Zermatt

Situated at the foot of the Matterhorn, Zermatt is one of the worlds, truly great Ski resorts. Exuding old world charm, this traditional and car free resort combines breath-taking scenery and some of the best skiing you will ever find. Put simply, there is no place quite like Zermatt.

The horse drawn sleighs, cobbled streets, cog railway and classic Alpine style buildings create a unique atmosphere, while the shops and bars offer a cosmopolitan vibe. There is a huge variety of après ski – something for everybody and every budget. The Zermatt Unplugged music festival held every April is fabulous – name another resort which would fly a grand piano by helicopter up to one of the music venues on the slopes!

Zermatt also has some of the best restaurants you will find in the mountains, with everything from traditional fondue to sushi. On the slopes, Chez Vrony is widely regarded as one of the best mountain restaurants in the world. The food is fantastic, the service is excellent and the views of the Matterhorn are spectacular.

Zermatt enjoys the longest season in the Alps with snow-sure skiing on the glaciers all year round. With 394km of pistes and long sunny runs down into Italy, there is plenty of skiing for intermediates. There is some challenging off piste and guided backcountry to keep the experts happy too. Beginners are catered for with some gentle starter runs and non-skiers can take the Sunnegga funicular and meet the skiers for lunch in one of the many great restaurants in Findeln.

The resort has invested in modern high speed lifts, while to access to the slopes on the Gornegrat on the cog railway is one of the most scenic train journeys you will ever experience. The descent from the Klein Matterhorn (3800m) is one of the best in the Alps as you ski down seemingly endless wide slopes all the way to Italy where you can enjoy lunch on the beautiful sun soaked slopes above Cervinia.

Zermatt is also one of the few resorts in the Alps that caters for heli-skiing. You can get a flight with a guide or just head up early in the morning and enjoy entirely empty slopes until everyone else turns up. If money is no object, take the heli direct to Geneva or Zurich airport.

Zermatt is a beautiful place to visit during the summer, with breath-taking scenery and just about every sport and activity you can think of. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking, with numerous well-marked footpaths and walks (400 km in all) taking you through mountain forests, to Alpine lakes and glaciers.

Situated at the foot of the Matterhorn and surrounded by mountains, Zermatt has always been a challenge for mountain climbers from all over the world. The Zermatt Alpine Centre organizes training sessions, day tours and glacier walks every day.

For golfers, the very highly rated Matterhorn Golf Club is situated just outside the village of Tasch, at the bottom of the cog railway. It is even still possible to ski in Zermatt in summer as the glacier at the foot of the Matterhorn provides 6 lifts and 21km of marked pistes.

Being one of the best resorts in the world, it is not surprising that so many people want to buy in Zermatt. Unfortunately due to local property laws, only Swiss residents are allowed to purchase property here. Foreigners are not permitted to buy unless they are genuinely resident in Switzerland. Properties are classed as either primary residences (first home) or second homes (holiday home) status. Primary residences are only available to those living in Zermatt and paying their taxes there. Swiss passport holders and foreigners residing in other cities in Switzerland are permitted to buy second home properties in Zermatt.

If you do qualify, we have some stunning properties available to you both up on the piste, and down in the town centre. Most are apartments, but we do also have some beautiful chalets.

You can buy as a foreigner in Zermatt (without being resident in Switzerland) if you buy a luxury fully staffed chalet which is classed as a business and is rented out when you are not using it. Only the larger chalets which are professionally managed would qualify. We have properties which are available on this basis so please contact us for more information.