 Poster: A snowHead
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queen bodecia, Travelling to Zermatt by train is really not that bad, at Geneva you don't even need to leave the airport as the station is downstairs and I expect its the same at Zurich although I have never been there, there is only one change at Visp but if you fly to Zurich check this. There is a supermarket at Geneva airport and we always pick up food and drink for the journey but if you have a flask you can get hot water from a cafe. If you chose a hotel or apartment near the station in Zermatt you wouldn't need a taxi, check this link to the tourist office website http://www.zermatt.ch/en/ it has loads of information.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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abc, ah, even better. Not sure why I thought it was just Swiss. A great service.
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I have stayed in the HI hostel in Zermatt over Christmas. Prices were good, food was basic but for the price it was more than I was expecting. It is not the kind of place that all people might stay, you really have to be a committed hosteller. If you snore, drink too much, are obnoxious, and like to party all night long, it is not for you. If you brush your teeth, know how to use saline nasal spray, and like to go to bed early and get up for the first lift then your will find it great. Kids go there, and you sometimes have to share a room with them.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| jonm wrote: |
| abc, ah, even better. Not sure why I thought it was just Swiss. A great service. |
I think with Swiss Air, it might have been free. (not sure about now, this was a few years back)
Also, coming from America, it only works on the outbound leg. Apparently, US airlines don't like the idea that my bags are out of my sight for hours prior to being loaded onto the plane. So instead, I had to claim it out of Swiss Railway counter, cart it over to the airline check-in counter and drop it off. Easy enough. For me, it's worth the small fee to travel unemcumbered.
(Though that's partly because my flights are always in the moring and I had to stay in a hotel the night before the flight. So, not having to mind my skis overnight is worth the extra cost)
Zurich airport and train station: They're technincally in separate buildings but the two buildings are right next to each other. You simply push your luggage trolley from the airport to the train station.
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I have never done TO for skiing (rarely done it for anything else) so I can’t compare the convenience. However, I would echo what others say about the train journey being very convenient and absolutely gorgeous (in the light). I have done Zurich but for some reason we almost always do Geneva. Getting from the baggage hall to the platform in the station is a doddle. Then the journey round the lake, staring over at France and Mont Blanc is magical. Turning up the Rhone valley the first snow appears as you get closer to Visp. The changeover at Visp is really easy – there are ramps down from the platforms for those who like to pull rather than lift. The changeover is either ten or so minutes or just over half an hour depending on which train you caught. I actually never mind the longer changeover as we wander out of the station to the bars opposite on the street leading down from the Altstadt and enjoy a quick beer (it is usually OK to sit outside with the heaters).
The train journey up from Visp to Zermatt must be one of the most magical there is. The snow gets thicker and thicker, the mountains tower over you on either side and the road and the train line criss cross each other while clinging on to the valley side.
You arrive in Zermatt feeling refreshed and excited and look right from the train station square to see the Matterhorn staring down at you. If you are not itching to ski at this stage then you probably ought to take up a different activity. You then either do a short walk or easy electric hotel bus or taxi ride to your hotel.
Despite having done the journey many times I never fail to enjoy it (all be it I get off at Täsch).
A word of warning: you do need to make sure your flight gets in at a time that you can still catch a train. The last train from Geneva airport is 19.53 while the last one from Zurich airport is 20.13 (although that involves two changes – the last one with just one change is 18.40). Personally I wouldn’t go via Milan – distance wise it is not much further but the changeover from airport to trains to Brig (next to Visp) is nowhere near as convenient. We have done it but only when we’ve wanted to spend a day in Milan. De facto we often hire a car because we head off to Heathrow after work and get in to Geneva too late to catch a train.
Again as others have said if you are one of the 9.30ish flights back to Heathrow or Luton you can still get in pretty close to a full day’s skiing and catch the train to make your flight comfortably.
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Thanks for the train info. I guess I was just thinking of my own grotty UK train experiences, it sounds like Swiss trains are a world away from this. At the moment it looks like the DIY route, B&B hotels around £400-£600 for the week, flights Jet2 from EMA or Easyjet from BHX around £150-£250, train transfer has comparable prices to TO, but a much larger choice of hotels so would be worth considering.
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queen bodecia, one trip to switzerland using plane/train/bus and the idea of "integrated public transport" actually starts to mean something!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| I was just thinking of my own grotty UK train experiences, it sounds like Swiss trains are a world away from this. |
That's quite an understatement!
| Arno wrote: |
| queen bodecia, one trip to switzerland using plane/train/bus and the idea of "integrated public transport" actually starts to mean something! |
I've used trains in Austria too. It worked ok but nowhere near the same "integrated" feel of Swiss rail!
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I took the train from Austria (Schladming) to Zermatt once. A very pleasant, though quite long, journey.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We have recently returned from Zermatt after a short trip (flew out 30th April returned May 4th) - four nights with 3 days ski-ing - we also had the opportunity to watch the Patrouile des Glaciers endurance race. We stayed in the Casa Vanessa Appartments near the Matterhorn Express Gondola. This was a great end of season bonus trip - I can confirm that rail travel in Switzerland is indeed a pleasurable experience and is very much part of the holiday, far nicer than being sat on a coach. We flew Manchester to Zurich with Swiss and after colllecting our ski bag and roller bag we were leaving the airport on the train en route to Visp - this was some 40 minutes after walking off the plane. An hour or so later out came our picnic and a bottle of wine, very enjoyable watching all the fantastic scenery wizz by. Go for it, you wont regret it - we are planning a return trip in September for a week to do some walking and mountain biking. 
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