ZERMATT
HOTEL DEALS

KLEIN MATTERHORN
Aerial Cable to the Top of the World and Glacier Paradise

It’s named the “Little Matterhorn”, not that it’s especially small, but it the next peak over and its shape rather mirrors its more famous sister Alps peak, and has the added advantage that you don’t need a rope to get to the top. The aerial cable car to the top of the Klein Matterhorn, takes you to the highest viewpoint in the Alps, at 12,740 feet (3883 meters) actually the world’s highest aerial cable tram, with steps which take you to the very top of the peak, unlike others which only go to summits. The ride to the top of the Klein Matterhorn takes three cable car legs, changing gondolas at the Furi and Trocker Steg tram stations, with the final cable suspension seeming to touch the sky before arriving at the tunnel straight into the mountain rock.

The air is thin on the platform with 360 degree views of the mountains and glaciers which stretch from the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland to Mont Blanc on the bor5eedr with France to the Italian Alps. Below the two Matterhorns the Theodul Glacier forms an eternal blanket of snow between the two sharp crags and surrounding peaks. The Klein Matterhorn is the jewel of the ski area marketed as the “Glacier Paradise” with skiing all year round on the glacial snows, making it one of the largest ski areas in Europe. The trails and lifts reach out over the Zermatt-Cervina ski range, between Swtizerland and Italy. But you don’t have to ski to make a visit to the top of the Klein Matterhorn an unforgettable experience.

Beyond the sensation of standing at the very top of the world, an Ice Cave offers a trip down into the glacier’s ice crevasses. Beautifully lit by colors of the rainbow, with light sparkling off the delicate ice crystals which hang overhead and festooned with ice sculptures, the caves cut in the imperceptibly slowly moving ice must be re-carved by hand every season. The station at the top of the Klein Matterhorn is the smallest of the mountain top tourist stops of Switzerland. There is a skiers service area for those thrill seekers venturing out for high altitude snow sport and for the less athletic, a new restaurant or the Ice Buffet snack bar for a quick bite before returning to the charms of Zermatt below.

Tickets for the aerial cable car to the top of the Klein Matterhorn cost from CHF 63 to CHF 98 for adults and CHF 31 to CHF 49 for children 9-16, depending on time of year (prices are lower in summer), and less to the interim mountain stations. With a Swiss Pass tickets are half-price. A range of day and multi-day passes are available including other area ski lifts. For skiers, a pass to the Glacier Paradise ski area includes the cable tramways as well as Zermatt bus transportation. For a special romantic experience, a VIP Gondola Package is offered including a ride, chamagne and other treats. In summer months you can take guided hikes across the glacier to climb the Breithorn or the Matterhorn. The lower slopes are cross-cut by hiking trails. Walk down the Matterhorn Trail from the Furi Station through the green meadows, past mountain villages only reached by foot. Have a lunch or a snack at one of the restaurants perched on the mountainsides below the peaks.

The Glacier Paradise cable tram station is a ten minute walk through the Zermatt Village. At any time of year, the top of the Klein Matterhorn can be obscured by stormy weather or fog and not worth the full trip. The valley station you’ll find an electronic board with current conditions of the gondolas and ski lifts of the Zermatt-Matterhorn area. Mornings are generally better than afternoons for beginning the trip. If the sun is out the photo op may end up as one of your favourite memories of Switzerland.

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Tickets

Choose a Swiss Travel Pass

Privacy     Legal     Contact

Author
Scenic Switzerland By Rail
© 2012-2020 WLEV