- Summits
- Gornergrat
Zermatt · Valais · 3,089 mGornergrat
One rack railway, 33 minutes, 1,485 metres of climb – and the Matterhorn in the window for almost the whole ride. Here is what the Gornergrat Railway (Gornergrat Bahn) costs in 2026, which pass halves the price and when you are better off keeping your money.
November to April: CHF 102 · half price with a Swiss Half Fare Card (Halbtax), GA travelcard or Swiss Travel Pass
- Zermatt 1,604 m
- Riffelalp 2,211 m
- Riffelberg 2,582 m
- Rotenboden 2,825 m
- Gornergrat 3,089 m
- First train
- 07:00
- From 08:00
- every 24 min
- Journey time
- 33 min
- No service
- 2–14 Nov 2026
Fares checked on 21 September 2026 · Source: Gornergrat Railway price sheet 2026/27 · Photo: Whgler, CC BY-SA 4.0
Three pieces of advice first
Sit on the right.
On the way up, according to the operator, the seats on the right-hand side have the best view of the Matterhorn – for almost the whole ride. You cannot reserve them. If you want to be sure, pay CHF 7 for Priority Boarding and board three minutes before everyone else.
Work out the pass first, then the price.
The Swiss Half Fare Card (Halbtax), GA travelcard and Swiss Travel Pass halve the ticket: CHF 66 instead of 132 in summer. Nobody travels free with any of these passes – not even with the GA.
Look towards the Matterhorn in the morning.
If you cannot see it from the village, you will not see it from the top either. Then postpone the trip – the ticket is too expensive for fog.
Where are you starting from?
Zermatt is car-free. Everyone arrives by train – the only question is where you get on.
Zermatt to Gornergrat: cross the road, get on
The valley station of the Gornergrat Railway is directly opposite Zermatt railway station. Tickets are available online from the operator or at the station. In the summer half of the year a train runs every 24 minutes from 08:00, the first one as early as 07:00. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF), which are not the same as euros.
- Return, summer
- 132 CHF
- Return, winter
- 102 CHF
- with Half Fare Card
- 66 / 51 CHF
Zermatt: Gornergrat Railway Cogwheel Train Ticket
Honestly: It is the same ticket that the operator itself sells online for CHF 132 (summer) or CHF 102 (winter). Check the day’s exchange rate before you book – and if you have a Swiss Half Fare Card (Halbtax) or a Swiss Travel Pass, buy directly from the railway: only there can you be sure of selecting the discounted fare category.
As far as Täsch, and not a kilometre further
If you arrive by car, you park in Täsch, five kilometres before Zermatt. The Matterhorn Terminal has 2,100 covered spaces, and the platform is under the same roof. From there the shuttle train takes 12 minutes to Zermatt, every 20 minutes during the day.
- Shuttle return
- 17.20 CHF
- Journey time
- 12 min
- Service 05:55–21:55
- every 20 min
Honestly: On top of the mountain railway fare come the shuttle and the parking fee; we have not checked the parking fee. With a Swiss Half Fare Card the shuttle costs half, and with a GA travelcard or Swiss Travel Pass you do not need a ticket for it.
Three and a half hours by train
From Zurich Airport you reach Zermatt in around 3.5 hours according to Zermatt Tourism; trains run every half hour. There and back in one day, that is seven hours of train for a good hour of mountain railway and your time at the top. The SBB timetable shows you connections and prices.
“I have exactly one day in Zurich and don’t want to plan it myself.”Zermatt, Matterhorn & Gornergrat Small Group Tour from Zürich
Honestly: More than 600 euros per person for a day trip – and if the Matterhorn is stuck in cloud, a guide cannot change that either. If you are staying in Switzerland longer anyway, spend the night in Zermatt and go up in the morning.
Four hours by train – or the coach tour
From Geneva Airport, Zermatt Tourism reckons on around four hours by train. As a day trip on your own that hardly makes sense.
“I’m in Geneva and want to see the Matterhorn at least once.”Geneva: Zermatt Day Trip & Matterhorn
Honestly: This tour takes you to Zermatt, not up the Gornergrat. According to the listing, the cable car to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is offered as an add-on. If you want to go up the Gornergrat, you buy the railway ticket yourself on the spot – and have to check whether your free time in Zermatt is enough for it: the ride alone takes 66 minutes there and back.
