Riffelsee - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The Gornergrat Kulm Hotel is a hotel and observatory located on the Gornergrat, at 3,120 meters above sea level. It can be reached from Zermatt via the Gornergrat railway, the terminus station is located 100 meters away. The hotel includes an observatory, two restaurants and a small shopping mall. The KOSMA telescope was installed in the southern tower while the Gornergrat Infrared Telescope was installed in the northern tower.

The Gornergrat is a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier south-east of Zermatt in Switzerland. It can be reached from Zermatt by the Gornergrat rack railway, the highest open-air railway in Europe. Between the Gornergrat railway station and the summit is the Kulm Hotel. In the late 1960s, two astronomical observatories were installed in the two towers of the Kulmhotel Gornergrat. The project “Stellarium Gornergrat” is hosted in the Gornergrat South Observatory.

The Grünsee is the perfect spot to stop and relax along a walk – for a picnic and swim while enjoying views of the Matterhorn. The water of the Grünsee is indeed green, but rather cold as it is fed by the surrounding mountain springs. It is quite remote and is only accessible by foot. There is a small hamlet nearby of the same name.

The Gorner Glacier viewpoint offers a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the second largest glacial system in the Alps. The tributaries of the Gorner Glacier; the Grenz, Monte Rosa, Zwillings, and Schwarze glaciers, spill down the slopes of these peaks, combining with the Gorner Glacier to form an imposing glacial river flowing in motionless waves down the Gorner Valley. The hike to the viewpoint, starting at Riffelberg, is filled with scenic delights.

Trockener Steg is a minor prominence in the area between the Matterhorn and the Breithorn, south of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. It lies at a height of 2,939 metres above sea level, near the front of the Upper Theodul Glacier. A cable car station lies on the summit and gives access to the Klein Matterhorn.

The Sunnegga Paradise is a ski area that forms part of the Zermatt ski resort, in Valais, Switzerland. The area relating to skiing is found on the Rothorn mountain, above the town of Zermatt. The trails extend to the valley floor between the Rothorn and Gornergrat mountains and includes the ski runs directly down to the Oberhausern area of the town of Zermatt, terminating at the passenger lift that takes skier directly down inside the funicular train station in the area. The Sunnegga area catc