Is there a cheaper way to do Zermatt?

A snowHead

I don't mean stay in Cervinia and ski over every day, I'd actually really like to stay in Zermatt, explore the whole area, wander around the town, get the little train up the mountain, etc.

BUT TO trips seem to start at an eye-watering £750 for self-catering or B&B and £1,000 for half board with lift pass on top of that. Add in any extra spending money, ski carriage, airport parking is it's getting on for £1,500 for a week, 150% of what I would normally pay for a skiing holiday.

Has anyone ever found any hidden gems slightly cheaper in Zermatt? Does it ever have any last minute TO deals?

Basically is it going to remain a dream or something I'll only manage if I restrict myself to one skiing holiday?

A snowHead

queen bodecia, http://www.youthhostel.ch/en/hostels/zermatt probably about the only way which would be much cheaper.

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Go early or late in season; remember it's pretty snow sure. Stay further down the valley, though then you're missing the zermatt vibe which is probably a major part of the reason for going.

Go for dormitory accomodation. Chf 40 per night at the barnhof
http://www.hotelbahnhof.com/

Think the saas fee lift pass includes a day in zermatt....

Do a two week tour of local resorts so that flights are shared across the week, visit zinal, fiesch etc, finding whatever cheap accomodation you can there, then do a few of days in zermatt at the end?

Can't think of any real secrets. Even the interhome zermatt self catering options are fairly costly.

If it's any comfort, whilst it cost more than other resorts and there are many ways of spending cash there, overall it broadly feels decent value.

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I did a very reasonable priced trip at half term in 2009 for my daughter and me. Flight to Zurich, train to Zermatt and a small apartment quite near the Matterhorn gondola (best place to be IMO). Trouble is the exchange rate has tumbled since not sure how much that would cost now. The lift pass prices are pretty horrendous alone.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Well, it depends on what your minimum requirements are, but there is this
http://www.youthhostel.ch/en/hostels/zermatt/price which is quite well reviewed, actually, with evening meals for 17 francs or so.
Further up the scale are places like Le Petit Hotel, the Testa Grigia and the Tannenhof, all proper hotels rather than hostels, but 'budget' by Zermatt standards. Don't confuse the Youth Hostel with the Matterhorn Hostel, but the way, the latter also houses Sparky's which is a great bar/restaurant where you can eat very well and at a good price but the hostel is less appealing, to be honest.
There are sometimes deals through Ski Total, and Inghams were running the Hotel Atlanta as a chalet hotel last season with some good last minute deals quoted, but I understand they may not be running that again next year. As always, it depends partly on how flexible/last minute you can be, and also where you are travelling from. It's probably me, but I have never found what I would call a really good 'deal' travelling from Scotland (cue flurry of Scots telling me how to do it).
How about this? http://www.hotelsilvana.ch/welcome_home_16.html It's half way up the mountain in Furi, but straight onto the slopes on the morning as it's right by the lift station. Not so easy to enjoy night life in Zermatt however.
Not sure if any of that answers your question, but I think Zermatt can be done cheaper that people expect, depending on what you require. I doubt however you would ever get the "family of four, full board £500 for a week" type of holidays people speak about on here. I wish you could! Partly I suppose it's because it is a long drive to get to Zermatt so not many people do it from the UK, so you will probably have to include an air fare in your budgeting. However, again with some forward planning…I recently booked five of us for New Year week direct from Scotland to Basel for £750, which I thought wasn't too bad. I do envy the people who get the "£30 return" to Geneva etc flights from the South of England..

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Sorry, must have been typing as Pam was posting - we had the same idea

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queen bodecia, there are very often last minute TO deals but then you might struggle getting a single room. We stayed at a very nice, small and quite cheap place a few years ago but I've just looked it up and it's been redeveloped into a very smart looking 4* with prices to match.

After all it is free

+1 for last minute chalet deals. I gave seen them quite often (probably in low season) for under 500£ inc. transfers and flights.

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Thanks Pam, that does make me feel a bit better!

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We did it at New Year a few years back, just to make the 'on a budget' aspect interesting. The tourist board website has a long list of private landlords with rental apartments, and I spent weeks emailing them (often in primitive German), until one came up with the goods. This was 2008, and we got the place (studio for 2) for 1100CHF.

CHF was about 50p at the time I think, so that would be a couple hundred more at today's rates.

