It’s a Sunday and it’s time for a bit of wonderful Switzerland. This time in the form of the Gornergrat. This will be a two parter. The second part is an emotional one as it’s about the last long walk we did as a family of three.

You find places which just etch themselves onto your soul. The Gornergrat is certainly one of those.

It’s a rocky ridge overlooking the beautiful alpine town of Zermatt. The ridge is a high one. At its summit it is 10240ft above sea level.

Luckily you can get to the top by riding on Europe’s highest open air railway. The journey is a stunner. It really is. Depending on how fit you feel you can get off at a number of stop off points and walk the rest of the climb.

At the top is an almost gothic looking hotel – Hotel Kulm. It has two restaurants and a small shopping maul. Given the crystal clear air it also has astronomical observatories.

The summit has a small stone chapel which has become one of Switzerland’s most visited places of worship. Thousands trek here each year to light a candle and take in the peaceful setting.

Watch out for your chips the Choughs are watching you.

Our day was mainly deep blue clear skies but every so often thick mist would sweep across. The brief spells of zero visibility reminded you of the importance of enjoying moments of beauty when they happen.

The view from the top is epic. Over 20 4,000m peaks and the Gorner Glacier. The world famous Matterhorn dominates one side of the 360 degree panorama. Absolutely breathtaking.

So this is the Gornergrat – a contender for any travel bucket list. The next part of the story will take us back to 2015 – a very different time for us all.

45 thoughts on “Swiss Sunday – Gornergrat”

  6. The Swiss Tourism Bureau really does need your help! – you’d make them squillions. 😉
    Thanks again for another beautiful guided tour.

    Us lesser mortals down here in the depths would normally call that mist a ‘cloud’. 😉
    (Did you know an average (whatever size average is?) cloud contains about 500,000 TONS of water droplets!?)

    I’m sure there is a story behind that last photo.

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      5. I will check. I have a horrible feeling they are on an ancient phone with not much way of getting them moved either although I think one might be on a blog somewhere. Must look. But I used to have them hanging from the back pack. I think hills can make you do crazy things for the best reasons.

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