Weekend in Zermatt

Zermatt is an idyllic town in the Swiss alps. It is a car free oasis and upon arrival it feels like stepping into to a fairytale. Everything is so cute and you start to feel like a character directly. I went there with train from Zurich and it took just over four hours. It was a scenic ride passing through mountain scenery and lakes. The last hour is even more special when you get further into the mountains with a special train. 

Zermatt halfmarathon

Zermatt is a perfect place for hiking and trail running during summer and I had signed up for Zermatt half marathon this time so that was the reason I went. It is a trail running that includes roughly 1300 meters climb and starting in the village located at 2800 meter above sea level. Might sound like a tough challenge but I can guarantee it is doable for most people. I had not even practiced trail running once since last September and managed to complete the run with a smile in my face craving for more trail runs.

The scenery and ambience blew me away. The whole village was ready for the run and it was fantastic to run through the forest and mountain terrain towards the top of Gongerat where the finish line was located. I took it very easy and just enjoyed. Goal was to finish and have fun and that I had. Took a fair amount of pictures, drank coke with amazing views and waved to the spectators. It was just fun! And great training for an asphalt runner.

Zermatt village

After the run I went down with the cable car and enjoyed a huge plate of pasta and post run talk with follow runners. Walked around the city until my legs didn’t wanted to so stopped at one of the many cute places for an aperol or two. If you want to head out for dinner on the weekend you really need to book a table. The amount of restaurants are not endless and although this was not peak-peak season it was full.

Hiking in Zermatt

The second day I miraculously woke up without any pain in my legs. Who could have imagined that? I had some breakfast and then headed out for the famous 5 likes hike. It was said to be very touristic so I started early. Took the gondola to the start point. You can also walk which takes about one hour but I was honestly not feeling for more upward walks. It was 10 well spent Franc’s to ride up. The lake hike is around 9 kilometers and not very much elevation.

I was hoping for a swim along the hike but in the end I didn’t went into the water. One of the lakes is possible to swim in and it was just a few people doing it. I rested my legs a bit and had a bar before continued. The weather was perfect with clear sky and not too warm. It was less people on the trail than I expected most of the part I didn’t saw anyone in front of me. 

When I finished the loop I decided to walk down to Zermatt village. That was written it would take 2 hours but went much faster than that for me. Maybe I was cheating and ran a bit. Maybe. But I also had another fuel stop having a bun and a drink while watching Matterhorn. The tallest mountain in Switzerland. Sadly the top is not covered in snow this summer due to the warm weather. I consulted internet and got to know that it usually is during this time of the year. 

Mountain weekend

Down in the village again I had a late lunch before jumping on the packed train back to Zurich. Train travels on Sundays should be avoided if you wish for privacy. It was a great weekend including a lot of steps and outdoor time. The run I can massively recommend and what also is great about it is that the train ticket is included which is a huge perk if you know how much train tickets cost in Switzerland. A mountain weekend in Zermatt is also suitable for non hikers because you can always take the gondola to a mountain top for the view or coffee. The village feeling is something special and also a SPA visit would be a lifelong memory I think. It is though pricy to ride up the mountains but if you have a half fare card you can use it on many rides. Questions on that?

/ Pernilla that had a great weekend in the Swiss mountains