Zermatt Gornergrat Railway
The Gornergrat (3,089 m) is one of those places that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime. The mountain panorama and the glorious view of the Matterhorn are unforgettable.
The Zermatt Gornergrat Railway line is one of the highest trains in Europe.
The Gornergrat train goes from the village centre in Zermatt to Gornergrat 10,100 ft in 33 minutes. From this vantage point, you see one of the most beautiful mountain panoramas in the world– with a view of the Matterhorn 14,700 ft along with 29 other mountain peaks over 13,000 ft.
The train is a technical masterpiece of 19th century engineering where the train engineers created the world’s first fully electric cog railway. It made its maiden trip to Gornergrat on 20 August 1898.
Once on top of the Gornergrat, there are interesting shops, self-service restaurant, outdoor tables and chairs on the veranda to take in the incredible beautiful mountain peak panoramas.
Cog railway to the sky
Europe’s highest open-air cog railway brings passengers direct from Zermatt station (1,620 m) to the summit of the Gornergrat, 365 days a year. The ride takes 33 minutes and requires a vertical climb of 1,469 m. The line leads on 9.4 kilometres over dramatic bridges, through galleries and tunnels, across forests of larch and Swiss stone pine, and past rocky ravines and mountain lakes.
Panorama for the photo album
The panorama is among the finest in the world. The views take in the Monte Rosa massif with Switzerland’s highest peak (Dufourspitze, 4,634 m); the second-largest glacier in the Alps, the Gorner Glacier; and a total of 29 mountains above 4,000 m, including, of course, the Matterhorn in all its glory.
There is also a short outside path to a viewing platform where you can explore and enjoy all the surrounding mountains.
This is truly one of Europe’s most majestic mountain vistas.
Our 12 day Swiss Alps Grand Train Tour includes 11 of the world’s most legendary trains, including the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, Voralpen Express, GoldenPass Line and the Furka Steam Train.
