kgt107

I will be in Europe for 12 days in late September and early October on a business trip and have the weekend to myself. I will be flying to Geneva Friday night and was looking to visit the Matterhorn over the weekend. I need to fly out of Geneva on Monday morning. Is this a good time (Oct 1-2) to visit the Matterhorn? Any suggestions for things to do and the best way to get to and from Zermatt from Geneva?

bobthenavigator

I would go to the Berner Oberland, perhaps Wengen, instead.
Closer and more to see and do. Zermatt is hard to access.

Dukey1

You can access Zermatt via rail from Geneva; the trip along Lacleman is scenic as is the ride up to Zermatt from either Visp or Brig on a route which encompasses part of the Glacier Express route.

Viewing the peak itself means you either have to take another rail trip on the Gornergratt Bahn (45 minutes) from the village or use one of the cable cars up to Kleine Matterhorn. The problem is that the peak itself can often be shrouded in clouds whereas the village itself is clear. If you use the Gornergratt route there is a live cam in the railroad Zermatt station waiting room so you can see before you ascend what the view will be like.

Dukey1

BTW, the length of time via rail to Zermatt is minimum of 3 hrs 33 minutes; to Wengen is 3:38 minutes

PalenQ

Closer to Geneva and just as awesome IMO as the Matterhorn, which when you get there may be shrouded in clouds or fog, would be to go to Chamonix, France and see Mont Blanc - Chamonix has everything Zermatt has - glaciers tumbling right down to town - thrilling mountain trains and also IMO the most spine-tingling aerial cable car ride in Europe - the one from Chamonix to Pt Heilbronner in Italy - a long long ride over a sea of ice down below. Awesome baby!

You can get direct buses to Chamonix and also Chamonix will promise to be much cheaper than Switzerland, now probably the world's most expensive country due to the sttep rise of the Swiss france - bring anything with you from home that you will need to avoid sticker shock on practically anything in Switzerland.

If wanting to go by train to Zermatt it is easy enough to do -just like Dukey says but I echo bob above that for a few days the Interlaken-Grindelwald area is the absolute finest spot for someone who has never seen the Alps - a lot more to do there than just see awesome ice-clad mountains, which they have but also nice boat rides on Lake Thun or Lake Brienz - a panoply of mtiny toy-like mountain climbing trains and cable ways, etc.

For lots on Swiss rail travel, boats, etc check out these fab IMO sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com. You will not be traveling enough to look into any railpass or the Half-Fare card so just buy train tickets upon arrival at Geneva Airport train station - never a problem getting on Swiss trains and there are zillions going everywhere.

there are I think direct bus or mini-bus service from Geneva Airport to Chamonix, a world-class Alpine resort at about half the cost of a Swiss alpine resort.

kappa1

> Chamonix has everything Zermatt has...

Not really. It does not have Matterhorn. Well you can see it, from the top of the Aiguille du Midi (Chamonix), tiny and and far away (only if the sky is crystal clear) though. And it's true, access is easier to Chamonix at least time wise. If you do Chamonix by train, it's a bit more complicated.

I'd rather want to know first why OP wants Zermatt and Matterhorn. Maybe he/she has a reason to see this mythical mountain.

kappa1

> Chamonix has everything Zermatt has...

Not really. It does not have Matterhorn. Well you can see it, from the top of the Aiguille du Midi (Chamonix), tiny and and far away (only if the sky is crystal clear) though. And it's true, access is easier to Chamonix at least time wise. If you do Chamonix by train, it's a bit more complicated.

I'd rather want to know first why OP wants Zermatt and Matterhorn. Maybe he/she has a reason to see this mythical mountain.

kappa1

Sorry about the double posts above. I have been having this problem since a few days. I did click on "summit" only once and get an error page that I had never received before. And I see my messages are posted twice. Perhaps it will happen again with this message. I have noticed double posts by other regular posters too recently.

kwren

Is this a good time (Oct 1-2) to visit the Matterhorn?

It sounds like it's a better time to visit than Oct. 4-5!

kgt107

Thanks for the responses. I'm not stuck on seeing the Matterhorn or Zermatt, especially if there are other places that are just as spectacular and are much cheaper. Is the bus the best way to get to Chamonix from Geneva? Is it easy to get around once I get there? Also, is early October a good time to visit weather-wise?

Organizer

Chamonix certainly does not have the charm of Zermatt. Zermatt might be further away, but it is much easier to get to by public transport: trains leave Geneva Airport every hours to Visp/Brig with straight connection to Zermatt. Schedules:
www.sbb.ch
True, the sudden steep rise of the Swiss Franc has made Switzerland even more expensive, but Chamonix does not come as a bargain neither.
October is a good month for travel to Zermatt, weather is generally sunny, and the view often cristzal-clear.
Enjoy,

Richard

PalenQ

Chamonix has everything Zermatt has - both are classic Alpine resorts. What does Zermatt have that Chamonix don't - except the Matterhorn (Cham has Mt Blanc)