Zermatt: Any tips?
 

I have just booked a short skiing trip to Zermatt in January and I was wondering if anyone could recommend any great bars or on-mountain restaurants.

where are you staying- many hotels that time of year will 'require' breakfast and dinner in the rate. The hotel Sonne has a wonderful restaurant - we were happy to eat there after long days on the mountain.

I am staying at the Le Petit Hotel which does include meals. I dont think it is as fancy as the Sonne where my parents stayed a few years ago. I am therefore mainly interested in lunch recommendations and Apre Ski hot spots.

Good afternoon, Jennie H has been a few years since we have been into Zermatt, on one trip it was over a week end and The town seemed to shut down on Sunday...The Seilerhaus was
good., a stubi in the ground floor of the Schweizerhof, with swiss band..And was a club nex to the China Garden restaurant.. see www.zermatt.ch for
possibly further information, Richard of LaGrange Park, IL>.

I can recommend the North Wall Bar.
Do a google search for partiulars.
Regards - eurotravler

On-mountain lunch favourites:

Chez Vrony (41- 967 2552), which is a trailside restaurant in the charming hamlet of Findeln, reached from the Sunnega ski area. Definitely make a reservation. Great fondue on their outdoor terrace, some of which have lounger seats to really relax and take in the view.

A great restaurant on the Italian side in Cervinia is Café Etoile. It is on the slopes just up from the Plan Maison lift. I could not find a phone number, but your hotel probably can. I would definitely recommend making a lunch reservation (your hotel can call), as it gets very crowded. They have a large outdoor seating area. On a sunny day there is nothing better than sitting out and having some of their great soup and pasta.

On the Gornegrat, good places for lunch are the cafeteria at the Riffelberg (cheap and cheerful and a large outdoor area) or the RiffelAlp (more expensive and gourmet and a large outdoor area with heaters if it is cold.) Both have fantastic views of the Matterhorn.

For Apres-ski the RiffleAlp has an outdoor bar and indoor bar, and you can take the Gornegrat Bahn back down into Zermatt if you stay there until after dark. There are also a ton of bars along the trail leading into Zermatt from the Kleine Matterhorn area.

If you are staying in downtown Zermatt, the underground train to Sunegga is the fastest and best way to get to Sunegga. Gornegrat and Sunegga are my favourite two areas in Zermatt.

Unless there is a ton of snow, the bottom portions of the trails into downtown Zermatt will be bare, and you may end up walking and carrying your skis. This is especially true for the trails down into Zermatt from the Gornegrat and Sunegga areas.

Sorry, full number for Chez Vrony is 41-27-967-2552. If calling from the US, add 011 first. When calling from within Switzerland, drop the 41, but add a 0 before the 27.

Thanks for all your suggestions - I look forward to eating and drinking my way around Zermatt!

For the best view of the Matterhorn, get up early in the morning. We got up just before sunrise and watched the sunlight turn the tip of the Matterhorn various shades of pink before the sunlight hit the summit full force. Beautiful!

I second the vote for the North Wall. It has great pizza and a great young, ski crowd without the volume of the dance bars.