What does your ticket cost?
Two seasons, two columns, one rule: almost every Swiss pass halves the price, none makes the ride free.
| Zermatt – Gornergrat | May – Oct 2026 | Nov 2026 – April 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Return, no discount | CHF 132 | CHF 102 |
| Single, no discount | CHF 66 | CHF 51 |
| Return with Halbtax, GA travelcard, Swiss Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass (50 %) | CHF 66 | CHF 51 |
| Single with the same passes | CHF 33 | CHF 25.50 |
| Children (50 %, age limit see below) | CHF 66 | CHF 51 |
| Children aged 6–15.99 with a Junior Card | free | free |
| Priority Boarding, supplement per person | CHF 7 | CHF 7 |
For visitors from abroad, the Halbtax is sold as the Swiss Half Fare Card – the discount here is the same.
Honestly: On children the price sheet is unclear. The two footnotes have evidently been labelled the wrong way round: in one the discount starts at age 6, in the other at 9, and which applies to which season cannot be said with certainty. Ask at the ticket office before you pay for a child under 9.
Part-routes from Zermatt and on the mountain
| Return | Summer | Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Zermatt – Rotenboden | 114 | 96 |
| Zermatt – Riffelberg | 84 | 78 |
| Zermatt – Riffelalp | 58 | 56 |
| Zermatt – Findelbach | 46 | 46 |
| Riffelalp – Gornergrat | 92 | 78 |
| Riffelberg – Gornergrat | 66 | 58 |
| Rotenboden – Gornergrat | 42 | 40 |
Rule of thumb: With the through ticket you may get off and on again along the way as often as you like. Part-routes only pay off if you really walk a section – for example a single up (CHF 66) and then hiking from Riffelberg down to Zermatt.
33 minutes on the rack.
The Gornergrat Railway has been running since 20 August 1898 – Switzerland’s first electric rack railway. It stops at Findelbach, Riffelalp, Riffelberg and Rotenboden, and you can get off at any of these stations: at Riffelalp at 2,211 metres on the edge of the Swiss stone pine forest, at Riffelberg at 2,582 metres in the middle of the hiking area, at Rotenboden for the Riffelsee lake.
- 9.3 kmZermatt – Gornergrat
- 1,485 mdifference in elevation
- 33 minjourney time uphill
- 24 mininterval from 08:00, 20 April – 1 Nov 2026
- rightis where you sit going up for the Matterhorn view
Gornergrat Railway timetable 2026: From 20 April to 1 November a train runs every 24 minutes from 08:00; the first leaves Zermatt at 07:00. From 2 to 14 November 2026 the railway is closed for construction work – with no replacement service. From 15 to 27 November a reduced timetable applies: every 48 minutes from 08:24, with the 07:00 train Monday to Friday only. Regular service runs roughly from 08:00 to 17:00; check the last descent on your day of travel in the operator’s timetable.
The photo you know is taken here.The Riffelsee lies a few minutes below the station. The reflection only happens when there is no wind.
Hiking on the Gornergrat: one hour, one lake.
The Riffelsee trail leads from Rotenboden station past the lake down to Riffelberg. The operator gives it one hour, 3.1 kilometres and a difficulty of “medium”. You can already see the lake from the platform – looking downhill, to the left of the tracks.
- Rotenboden – Riffelberg
- 1 hr
- Length
- 3.1 km
- Difficulty
- medium
- Best light
- early / evening
This is what the operator itself advises: first go all the way up to the Gornergrat, then on the way down get off at Rotenboden, walk to the lake and on to Riffelberg, and board the train again there. With the through return ticket that does not cost you a franc more. Beyond the Riffelsee lies a second, smaller lake; shortly before Riffelberg you pass the “Bruder Klaus” chapel.
Honestly: The famous reflection is not a permanent state. It needs still air – and a lake without ice. The hiking trails are maintained by the municipality of Zermatt; whether they are open is shown on the operator’s map. In winter this is a ski area and winter hiking trail, not a lakeside stroll.
