As part of my trip skiing in Zermatt with the Ikon Pass, we looked for things to do in Zermatt in winter for non skiers to spend as much non-skiing time outside as possible. That led us to several great Zermatt Switzerland winter hiking trails and Zermatt winter walking areas!
Getting out for walks was a great way to see the town of Zermatt, explore the rest of the valley, get a break from skiing, and find more stunning views near Zermatt.
I think you’ll love exploring some of these Zermatt winter hikes if you’re looking for something to do in Zermatt in the winter for non-skiers, Zermatt winter hikes, or Zermatt winter walking trails.
What we loved The views of Zermatt Switzerland in winter are gorgeous! The trails are relatively easy hikes in Zermatt and easy walks in Zermatt. They didn’t require any specialized gear during our visit. You’ll find various trails all over the mountain, including many accessible from the lifts!
⛷️Looking for ski gear? Check out my favorite ski gear and ski accessories to find something you might love!
Resources for Zermatt Switzerland winter hiking
I’ll tell you about some of our favorite winter Zermatt trails. If you want to explore more, there are a ton.
See the Zermatt site. It has a list of trails and a PDF map. You can also get a paper hiking map at the tourism office in town.
The trails are all numbered. You can Google the trail number like “Zermatt trail 111” and get details.
The pedestrian trails are well-marked with pink signs at crossroads.
Our favorite walks and winter hikes from Zermatt
Here is a rundown of our favorite Zermatt hiking routes and walks around Zermatt!
Walk around the town of Zermatt
The town of Zermatt is reasonably large and great for pedestrians. So start out there! You can walk the streets while exploring the shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, and bakeries!
The mountain views and Zermatt Matterhorn view will always be there for a treat.
Walk along the river from downtown Zermatt
From the town of Zermatt, walk southwest along the river towards the Matterhorn. On one side you can walk on the street. The other has a pedestrian trail.
This walk is flat and was clear of obstacles during our visit. You’ll get pretty views of the river and a gorgeous Matterhorn view from Zermatt along the river.
This area is popular, so expect to see others on foot, bikes, and more.
Trails near Matterhorn Glacier Paradise base station
The trails 118 Zermatt – Furi (via Blatten), 121 Zermatt – Zmutt, and others in the area give you a chance to get off of paved roads with some mild terrain.
We got on the trails near the base of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise station. We walked this area several times and enjoyed it. Caveat: we didn’t do the entire length of the trails.
Following trail 118 takes you across the river, giving pretty views, and onwards to the Furi station. Trail 121 continues away from town parallel to the river toward Zmutt.
There were many people out on these trails with families and dogs! You’ll find benches along the way that make for great lunch spots.
Temperatures were warm enough to have thaw-freeze cycles. So we wanted spikes in a few steeper places, though we got by without them.
The gorgeous wooded walk from Sunnegga to Tufteren
The Zermatt Trail 111 Sunnegga – Tufteren can only be accessed after taking a lift. We took the Zermatt Sunnegga Funicular and picked up the trail from there.
The beginning involved walking along a few ski pistes for a short while. Most of that section was easy to avoid skiers by walking along the edge of the trail.
However, there is a crossing where you have to traverse across an active piste. So look uphill and take care there.
After crossing the last piste, you head into the woods onto what seems to be an old road or similar. The path is pretty flat and comfortably wide to walk along.
The forest views were gorgeous! Several squirrels joined us for the fun! Breaks in trees open to absolutely stunning Matterhorn views.
This was the best Zermatt Matterhorn view we captured on camera! Truly amazing!
The trail ends in the hamlet of Tufteren. It has several small cottages and the Tufternalp Restaurant.
We stopped there and had a delicious apple cake, seemingly instant coffee, and hot wine. The view from the patio is absolutely stunning. We enjoyed our refreshments there. Others had bowls of soup with bread and sausage. Beers were popular drinks.
Note that the place is cash-only. Despite some of the critical reviews, we enjoyed the view and refreshments!
Other tips for Zermatt Switzerland winter walks
- Zermatt was unique among the ski areas I’ve been to in that it has numerous pedestrian and snowshoeing trails interspersed among the pistes on the mountain. If you have a lift pass you can access a huge variety.
- You can get reduced-cost lift passes to access intermediate lift stations near your walks or hikes. See the Matterhorn Paradise site for those. We got a direct pass to Sunnega to access trail 111 Sunnegga – Tufteren.
- Most of these Zermatt winter hiking trails were OK with just hiking boots during our visit. Spikes would have been useful on one trail. You may need other gear like poles, spikes, or snow shoes depending on the weather.
- Grab a premade sandwich from the grocery or make your own with delicious bread from bakeries in town to take for lunch.
- Stop in the chalets on the mountain as part of your trip. You can meet up with your skiing friend(s) for lunch or at the end of the day.
Wrapping up
There are some of the best Zermatt winter hikes and our favorite winter Zermatt Switzerland hiking trails from our visit. Are there any others that I missed? Are you ready to get out and explore? Tell us below!