We will be traveling to Europe On Sept 20 this year. We plan to spend a couple of days in Chamonix, France and then take the train ride to Zermatt. Couple of quick qs

- What is the easiest way to get from Chamonix to Zermatt? There seem to be too many train changes on the way to Zermatt
- What are the key things to do in Zermatt? We plan to spend a day or so after we reach there. ALso, will be traveling with a 2 year old so that constrains our options a little bit.

Your advice will be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Sakshi

Though there are changes this is one of the most dramatically scenic rail routes in Europe

1st from Chamonix you hop the narrow gauge mountain train that goes along glaciers and thru high Alps before making a dramatic descent into Martigny along the edge of a cliff to the Rhone River where you change for trains to Visp where you catch the mountain train to Zermatt.

so you change twice but easy changes, one platform to another and trains every hour on all segments - should take 5 hours at most.

If you are doing this type of travel strongly consider the Swiss Pass, which is good all the way from Chamonix, France to Zermatt and then on nearly every train, bus, boat in Switzerland as well as giving 50% off on the trains to mountaintops like GornergratBahn (sp?) up the Matterhorn.

Strongly conside the 3 day flexipass out of a 1-month period - 3 unlimited travel days and in between you get 50% off everything on the other days you don't use for 100% travel - can be the best deal. You can buy Swiss Passes in Switzerland (but maybe not in Chamonix, France, not sure - but they are currently about 15% higher for the same pass as bought abroad for some reason. In the US i always advise BETS (800-441-2387) for their Swiss rail expertise and lack of mailing fees like RailEurope has. www.budgeteuropetravel.com for current Swiss Passes prices and to get their free European Rail & Planning Guide that has an excellent chapter on Swiss trains including descriptions of the Chamonix-Martigny and Zermatt train rides (latter part of the fabled Glacier Express route). www.ricksteves.com also has good info on Swiss trains and passes.
Any questions - i've taken the trains you're talking about many times.

Avs,

The most direct rail route involves two changes..one in Martigny and again in Visp.

These are not hard changes to make even though in Visp you will be changing from one railway to another the stations are basically almost next to one another.

As to "the key things to do" I suspect unless you are skiing or hiking viewing the Matterhorn peak and the Monte Rosa Massif might be one activity.

there is, of course, the usual ski villlage shooping; Zermatt really isn't that large and you can walk from one end to the other in a short period of time.

Sorry for the repeated information; Pal and I posted at the same time it seems.

Thanks a lot Palen and Dukey for all the good advice. Couple more questions

- IS the Zermatt area worth visiting in late september? Have the fall colors set it by then ? Are the mountains nicely snow capped at that time or has it all melted?
- Is the Gornergrat ride very picturesque and highly recommended?
- Anything else that we can do in the region while traveling with a 2 year old?
- We are alos planning to go into Italy for CInque Terre and Verona after the ALps. Seems like we might be cramming in too much into a 10 day trip. If we had to pick between Chamonix and Zermatt, do you have a recommendation between the two? We are flying into Paris and will be taking the train out to Chamonix or Zermatt.
- If we decide to go to Chamonix only, is there an easy bus ride to Torino or Genoa in Italy?

Thanks a lot for all your feedback. Very much appreciated.

Sakshi

I have never been to Chamonix. Other than hoiking or possibly skiing I think the only other things to do in Zermatt would be the peak viewing and if it is overcast above you won;t get to do much of that.

The train ride UP to Zermatt from Visp is scenic; the train ride from Martigny to Visp not so much IMO.

Chamonix and Zermatt are very different places. Chamonix is in a wide valley with wonderful views of Mt Blanc etc, and the possibility of chair lifts etc. However, I can't advise you on those as my husband hates heights and couldn't be talked into any. However, the town itself is very nice in a French way. The Protestant church and graveyard opposite the station is worth a look in a morbid way, being full of climbers who didn't make it home.

There's a skating rink there - I think it's indoor.

Zermatt, on the other hand, is much higher, with views of the Matterhorn. Well, we were blessed with clear skies and wonderful views when we were there and so we didn't catch the mountain train, as the Swiss Pass didn't cover it [although I'm sure you get a 50% discount on it]. Zermatt itself is full of quaint old wooden farm buildings, juxtaposed with ritzy shops, hotels and expensive restaurants. It's German-speaking, but being a year-round ski resort is full of skiers, many American etc. I found it much more interesting than St Moritz.

The train trip between Zermatt and Visp - part of the Glacier Express route - is wonderful. I agree that Visp to Martigny is not that scenic, but Martigny to Chamonix *is*, particularly Les Marecottes to Martigny. Les Marecotes is a very small mountain village with an Alpine zoo, which your two y.o. might like. However, I'm not sure that the station is always manned. There probably is someone there when the train comes in [once an hour from memory]. There's a beautiful wooden station building where you may be allowed to leave luggage, as the village and zoo are up the hill. [But if you're staying in Cahmonix you could do that as a day trip, and the little train is nice in its own right.]