Nothing grows up here any more.Only rock, the hotel with the two domes – and all around, 29 four-thousand-metre peaks.
This is what you come up for.
On the left the Monte Rosa massif, below you the Gorner Glacier, on the right the Matterhorn. The operator counts 29 four-thousand-metre peaks all around. By its own account, the summit station is the highest open-air railway station in Europe.
Monte Rosa
Matterhornwith a banner cloud that day
← Drag the image · the view reaches further than the screen is wide →Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 3.0
Is the Gornergrat worth it?
With a view: yes, even for 132 francs. Without a view: no, not at any price. In between, your pass decides.
Phil Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0Go up if …
- you can see the Matterhorn from the village. Then you will see it at the top with everything that goes with it.
- you have a Swiss Half Fare Card or a Swiss Travel Pass. At CHF 66 the sums look different from CHF 132.
- you get off along the way. Riffelsee and Riffelberg are included in the ticket – only that turns 66 minutes of train into a day out.
Sabrina Schreiber, CC BY-SA 4.0Stay down if …
- the mountain is stuck in cloud. CHF 132 for grey is too much. Check the webcam first.
- you come between 2 and 14 November 2026. Nothing runs at all then because of construction work.
- you do not cope well with altitude. In 33 minutes you are above 3,000 metres. If you have heart or breathing problems, talk to your doctor beforehand.
Before buying your ticket: check the webcam and weather on the operator’s site ↗
If you have another day in Zermatt
Zermatt: Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Cable Car Ticket
Zermatt 2-Hour Small Group Village Walk
From Zermatt: Testa Grigia Cable Car Ticket
Honestly: The same goes for these lifts: compare with the mountain railway’s price on the spot and check whether your Swiss Half Fare Card is accepted there. If you want both mountains in one day, ask the operator about the Peak2Peak ticket – we have not checked its price.
Where the figures come from
| Item | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| All summer and winter fares, part-routes, 50 % with Halbtax, GA, Swiss Half Fare Card, Swiss Travel Pass, children, Junior Card | Gornergrat Railway – Prices 2026–2027 (PDF, edition 06.2026) | 21 September 2026 |
| Frequency, first train, service suspension 2–14 November 2026, location of the valley station | Gornergrat Railway – Timetable | 21 September 2026 |
| Journey time 33 minutes, intermediate stations, getting off and on as often as you like | Gornergrat Railway – Ticket | 21 September 2026 |
| Elevations of the stations Findelbach, Riffelalp, Riffelberg, Rotenboden, Gornergrat | Gornergrat Railway – The stations | 21 September 2026 |
| Zermatt 1,604 m, 29 four-thousand-metre peaks, Switzerland’s first electric rack railway, Europe’s highest open-air railway station | Gornergrat Railway – provider page | 21 September 2026 |
| 9.3 km, 1,485 metres of climb, opened on 20 August 1898 | Zermatt Tourism – 125 years of the Gornergrat Railway | 21 September 2026 |
| Priority Boarding CHF 7, right-hand side going up | Gornergrat Railway – Priority Boarding | 21 September 2026 |
| Riffelsee trail: 1 hour, 3.1 km, route, reflection | Gornergrat Railway – Riffelsee trail | 21 September 2026 |
| Zermatt car-free, Täsch, 2,100 parking spaces, shuttle 12 minutes, rail journey from Zurich and Geneva | Zermatt Tourism – Getting there | 21 September 2026 |
| Shuttle Täsch–Zermatt: CHF 17.20 return, operating hours, passes | Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn – Zermatt Shuttle | 21 September 2026 |
| Tour prices, reviews | GetYourGuide, partner data | 21 September 2026 |
Image credits
- Cover image, train in front of the Matterhorn: Whgler, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Riffelsee with reflection: Robertuswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Summit station with Kulmhotel: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Panorama of the Gorner Glacier: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Summit station in winter: Phil Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Matterhorn in cloud: Sabrina Schreiber, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car: Whgler, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bahnhofstrasse, Zermatt: Abxbay, CC BY-SA 4.0
- View towards the Testa Grigia: qwesy qwesy, CC BY 3.0
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