Best way to visit Zermatt (or better idea)

Zermatt is the town at the bottom of the mountain, at the end of the valley. If you want to get from there to view the Matterhorn, you need to take the Gornergrat Bahn from Zermatt. Website here: https://www.gornergratbahn.ch/en/summer/

What you are seeing on the SBB website is alternative stops (bus stops, cable cars etc.) in Zermatt. You just want plain "Zermatt", which is the railway station.

If you want to get to the very top of a mountain, Zermatt is not the place. The only way to the top of the Matterhorn is with an ice ax, crampons, and top-level climbing skills.

I would suggest the Eggishorn instead; it is just as close and a large cablecar will take you to the top of the peak. From there you can see the huge Aletschgletscher, and look north across Konkordiaplatz all the way to the Jungfrau.

To get there from Sion, ride the train east to Brig. Change there for a train continuing east ( direction Andermatt). You will only go three stops, to Fiesch. There you board a cablecar that takes you up to Fiesheralp, where you change to another cablecar that goes to the top of the Peak. There is a hut up there where you can buy lunch.

See the route on this rail map of Switzerland:

http://www.railguide.jp/routemap/pdf/015.pdf

It takes just over 2 hours to get to the top of the Eggishorn from Sion, just 15 minutes more than it takes to get to the railstation in Zermatt---which is down in the valley, not up on the mountain.

You can see the route on SBB.ch; just enter "Sion" and "Eggishorn" as your start and end points.

If you have extra time there is nice hiking in the area.

Thanks to both of you for the information! If we decide to do the Eggishorn, how do we purchase cable car tickets and do you happen to know how expensive will they might be?

Also, if it ends up too cloudy to go, are there any good alternate side trips?

I've also seen mention of Mont Fort. Which would be most convenient: Mont Fort or Mont Eggishorn?

One more possibility - Kandersteg?

Remind me again if you have the Half Fare Cards.
Your easiest (and cheapest) chance for a view would be to take the postbus from Sion to Crans and then the cable car to Cry D'Er. Cable car cost is 30 CHF per adult, 15 CHF for child for a day pass.
https://www.mycma.ch/en/fares/summer-fares#!/

Hi Sam! :) No we don't have the Half Fare cards, but my 14 year old has a Junior Pass which allows her to ride for free with me (not sure if that applies to cable cars though). How do we find out where and when the Postbus leaves? When I plug it into SBB, I get train times which are around 50 minutes. Is that possible? It says Sion to Crans-s.-S. CMA. It shows that the route contains various modes of transportation, but it doesn't give prices. It's a little confusing.

What do you think of Verbier and Haute Nendaz? It looks like we could take a train and then take cable cars or lifts? But I am not clear on which is best or on how the mechanics of doing all this works? Is it all about the same, and we are best to do the cheapest and easiest means, which I guess from your post would be Cry D'Er? Or is one location better than another?

You can use this site https://www.postauto.ch/en to check the Post Bus schedule and plan accordingly.

SBB suggests taking the train to Sierre, then the 422 bus to Crans Telepherique. 20 CHF each way adult.
From Cry D'Er you will have a view across the Rhone valley to the Matterhorn.

Verbier/Mont Fort could be done taking the train to Le Chable, then bus to Verbier. From there it is a couple of cable cars up to Mont Fort. I've been there, and you can barely see the Matterhorn on a clear day and you need to know what you are looking for. It will take longer and cost more to get there.

Easier would be the postbus to Haute Nendaz, but the view is to the north looking at the western end of the Berner Oberland mountains above Sion. Can't really see the mountains behind you.

Hows the weather forecast? Looks like afternoon thunderstorms tomorrow.

Thanks, Laurel for the Postbus link! And thanks, Sam, for your continued assistance. Sounds like Cry D'Er is better than Verbier or Haute Nendaz, so at least I can eliminate those options. One other consideration is Eggishorn. That sounds really beautiful and not terribly far or difficult (thank you Lola for the details). So the decision is definitely between Eggishorn and Cry D'Er.

By the way, I checked the weather and you are right! Tuesday would be much better but we leave very early the next morning to get to Austria, so Monday is much more convenient. Now I'm conflicted. Is it a total waste when there are clouds? And any suggestions for alternatives that work on a cloudy day?

Since you asked about Kandersteg, I will talk about that as a possibility for a cloudy day. It is one of our favorite places to go in Switzerland, because of the beautiful lake above town, Oeschinensee.

See here for photos: http://www.oeschinensee.ch

You ride up there is a cablecar ( or hike). There is a summer luge up there which your teen might enjoy. You can rent boats to row on the lake, take a walk on the sculpture path and visit the waterfall, and have lunch at the mountain inn.

The train from Sion to Kandersteg takes 1:14 ( one change at Brig). If you take a Regional train the fare is 29 CHF each way (38 if you take the Intercity so make sure to board the correct train!)

Walk through town to the gondola. The fare for that is 18 CHF oneway or 26 roundtrip, and according to the website the Junior Card is valid. You might consider walking down if it is not raining.

Thank you, Sam!! That sounds great. Thanks so much with all your help on this trip - you've been a huge help!!

Hey Sam, we did Kandersteg today, as you suggested, and I just wanted to thank you for such a great recommendation! We had a blast on the toboggan run, and the views from the town, on the cable cars, on the walk, and at the lake were all simply beautiful! We loved the cows with their bells too -- what a special place. It was perfect, so thank you!

My kids are tired now and want to just hang out in Sion for their last day in Switzerland. I am considering zipping over to a big mountain myself because I hate to waste my last day here, but I'm still undecided. What a great stay we've had here though, and I must admit I'm a bit sad to leave. Hopefully Austria and Budapest will be special too!

Lola, I just realized it was you, not Sam, who suggested Kandersteg!!! So sorry I had that mixed up, and a huge thanks for the recommendation! We all just loved it, as I described in my earlier post. I figured out my mistake when I went to write a thank you to you today for the great recommendation of Eggishorn! We did that today and it was fabulous too! The two spots are very different, and I'm not even sure which I liked more, but the combination was simply perfect. I fell like we saw two of Switzerland's greatest offerings. I could not be happier. Now tomorrow we head to St. Anton am Arlsberg, which I believe Sam recommended (hopefully I am not confused about that too). I can't wait!

You are all so helpful and full of information, and I don't know how I would have figured out how to have such a special trip without you all! Thank you Lola, Sam, and all the others who provided recommendations and much needed information.

BTW, how did the competition go? Big paycheck?

Haha, Sam, I wish! :) But he did do well - top 12. It was his first non-youth international competition, so he was quite pleased!