Birg Schilthornbahn station (in the sbb app) is one station below the Schilthorn. That was why I recommended the visit after your walk from Grutschalp.
Eg: Walk the Grutschalp Murren Mt trail. At Murren, you can either:
1) Walk DOWNhill to Gimmelwald. A quick walk around the village. Then take the ride up to Birg and do the Thrill walk (if I remember correctly, the entrance to the thrill walk is down some steps on the right of the large terrace when you get out of the Birg station )..
After Birg, you can decide if you want to ride up to Schilthorn (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/schilthorn/) as well. I think the views would be similar at Schilthorn but you don’t get the thrill of the long wrap around bridge. You can have a coffee or tea break in between at either place.
Then take the rides from Birg or Schilthorn all the way down to Stechelberg. You can ride the bus back to Lauterbrunnen or walk back from Stechelberg if the weather is nice and you still have the energy.
You would have to start the day early to do the above. At least you get to cover the best of that area. Then you can save the next day for the other activities.
If the weather is good the next day, try not to miss the Mannlichen-KScheidegg Panoramic walk (https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/hike-mannlichen-kleine-scheidegg/) and the Eiger Express ride from Eigergletscher to Grindelwald.
Hi Lexie, since you will be taking the Grutschalp – Murren trail and ending up in Murren (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/murren/) . Why don’t you combine it with the Birg Thrill Walk (recommended) and then to Schilthorn (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/schilthorn/) since they are close to one another and all in Murren?
Then you can keep the 2nd day for the Mannlichen -KleinS Panoramic walk (https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/hike-mannlichen-kleine-scheidegg/) which is also wonderful (in that direction). On the top of Mannlichen, there are great views. When you reach KleineS, you can take the train or walk up to Eigergletscher (lots of loose gravel so wear good ankle tight shoes) to take the Eiger Express cablecar to Grindelwald which is a ride with really nice great views too. That was one of our favourite rides. Alternatively the walk from KleineS to Wengernalp is an easy walk too on a better paved bicycle path – we saw alot of yellow flowers last June although I am not sure if they are still there during your trip. So little time indeed.
We have walked halfway to Gross Scheidegg from Meiringen and personally don’t find it the views as interesting compared to Murren and KleinS.
Again personal preference but just sharing..😁
Thank you Mike for sharing your trip with us. Lovely to read about how you navigated on your own with Maggie always in your thoughts. Switzerland must hold a special place in your heart because of your times with her in that beautiful land. ❤️Glad you were able to return again and to share with us about your daily activities and thoughts during this trip.
Take care and God bless🌻
