GORNERGRAT BAHN
The Matterhorn Railway
It
doesn’t take you to
the Matterhorn but riding the 45 minute trip up the steep slopes from
the backdoor of Zermatt affords some of
the best views of the world’s most famous mountain peak from the
warm confines inside a rail coach or open air in summer. The Gornergrat
Bahn was the first cog system rack railway run by electricity to be built
in Switzerland and served to make Zermatt and this area of the Swiss
Alps one of the best Swiss mountain destinations. First
operating in 1898 as
an 
innovation in mountain view railways the Gornergrat-Monte Rosa Bahnen
now simply known as the
Gornergrat Bahn runs on a winding
path from Zermatt to the Gornergrat mountain
summit
at 3089 meters. The view from the top takes in 29 magnificent rocky snow
covered mountain peaks and 7 glaciers feeding into the second longest
glacier
in the Swiss Alps which flows by increments below the peak cliff where
the historic Gornergrat Klum Hotel built in 1905 and renovated in 2005
sits with its characteristic observatory domes.
As
you depart Zermatt the unique alpine town drops away below you as the
cog wheels under the carriage pull up the grade, as the track winds
through thick trees, with occasional glimpses of the famous mountain
peak of solid bare stone that has fascinated climbers and tourists alike.
Soon the Matterhorn appears - looming out the windows and for much of
the
slow
and steady rise up the hill stays in view like a guiding sentinel 
except
for the portion of the trip when the railway passes through an enclosed
arbor to protect it from winter avalanches. The Matterhorn
seems to maintain its own weather system, sometimes clouds
clinging to it like cotton candy, or cool gray fire smoke. As with any
mountain train views will very with the weather. Mornings are usually
better than afternoons, but when the sky is clear and the sun envelops
the peak it is one of the most impressive scenic views the world has
to offer.
The
Gornergrat Bahn departure station is located directly next to the main
rail station in Zermatt. Passengers
preboard
in the station house until the
railway cars arrive and disembark returning passengers. While waiting
for the next train which departs every 24 minutes a movie plays illustration
the possibilities on the mountain top, which in summer affords mountain
biking and hiking and in winter provides access to the 250 miles of ski
runs which course through the the magnificent mountains. If
you 
don’t
have skis, toboggans can be rented from the railway at the Rotenboden
station. The Gornergrat Bahn stops at five stations on the way up or
down. Ticket prices depend on how far up you go, but a full ride to the
top
and back down is 76 Swiss Francs (chf) for an adult. Tickets are half-price
if you have a rail pass. Children under 9 years are free and 9 to 16
are half price. The Gornergrat Railway has an electronic ticket system.
You can purchase a ticket at any rail station is Switzerland, but it
must be exchanged at the ticket window at the Gornergrat station. Multi-ride
passes for skiers are available in Zermatt.
To
stay on the mountain tops, the Riffelalp Resort can be reached from
the Riffelalp station and the Klum Hotel Gornergrat with 23 rooms at
10,000 feet is the highest hotel in the Swiss Alps (see 3100
Kulm Hotel Gornergrat),
with views of the Matterhorn to the west and Monte Rosa to the east,
with air so clear, observatories
were built on it for Italian and German astronomers. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Gornergrat
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SEE ALSO:
SHERLOCK HOLMES MUSEUM - MEIRINGEN
