Zermatt stop on Switzerland Tour

I haven’t taken the tour, but I’ve been to Zermatt a couple of times. With just a few hours, I’m not sure I would bother with a big mountain excursion. I like the view of the Matterhorn from ground level. You could take the funicular up to Sunnegga.

Zermatt is in a gorgeous setting with all the pine trees. I would spend the time walking through town. The old part of town, the Hinterdorf, is a unique area to walk around. If you walk through and past the old town, you will have great views of the Matterhorn, assuming it’s not behind the clouds.

I wouldn’t spend an extra day there just to go up one of the mountains. But that’s me. I always prefer the views and walking at the lower elevations.

Are you spending your extra days in Lucerne? I really like Mt. Rigi and Mt. Stanserhorn. I prefer those over the mountains in Zermatt.

If you have free time in the Berner Oberland, my favorites are Mannlichen and Allmendhubel.

I took this tour in 2022. I thought our stop in Zermatt was enough as we saw so much wonderful scenery throughout the tour, and had opportunities to go up various peaks. I had no particular desire to return for more time in Zermatt, although some may disagree.

We were lucky to go to Zermatt on a beautiful clear day. We took a short train ride to get there as the bus could not drive into town. The guide gave us a bit of orientation and then let us loose for the rest of the visit. Most of us went up the funicular for great views (remember, it was a clear day) and ate lunch at the restaurant up there. There was a lot of outdoor seating, so you could keep admiring the views while eating.

When I came down, there was still a bit of time to wander the town. Some of the group spent the entire time in town. There are many good views down there as well (when clear).

Interestingly, I just noticed that RS has apparently removed Zermatt from the itinerary in 2026. So it must not have always been a high point in the tour. If it had not been such a beautiful day with a clear view of the Matterhorn, it would have been disappointing. Our guide said we were exceptionally lucky.

Many of our tour members spent some extra time in Lucerne. There’s a lot to do there and also as day trips from there.

Thanks so much for the helpful information above! I will have an extra 5-6 days in Switzerland to sightsee before the tour starts and likely won't waste a day doing a trip to Zermatt just to have extra time (unless someone out there convinces me otherwise). Appreciate the tips!

We were in Zermatt the latter part of August last year for 3 nights. The weather was beautiful, saw the Matterhorn every day as we got out of town and hiked in the mountains and it was incredible to see. That being said, the town was packed with tourists and they were catered to with street side yodeling groups and a shepherd in period dress herding his goats thru town daily. I’m really not surprised RS has dropped Zermatt from 2026 tours. Unless your main purpose is to to hike and avoid the crowds, taking a gamble the weather will cooperate, I would plan your days somewhere else because there are so many beautiful spots that won’t be a tourist mess to choose from.

We were on the RS tour of Switzerland in July. We had perfect weather and a great visit in Zermatt. Our guide had warned us earlier in the tour that some tours are unlucky and get to the matterhorn and see only clouds. Since we had perfect weather, I would have loved to had more time for hiking. As it was, we still had a great visit!

The tour was fantastic. You'll love it!

Happy travels.