Switzerland – day 6, New Year’s Eve in Zermatt | alison richards

The train ticket I booked for Zermatt departed Lauterbrunnen at 12:32pm, so I had a lazy morning, packed up my suitcase and left it with my accommodation, and went out for a walk. It was a really frosty morning, crunchy underfoot, and it was still fairly dark in Lauterbrunnen until the sun peeked out from behind the huge mountains either side. I had a map from the tourist information centre and so did a walk out along the river and back skirting alongside the base of one of the mountains. It is such a pretty place!

The waterfall gushes over the edge in spring. But the freezing temperatures in winter make it a shadow of its former self!

The sun came around the valley and it was glorious

I went to a cafe in Lauterbrunnen to have some lunch before heading to the train station to board my train. I was off to Zermatt!

Honestly, the trains in Switzerland are amazing. I was constantly messaging friends back in London remarking how the trains still run despite all the snow and ice. Any reader who has been to London may have experienced the very temperamental trains of the Tube, Overground and National Rail. They do not seem to run if it is too hot, too wet, snowing, icy, there are leaves on the track or any other number of silly reasons. In Switzerland, the trains just plowed on despite there being huge banks of snow either side. It was great!

It took just under 3 hours to get to Zermatt, and I had to change trains at Spiez. But we made it, and I got off to discover an actual winter wonderland. I had to drag my suitcase to my AirBnb - about 500m from the station - and I checked in as fast as I could. This AirBnb, a tiny room with a single bed and a stove top, was the most I have ever paid for a room I think. It wasn't worth it but accommodation in Zermatt was limited when I booked.

I left the room and went to explore and found myself looking directly at the Matterhorn, that hook-shaped mountain made famous by the Toblerone chocolate packaging. So, apologies, but there are going to be lots of photos of it over the next few posts.

The sky started going pink. View from the bridge

I then went down below to get a better view and this happened…

Then this happened. What a glorious evening for the last one of 2019

The river to the other side, with the glorious Matterhorn

Then the sun dropped down and it was all over.

I went to a local store and bought a bottle of cider, some chips and something for breakfast tomorrow, then went back to my room. I'd brought a tin of French cassoulet with me, as restaurants were booked out for NYE, and a bottle of champagne, so settled in and had a nice night to myself. I had plans for an early morning start to 2020 so went to bed before midnight.