Switzerland · Mountain Exploration

Zermatt & Mt. Gornergrat Small Group Day Trip from Bern

9 Hours Round trip from Bern Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Scenic train journey from Bern to Zermatt via Visp
  • 02 Walk through Zermatt’s old village with its traditional wooden houses
  • 03 Visit the Kirchbrücke viewpoint for classic Matterhorn views
  • 04 Discover local mountaineering history at the Mountaineer’s Cemetery
  • 05 See the historic Hotel Monte Rosa linked to the first Matterhorn ascent
  • 06 Ride the Gornergrat cogwheel railway to high alpine scenery
  • 07 Enjoy panoramic views of the Matterhorn and glacier landscape
  • 08 Small-group experience with guide and transport included

Travel from Bern into the heart of the Swiss Alps on this small-group day trip to Zermatt and Mt. Gornergrat. Enjoy a scenic rail journey via Visp, including views along Lake Thun and a ride through the Alps before arriving in one of Switzerland’s most iconic mountain villages.

In Zermatt, explore the old village with its traditional wooden houses and learn more about the area’s mountaineering heritage at sites such as the Mountaineer’s Cemetery and Hotel Monte Rosa. Then continue by cogwheel railway up to Mt. Gornergrat, where sweeping views of the Matterhorn and surrounding glaciers await.

Travel from Bern into the heart of the Swiss Alps on this small-group day trip to Zermatt and Mt. Gornergrat.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 9 Hours
Tour type Shared
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Not included
Transport Included
Wheelchair access No
Cities Bern, Thun, Zermatt
Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Railway station Bern

Your tour starts with the intercity train ride from Bern to Visp (50 minutes). 

train travel along lake Thun

Lake Thun is a fjord lake in the Bernese Oberland on the northern edge of the Alps.

crossing the alps on a tunnel

The Lötschberg Base Tunnel is a 34.6-kilometre-long railway tunnel that crosses under the northern Alpine chain at the Lötschberg between Frutigen in the Bernese Oberland (Canton of Bern, Switzerland) and Raron (Canton of Valais, Switzerland) and was put into operation in 2007. This base tunnel is part of the Lötschberg-Simplon axis of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), which runs from Basel via Bern-Thun-Spiez to the Lötschberg and on via Brig-Simplon-Domodossola to Milan and Novara-Genoa, and next to the one running parallel Gotthard axis forms a second route for the transalpine rail freight traffic of the European Corridor (Rotterdam-Genoa).

Visp

Visp is a municipality in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is located at the entrance to the Vispertal at the mouth of the Vispa in the Rotten. The small town is the capital and largest municipality in the district of Visp.

Here you get off the intercity train and change direct onto the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Railway. The cogwheel train takes you within 55 minutes to Zermatt

Zermatt

Walk through the old part of the alpine village of Zermatt with it's typical wooden houses. 

Viewpoint Kirchbrücke

Visit the viewpoint for the typical Zermatt village picture to the Mt. Matterhorn

Mountaineer's Cemetery

The graveyard shows you, how closed the success to climb Mt. Matterhorn and the risks are. It's part of the history of Zermatt, that accidents on high alpine climbing happens. 

Hotel Monte Rosa

The hotel Monte Rosa is where the first ascent to Mt. Matterhorn startet. Several information about the first ascent and it's historical tragedy are available here. 

Gornergrat Railway

On a 30 minutes cogwheel train ride you get up to 10000ft altitude. In this high alpine area, beautiful views to Mt. Matterhorn and the glaciers await you. Mt. Gornergrat is in all year snow. 

Mt. Gornergrat

On a 30 minutes cogwheel train ride you get up to 10000ft altitude. In this high alpine area, beautiful views to Mt. Matterhorn and the glaciers await you. Mt. Gornergrat is in all year snow. 

Return travel

After returning from Gornergrat, your travel back to Bern will take place (2 hours). You trave on the same way back as you arrived in the morning. 

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from Bern 3 cities · 9 Hours

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • all taxes, fees and handling charges
  • local guide operated by Swiss Travel Guide
  • all transportation fees
  • priority boarding pass for Matterhorn railway
  • all entrance fees

What's Not Included

  • travel to starting point Bern
  • food and drinks
  • personal expenses during the tour
  • gratuities welcome for the tourguide

Know before you go

  • WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
  • STROLLER OR PRAM ACCESSIBLE
  • ANIMALS OR PETS ALLOWED
  • PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEARBY
  • Infants must not sit on laps
  • Infant seats unavailable
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Not wheelchair accessible

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
Bern, CH
Tour start
Bern, CH
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 9 hours finish where they began, in Bern.

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