Some destinations are defined by a single landmark. In Zermatt, that landmark is the Matterhorn — but the story of the region goes far beyond one mountain.

Sitting at 1,620 metres at the foot of the Matterhorn, the village has been drawing visitors since the first ascent of the mountain in 1865. Before that, it was a quiet agricultural community. The transformation that followed changed Zermatt permanently — and that history is still visible today in the streets, the architecture, and the way the town feels genuinely lived-in alongside its reputation as a resort.

Your guide meets you at your hotel and travels with you to Zermatt, using the journey to introduce the day ahead. The first part of the tour focuses on the village itself. Three main streets run along the banks of the Matter Vispa river, lined with traditional wooden chalets, local shops, and restaurants that have been feeding mountaineers and travellers for generations.

The Gornergrat Railway opened in 1898 as the first electric rack railway in Switzerland. It climbs from Zermatt to a summit station at 3,089 metres, making it the highest open-air railway in Europe. As the train ascends, the Matterhorn comes into clear view, and your guide provides commentary on the engineering history behind a railway that has been carrying passengers into the Alps for more than a century.