Getting here

by plane | by train | by car | to the apartment |

Getting here by plane
The closest Swiss airports to Zermatt are in Zurich, Basel and Geneva. In Italy, Milan Maltensa airport is about the same distance away as Geneva. If you are coming for the UK, you can fly with Easyjet, Swiss and BA. At least on Easyjet and Swiss, the earlier you book the cheaper the tickets cost.

www.easyjet.com
www.britishairways.com
www.swiss.com

Getting here by train from the airports

Going by train from either of these airports to Zermatt is probably the simplest method of getting here. The trains are pleasant and the countryside is very pretty. Public transport in Switzerland is impressively networked and punctual. Trains run from and to the actual airports at Zurich and Geneva.

The journey from Geneva takes about 3.5 hours with trains leaving most hours at 18 minutes past the hour.

From Zurich the train journey takes about 4.5 hours. It is perfectly acceptable to buy a ticket from the guard/ticket collector when he does his rounds.

In Basel airport, you have to exit to the Swiss side, not the French side and then take a bus or taxi to the SBB (Swiss/French) train station in Basel. The taxi ride takes about 30 minutes. The taxis are metered and drivers don’t expect a tip. The cost of the trip is around 40 –50 Swiss Francs. The bus is cheaper.
Although Switzerland is largely a cash economy, cash or credit cards can be used to purchase tickets, even on the train. The cost of the tickets and all other details can be found on the SBB (Swiss Railways) website. If you plan a lot of travel, perhaps it is worthwhile purchasing a special visitors rail pass before you leave home. This may offer substantial discounts.

Getting here by car

As there are no cars allowed in Zermatt, it is probably not worthwhile to hire one if you are coming from an airport. The closest locations for parking are in Brig or Täsch where you’d have to pay to leave your car.

If you are leaving your car in Täsch, it will take about ten more minutes on the train to Zermatt. At Täsch station, you may collect a trolley similar to supermarket shopping trolleys. They take a 5 CHF coin, which is refunded after use. They can take all your bags and ski’s and boards. They are pushed onto the specially adapted train and off again at the other end. They can be pushed right to the apartment in Zermatt, or an electric taxi can be picked up at the station. The taxi, however, is hardly worth it, except maybe to find the front door quickly after a long journey.

If you are using your own car to travel, there is also a one-time charge for any motorway use in Switzerland of CHF40, payable at the border, and lasting for one year.

You can find a good route planer for whole Europe under www.viamichelin.com

Getting to the apartment

From the station forecourt, turn right up the main street and almost immediately turn first right. Then as the road turns, almost immediately left. Straight ahead is a telephone/TV showroom. Keep that to your right and the front door entrance will be found on the right after about 15 meters, before the China Garden restaurant sign. It’s less than five minutes and probably less than 150 meters from the station to the apartment.

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