Similar sounding place to Claude B actually - we were 2 minute walk from the Gondola to Furi.

I did a lot of research on the cheapest route as well, and flying to Milan Malpensa, driving over Simplon Pass (which is a lovely bit of driving!), came out WAY cheaper than flying to anywhere in Switzerland.

Trouble is when you get there, the ski hire and lift pass are $$$$££££€€€€

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Also, we're pretty sure that apartment is where we 'made' child #1.

So maybe it wasn't that cheap after all.

£395 chalet and then pass on top. Easter weekend.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks for the info. I certainly can't do a youth hostel or dormitory but a lower spec hotel would be fine, I'll check out the suggestions. I would even be prepared to self cater just to have the possibility of going to Zermatt but that's rarely cost effective for one or two people. I was hoping that single rooms wouldn't be so rare given that it's Switzerland, but it's a good point that it might rule out any potential last minute TO deals. Timings would have to not coincide with any school holidays or be within 4 weeks either side of my trip to Austria first week in Feb, assuming a plan takes shape for next season. Flights from Midlands preferably, or Doncaster, Manchester, Leeds, Luton or Stanstead. Definitely not Gatwick.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

queen bodecia, the tourist office has done cheap accommodation packages in the early season in the past. might not suit but if you have to take some holiday in late Oct/November and there is a good early season, it's worth a look

A snowHead

A snowHead

queen bodecia, why Zermatt so special? I can think of lots of places I'd rather go that would be cheaper...

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Arno, I could potentially do late November but not this year.

abc, April would be fine as long as I avoid the 2-3 weeks around Easter.

under a new name, I skied there for a day when I went to Cervinia and loved it, what others would you suggest? I do love the Ski Amadé area of Austria and I can see myself going there every year, but it's nice to experience some other places two especially if I can manage a second skiing holiday.

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queen bodecia, we got a last minute deal with Crystal on year to Zermatt - from memory it was the first week in January after the new year week. It was a long time ago but we paid £249 per person ij a catered chalet hotel.

If you can be flexible in your time off then I would recommend that as a route.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Here is link to a small hotel that has a single room. I've not stayed but my folks have over the decades and always find it cosy and welcoming. It's in an excellent location.
My limited experience of Zermatt is that you don't have to book by the week if you book independently, and most hotels have deals for shorter stays including half board. Check out the Zermatt website later this summer for those. You can't avoid the cost of getting there from the airport though-the Swiss transfer train ticket is around £90 at the moment I think.
Don't discount going really early-I think they try and do as full an opening of the lifts as they can from around 6th December. We go on the ski test package for 2 nights in late November each year and usually find the links over to Cervinia open on both sides (down to half way) plus skiing down to 2400m off the glacier paradise area. But the official opening day is a week later and lots more opens up.
I reckon your best option would probably still be to take a low season week off work, then sit tight and wait for a tour ops deal.
As to those who ask "why Zermatt?"... All I can say is, it's lovely, the Matterhorn is jaw droppingly stunning and it's a destination to be experienced as a whole. It's a resort you go to only partly for the skiing. In that sense, staying down the road in Tasch, or somewhere up the hill from the town and night life would take the edge off the point of going.

http://www.hotelstockhorn.ch/en/pricelist_details/pricelist:winter_pricelist_stockhorn/

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Well remembered Perty, I had forgotten about the Stockhorn which as you say is well located right in the centre of town, though admittedly not right next to any of the lifts. No where is that far in Zermatt however and if you are renting gear then places like Flexrent will let you store your stuff in their ski room overnight so you don't have to carry skis and boots around if you don't want to. Stockhorn or the Petit Hotel have pretty fair prices it seems to me, especially if you are able to go low season.
I agree with your comments also about Zermatt. It's the whole experience, of which skiing is one part, that draws people. For pure skiing alone, there are no doubt many places to equal, or better Zermatt, depending on your criteria, but even those who aren't 'converts' would probably agree it's a place to tick off your bucket list, if only once.

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I'd agree it's about the whole experience and not just the skiing, but a lot of that experience just isn't cheap, e.g. the restaurants are fantastic and not to be missed, but they're also 'reassuringly' expensive. The exchange rate at the moment doesn't help, either Sad

After all it is free

queen bodecia, well, for instance, Wengen or Muerren might not be "quite" so chocolate box (I've only passed through Zermatt once) but they Eiger is fairly pretty, even by Alpine Standards. Ands a quick look at Zermatt pix online suggests Muerren anyway is at least as attractive.

