This is my second time visiting and it never gets old. The views from the top are amazing but the ride along the way is just as great. From the top viewing platform, it can either be calm and relaxed or extremely cold and windy. I've been in both so just come prepared clothing wise as in general, it's much colder than in the town of Zermatt. There's a great gift shop and restaurant just down the elevator as well. Reasonably priced and great portions. All in all, definitely a must-see if you're in town, even if you're not skiing or snowboarding. read more

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise - Cable Cars Near Me - Zermatt, VS

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It's the MATTERHORN. For those who grew up going to Disneyland in California, this word was only associated with some awesome roller coaster ride. Sure, we knew it was based on something real, but that something real wasn't a place you'd actively try to go or dream about going to one day. The Matterhorn was just an awesome ride at Disneyland (with a Yeti) and that's that. Well, The Matterhorn is uber amazing and if you're at the point of your life you can afford to come to Zermatt, Switzerland, then by all means it's worth the time/money. The views are the best in the Swiss Alps. Getting to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise was a very nice ride up and the top obviously will have stunning views. Hopefully when you go, it's not cloudy. Of course, it'll be cold up there so dress appropriately. Pro-tip: Go to the top (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise), then ski/snowboard down to save money. I know some people may just want to go to the top and go down (without doing any snow sports) like I did with my family. However, if possible, go skiing/snowboarding down after you get to the top. The ticket will be cheaper since it's sort of like a one-way ride and then you get to use all the lifts to go all over the mountain whereas if you're just site-seeing on foot, it can be more expensive. read more

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Before this trip, the closest I've come to the Matterhorn is riding the Matterhorn bob sled at Disneyland, the first tubular steel continuous track rollercoaster, built in 1959. Had to catch a city bus to ride from the Zermatt Bahnhof next to the Gonergrat Bahn in Zermatt, and go one mile across town to the MGP station. Could see the Matterhorn from the town. Went early in the day, as clouds were picking up, and would soon block any view of the Matterhorn. Checked live cam views on the internet, as costs CHF110 ( $113) per adult, no senior discount. Went on an 8 passenger gondola used in the winter as a ski lift. Could see a few people parking cross country bikes in the gondola, as they didn't have specialized cross country bike carriers like at NorthStar in the summer. First of many stations going on the gondola, in brilliant sunshine. Heavy forests give way to green pastures, with the receding town in the background. As we go higher, we can see in a distance snow capped mountains, and the occasional glacier. At the last station have to transfer to a cable car, capable of seating 22 people. At the summit, we have viewing platform of 14 glaciers in the French, Italian and Swiss alps. The Matterhorn is right next door, peeking out of the clouds, with a giant construction crane platform in the foreground. This place is windy and cold, but with a few die hards in shorts and sandals to save on baggage weight! Final destination is the Glacier Paradis, the highest Glacier Palace in the world, reachable through a 200 yard long ice cave, with some dozen ice sculptures, some in color. Ice cave with slide for those who don't mind a wet bottom. Me, I wouldn't dare, as would run the risk of getting stuck in the narrow by ways of the slide! They have a restaurant serving hot cooked food, and the infamous CHF2 fee automatic bathroom. Nothing to prevent you from holding the door open for the next person in line, and collecting a CHF1 fee. Of course you could ride down to the next station and use the free bathrooms! read more

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This is one of the the highest points in Europe reachable by public transportation (in this case, cable cars.) You'll be at roughly 3800m or 12800 feet above sea level which means you'll very likely feel the altitude. If you're not sure if you can handle the altitude, you might want to visit Glacier 3000 or Gornergrat first which are at a slightly lower elevation than this one so you can adapt and acclimate. The main highlight of the place is the ice cave where they have these statues carved out of ice and a maze of paths carved within a glacier. Some of the paths are a bit steep so you'll definitely want to take it easy especially at this elevation. There's also a restaurant up there though it closes a little after 3 since the last cable car down is around 4 or 4:45 or something. You can also ski up there though I'm not a skiier. Oh, it's a bit pricy (over 100 CHF) for round trip tickets but you can get a discount with either the Half Fare card or the Swiss Travel Pass. I got a 50% discount with the 1/2 fare card, like the name implies. read more

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Guy at the kasse spent 10 minutes on the phone before serving us for lift tickets. Nobody else in line. N lind.

