Few vacations are more delicious distractions than a ski trip in Zermatt, Switzerland, where skiing means skiing to lunch. This is much more than settling for chicken tenders on a plastic tray or a bag of Doritos while your helmet sits on a table in a puddle.
Each day is an opportunity to ski to a different family-owned gaststube or a crowded deck with views of Europe’s highest peaks for a two-hour meal that might include Dover sole, golden sauteed potato pancakes, hamburgers worthy of a Michelin star and a puff pastry dessert so popular, people call ahead and reserve slices.
The après-ski scene in Zermatt, which offers year-round skiing and is accessible by train from major cities like Geneva, Zurich and Milan, is at its best in March and April when the weather is warm enough for skiers to sit outside at tables that tumble out of the best rustic restaurants dotting the slopes. There’s also a lively atmosphere, especially during the Zermatt Unplugged music festival, when 120 concerts take place on 17 stages throughout the town April 8 to 12.
On-Mountain Meals
The first time I saw Zum See, a 350-year-old hamlet turned restaurant about a 40-minute walk from Zermatt on a former mule trail, I thought it was too idyllic to be real. Wine bottles lined the facades of off-kilter farm buildings with rock slab roofs. Stylish skiers sat in the sun at wooden tables and chairs draped in colorful blankets in the center of the village. A large cremeschnitte — a dessert made of layers of puff pastry and local cream — sat on a low serving table. My husband and I ordered Dover sole, which had been flown in that day, the cremeschnitte and a rhubarb tart topped with toasted meringue. As we were winding down, our server bid us adieu and hopped on a toboggan to return to town. Sledding is a primary means of transportation in Zermatt.
Another unforgettable spot for lunch, Chez Vrony, sits at nearly 6,900 feet. Operated by the same family for over a century, the restaurant serves traditional alpine cuisine — recipes that have been passed down through the generations — including homemade pasta and fondue. The best seats are outside on the terrace or second story balcony, where diners tuck into perfectly cooked alpine grass–fed burgers on hearty seeded buns and enjoy unobstructed views of the Matterhorn. Reservations are a must.
If filling alpine cuisine sounds best mid-ski, head to the nearby Findlerhof in Findeln. Diners can order rösti, a pan-fried grated potato dish beloved in Switzerland, with bacon and egg, mountain cheese or beef bratwurst. On the way from Sunnegga to Zermatt, skiers pass by a little brown house with orange shutters and tangerine-colored umbrellas that are the first clue as to what it is — a Champagne bar serving flutes of Veuve Clicquot. Champagner Bar Teehäuschen Flora is cash only and one of the most refined ways to toast a great day on the mountain.
Hotels For Gourmands
Zermatt’s grandest address is Mont Cervin Palace (from $859 per night), an elegant 150-room hotel with chateâu-style interiors. In addition to having a spa with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a sauna and ice grotto for soothing sore legs post-skiing, the hotel has three gourmet restaurants. Grill Le Cervin serves dishes like a rack of lamb for two and rib-eye with chimichurri in a cozy alpine-style dining room paneled in wood. Diners at seafood-centric Le Restaurant feast on platters of seafood and sea bass with black salsify. The most sought-after table is at Ristorante Capri, a Michelin-starred restaurant highlighting the bright flavors of the Mediterranean in dishes like tagliolini with red prawns, burrata, sea asparagus and lemon. Mont Cervin Palace guests also get exclusive access to ski the Matterhorn before anyone else on Thursday mornings.
Hotel guests and visitors slide right into Zermatt’s liveliest après-ski scenes at CERVO Mountain Resort (from $860 per night), located at the bottom of a ski run. On a recently renovated deck with views of the Matterhorn, there’s typically live music or a DJ starting at 3 p.m. during ski season. After the party wraps up, choose from three of the hotel’s excellent restaurants, including the Italian eatery Madre Nostra, the raclette restaurant Ferdinand, and Bazaar, a mostly vegetarian spot where dishes are inspired by the markets of North Africa and West Asia. CERVO has just 54 rooms and suites with modern alpine design (think butterfly chairs and neutral color schemes) and luxury touches like kitted-out bar cabinets. The whimsical, family-friendly hotel has a layout that meanders down the hillside and includes surprises like a spa with a Japanese onsen and an indoor climbing wall. Adventurous souls should take advantage of the Mountain Ice-Bath Workshop on March 18, which begins with a short mountain hike followed by guided breath work and a dip in an icy mountain lake.
A haven for aesthetes, the one– Michelin Key Schweizerhof (from $584 per night), has interiors that feel like cocoons with materials like fleece, leather and white marble (Michelin awards keys to hotels to recognize excellence much like stars to restaurants). Send the children to the Kids Club for arcade games, a climbing wall and movie nights. Guests who are ski beginners can rent sports gear and get assistance from the in-house ski expert. In the Clinique Nescens spa, the new Winter Muscular & Wellness Ritual is perfect for post-sport recovery. The hotel’s dining offerings include a sushi and teppanyaki restaurant and bustling Schweizerhof Kitchen, where chefs grill black Angus burgers and create authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas.
Skiing and Exploring
Partly on a glacier, Zermatt is one of Europe’s highest and largest ski resorts with 3,500 acres of skiable terrain. A vast array of high-speed lifts, gondolas, trams and trains whisk skiers and snowboarders around the mountains, including the Matterhorn Ski Area. It’s possible to ski into Italy (make sure you buy a Swiss-Italian lift pass), by taking the year-round cable car Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, which opened in 2023. It takes 90 minutes to travel from Zermatt to the Italian resort Breuil-Cervinia, with epic views along the way. Because the resort is so large, traversing the slopes can take time. Choose where to ski based on where you plan to have lunch. If you’re dining at Chez Vrony or the Findlerhof, ski the Sunnegga, Rothorn and Blauherd peaks, which have beginner to advanced terrain. If you’re eating at Zum See, you can take the tram up to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and go into Italy or work your way down the steep slopes to eventually make it to the restaurant.
Leave time to explore Zermatt’s car-free town center. The main street, the Bahnhofstrasse, is lined with restaurants, chocolate shops and luxury boutiques like Moncler and Fusalp. Visitors can pay their respects to the notable alpinists who perished trying to climb the mountains around Zermatt in the tranquil Mountaineers’ Cemetery by the river. The oldest part of town on narrow Hinterdorfstrasse showcases larch timber barns, stores and stables that are especially remarkable when you learn some are around 500 years old.
