Day 1 in Zermatt did not disappoint. First, a couple of things to know about Zermatt. The train ride up is gorgeous! You will travel through a lot of small towns – some of which are right on Lake Geneva and offer stunning views of the mountains. However, once the sun goes down, all is pitch dark! So pulling into the station in Zermatt was sweet. It’s a small, walkable town at the foot of humongous mountains with little restaurants and bars and tons of white lights. Outside of some of these bars are seats that offer fur on the chairs and your own personal blanket.

Zermatt is also definitely a skiers town. Tourists can be seen walking the town in their ski boots and shop after shop after shop is dedicated to the sport.

We woke to a pretty ugly day in Zermatt. It was so overcast that you couldn’t even see the Matterhorn! We think we caught a glimpse of one of the leftmost peaks but still are not sure. Regardless the scenery is stunning. The forecast called for rain pretty much all day long. But — when it rains in the valley, it snows on the mountain! So up we went after warnings that it would pretty much be a whiteout and most of the hiking trails were closed.

We took the famous Gornergrat Bahn (railway) – a cog railway from Zermatt to Gornergrat. This railway was built in 1898 and the first electric rack railway built in all of Switzerland. We traveled slowly up the mountain surrounded by fresh, beautiful power snow. The further up we went, the less we could see on account of all of the snow. It was lovely!

Well, you’re supposed to have one of the best views of the Matterhorn from Gornergrat – they boast 360 degree views of 38 4,000 meter peaks out of a total of 48 in all of Switzerland – including the Matterhorn. But all we saw was snow! And clouds – which were beneath us at this point. It was fun to trounce around in the snow and make fun of the fact that all we could see was WHITE!

We wanted to do some snow hiking which isn’t accessible directly from Gornergrat so we traveled back down to a very small ski stop called Rotenboden. From there we got on the Panorama Trail to Riffelberg. We were one of only 2 couples on the mountain and at times you couldn’t even see the other couple on account of the snow and mountains. We trekked over and down the mountain surrounded by pristine whiteness. In some places the only other tracks were of the couple ahead of us. It was like our own little mountain. I can see how it could be a bit scary – our conversation included the Donner Party, Into Thin Air and that infamous movie Alive – but the trail was well marked with hot pink poles. Even with the snow you could still pick them out.

We were greeted in Riffelberg by a sweet little chapel at the trailhead. And of course skiers getting off the train and gondola to head further down the mountain. After stopping for a wonderful goulash in the lodge, we got back on the train to head to our next hike.

Off at Riffelalp we found that there were trails to take us all the way into Zermatt. The first is called the Forest Trail which leads through a typical mountain forest. We were surrounded by Swiss pine trees. Only when there was a clearing could you see the mountains beyond. It was so peaceful! And again we had the trail completely to ourselves. Someone had definitely been up there but were nowhere to be seen.

On our way down to Zermatt we passed a few little “towns”. Some of them had a hotel, and all of them had bars. Because we are here during shoulder season, these bars on the mountain are closed. We could easily picture the places teeming with the apres-ski crowd that would be there in just a couple short weeks. One of the famous ones to check out – if it’s open – is called Hennu Stahl (the party place). Here it is during high season.

We made our way back down into the valley of Zermatt and ended up at the end of the small pedestrian only town. It was a wonderful hike – and day! And we were exhausted and very hungry.

Cue some relaxation and some snacks and we were back out to sample some typical Swiss wine. We had passed Josef’s Wine Bar and thought it would be a perfect way to start. Well, Josef’s is not yet open for the season but we ended up at the hotel bar where it’s housed – Hotel Mirabeau. They have a lovely little bar in their lobby with a warm inviting fireplace and a wonderful waiter who seemed to really know his wines.

While doing research for the trip I learned that this area of Switzerland is rapidly making a name for itself in wine production. The region is called Valais. There are a lot of smaller vineyards that take advantage of the unique climate and produce some beautiful wine.

The first white I tried is called Fendant – which it seems you can get anywhere in Zermatt. It also seems to be the most affordable. While I liked it, the second wine was amazing! Called Coeur du Domain, it was a white blend of Petite Arvine and Marsanne grapes. It was really, really nice! Even John liked this white – even more than his red which was a traditional Swiss Pinot Noir. We sat by the fire and drank these beautiful wines before heading closer to town for some well-earned dinner.

We’d walked by Gusto Matto a few times and it looked warm and inviting so in we went. Deciding to split meals was a good idea. We started with a gorgeous Tagliere vegetariano – which was grilled vegetables drizzled in olive oil and served with tomino cheese. Wow – was it amazing! And then we split a spicy salami pizza – YUM!

This place is incredible and we’ve had a wonderful day! It’s like another planet – the money, the scenery, the food, the wine. I’m so excited to explore some more.

On deck, more hiking up closer to the Matterhorn on a hopefully clearer day and some good old-fashioned cross country skiing.