We were only in Zermatt a couple nights on a Europe tour with Globus but took an optional excursion up the mountain train to get better view of the Matterhorn. It was late may and still snow so had to dress in layers but wasn't as cold up there as we'd feared. The train came every hour but we stayed 2 hours because wanted a window seat for better view on ride down. very lovely scenery .. there was a place open to buy some food and souvenirs .. and bathrooms. read more

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Worth the wait, worth the price. I feel like you don't need a review for this, but I'd jus say it's worth it. Took a series of cable cars to get to the top, and then an elevator to the very top. It was snowing and magical. I'll say it does get quite busy, and the bathrooms at the top are 2euro so be prepared. We grabbed a beer at the top of the world and was just a once in a life time experience that we'll hopefully get back to. read more

What a "Cool" extra treat to see when you visit the Matterhorn My wife and I recently were able to finally make it to THE Matterhorn - in person. As most of us have in the States, we grew up "knowing" about the Matterhorn, but far fewer of us actually imagine going in person to see it up close. Well, as part of our recent tour of Austria and Switzerland, my wife and I DID actually get to see it. Up close and in person. It takes a few ski lifts and gondolas to actually reach the summit (or as close as we could get). As part of our visit to the Matterhorn, we also were able to visit the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise which was a separate ticket option. You are able to actually walk through the Glacier which has exhibits of ice sculptures and even a short "slide" which you can go down inside the glacier. I must say, though, that the incline was steep enough for it to be fast. I had to go down using my feet to pull myself down most of the way. I did, however, do a video of "my sliding down an incline inside the glacier" for posterity. Well, if you're like us, you may have heard about the Matterhorn your whole life and never thought you'd get to see it in person. Remember, it may actually happen one day. Do not miss out on the opportunity if it presents itself. You will be ever so glad that you did. read more

Coming from Zermatt, take gondolas and ultimately the cable car (total trip is approximately 30-40 minutes) up to the this 3800m high oasis in the sky in Switzerland and ski your way down into Italy. Exit the long hallway blasted through rock to sheer Alpine beauty. The views up here are incredible (if you know your geography well enough, you can see the alps in France, Switzerland and Italy) as is the skiing for intermediates who are adventurous and looking for challenges. You are very close to the Matterhorn- your pictures will make it look as though you could have reached out your arm and touched it! The only issue can be if the wind gets started... make sure you don't get stuck in Italy unless you are staying there as I am told it is an 8 hour car trip back to Zermatt! When it was windy, it is cold and snow and ice can sting your face like shotgun pellets... but if it's sunny, you will want to strip down to your base layer because the temperature is so pleasant. Also, if you intend to go and ski to the Italian side, make sure your ski pass is "international," which costs around 11 CHF more per day pass (vs. a pass that is just for the Swiss side). If you ski back into Zermatt from the top, you have a quick 13 kilometer (8 mile) run down 2200 vertical meters (7250 feet) of varied terrain. According to local websites, this is one of the highest and longest runs -- which is consistently open -- in the world (from late November to mid April). read more

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So this whole place feels like a huge scam. Granted, we went on a day where it was snowing so the visibility was poor and you couldn't see any of the views. But we still had spend $82 each on tickets so we were hoping it would still be worth it. It was NOT! The gondola rides were scenic and nice, but once we got up to the top, there was nothing to do and no one around to help us. The "ice palace" was unimpressive and there were construction materials everywhere, the tubing and panoramic view spots were closed. All there was to do was go to the cafe, where you pay $2 to use the bathroom, the cashier was rude and hard to get her attention, and a bottle of water was $6 (Powerade was $7.50!!). Maybe the views are worth it on a clear day, but I was super disappointed by how shabby everything felt compared to the photos. read more

My husband and I took a trip in late July we are not your typical hikers and skiers... Actually we've never hiked or skied before! That being said we still spent 5 hours sightseeing. From taking the gondolas all the way to the top, eating at the restaurants and taking pictures from the observation deck. The views are breath taking and a sight u must see! A once in a lifetime must see. read more

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise - End of July and still has snow! - Cable Cars Near Me - Zermatt, VS

Truly amazing - came with my wife, we don't hike - but chose to spend our anniversary here. Truly breath taking me amazing experience. Being on the cable cars was just unbelievable - the views and experience words can't really ever do justice! read more

This review is going to focus on staff on the slope and in the restaurant. Of course the place itself is lovely. However, we witnessed one ski instructor being verbally abused by two other staff members. They screamed at him from the building down to the top of the slope. This was witnessed by at least 20 visitors. The looks on one of the abusers faces was so threatening and hateful. It was pretty shocking. The staff in the restaurant/ kiosk were quite abrupt, and it was 4 CHF to use the toilet if you didn't buy any food. Visiting Glacier Paradise costs 100 CHF. How can you then tell patrons that they have to pay for the toilet? I have also given this feedback directly to the company. read more