Matter valley

Towns and landscape

Most people go straight to the end of the valley, as that's where one can find the famous Matterhorn. There's a good reason to focus on that area, as it is stunning indeed. The highest mountains of the Swiss Alps can be admired here, and it's a fantastic area for hiking, mountain biking and winter sports. Zermatt and the end of the valley are car-free, which only adds to the joy of exploring the Alps.

But there's more to see in the Matter valley. Another tourist town is Grächen, located on a plateau above St. Niklaus. It's again a place to expect great views and magnificent hiking trails.

The valley starts in Visp and works its way south via Stalden, where the Saas valley begins, to St. Niklaus, Randa, Täsch and Zermatt. Täsch is as far as cars can go. From there, there are only trains to Zermatt. But you might as well do the entire trip from Visp by train.

The valley is very narrow at some places, especially between Stalden and St. Niklaus, where the river Mattervispa worn deep into the rocks and has to share the scarce space with the narrow gauge railway and the road. Steep rock walls are mixed with forested slopes and merge into the high mountains of 3000 to well over 4000 m high.

Must do's in the Matter valley

The Glacier Express provides a very comfortable way to travel to the Matter valley. Of course you must pick a clear day and go see the Matterhorn. One of the best places to do so is the Gornergrat. A high-altitude hike should be included in your plans as well. There are many options around Zermatt, as well as around Grächen and many other places.