I am probably biased as our apartment is there (we don't rent it out so this is not advertising) but Täsch is a lot cheaper. There are loads of good, basic rooms to be had (including self-catering). Täsch is where the big car park is so there is a shuttle that runs every 20 minutes - and now runs throughout the night. It is only about a 12 minute ride so you don't feel too cut off from Zermatt. If you buy your ski pass in Täsch it includes the shuttle (obviously you pay a bit more) so you can go in and out as often as you want - useful if you want to go up and down to ski then back up in the evening to eat/drink/make merry. There are lockers in Zermatt train station if you want to leave skis and boots up there.

I am back out the weekend after next - the snow up on the open area from Furggsattel down to Trockener Steg looks fantastic!

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If I was going to do the DIY route, not convinced it's any cheaper than the TO route but it seems like it opens up more accommodation choices such as Perty's suggestion and a couple of others above, where would I fly to and what transfer options are there? Not sure if I am keen on hauling my luggage and skis on and off trains, but happy to drive a hire car assuming parking is not an issue.

I certainly don't mind accommodation that's a bit of a walk to the lifts if there are good storage lockers at the lift stations.

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queen bodecia, the transfer side if things is one of the reasons Zermatt isn't high on our list of places we would visit again, even with a TO it was a huge faff.

This is mainly driven by motor vehicles being banned in Zermatt, so we flew to Sion, had a coach transfer to a train station, had to lug bags onto then off the train. Then we had little electric taxis taking the people from the train to our accomodation. Which for obvious reasons meant loads of waiting around in between as of course loads of people coming in on the train wanted the taxis.

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queen bodecia, The Zermatt website often has good deals including ski pass so well worth looking out for these. The online booking system is very easy to use. We've been to Zermatt just before Christmas several times on the basis of these deals and have had excellent skiing including over to Cervinia. The only disadvantage has been leaving Zermatt as all the Christmas trees start appearing on the balconies and wishing we were staying for longer. On that basis, we've done Christmas and New Year there for the last couple of years as a pre-retirement treat to myself. New Year in particular is very expensive but a great experience. We've also been in March and April outside of the peak Easter week and have had excellent conditions and very quiet pistes so the longer season does offer some opportunites. It is my favourite time of the year in Zematt. My grown-up family have said Ski World have had some very good offers in the quiter weeks. The first time we went was on the basis of "you must ski Zermatt once" and I've lost count of the number of times we've been back for both winter and summer holidays so be warned - if you like it (and I understand it is not to everyone's tastes) it is hard to beat. Right - all those who might be tempted to say how much better another resort is, how much cheaper etc please don't bother. Each to his own!

NickyJ, Welshcakes, just been doing a bit of quick googling regarding DIY travel and you're right it's a nightmare. Flights to Geneva only, or Zurich from London airports, then lots of faffing about with trains and taxis. Good heavens. I think TO is the way to go.

You know it makes sense.

Geographically the nearest airport is Sion, but there are hardly any flights there these days and I would doubt from the airports you mention, but do check just in case. Then the transfer is as already stated, bus to Tasch and short train ride up to Zermatt. There are luggage trollies at Tasch which roll onto the train and off the other end.
More likely, you are looking at a flight to Geneva, Zurich or Basel (which I think you can get to from Manchester with Easyjet). Pick whichever is cheapest as onward transfer much the same time wise. From arrival airport it is train to Visp, then change to Zermatt. All the timetables can be found on the Swiss rail website www.sbb.ch. I suppose it is a bit of a faff in some ways, but actually I really enjoy the train journey as part of the holiday and find it infinitely preferable to being cooped up in a coach for hours on end - each to their own. It is an epic rail journey particularly as you get closer to Zermatt and although there is one change of train, it's not so bad, especially if on your own or only with one other. We have done it with three children for many years and lived to tell the tale!
Another possibility is Milan but the advantage of arriving in Switzerland is using the Swiss Transfer Pass (you can buy this from the Switzerland Travel Centre in London, indeed you must buy it before leaving the country, can't be bought in Switzerland).
The only thing about car hire is that you are hiring a car that is going to sit all week in the garage at Tasch unused. Obviously a matter of personal preference but the train ticket is about £90 which you would struggle to get a car for I suspect.

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A snowHead

Pretty sure that if you fly Swiss and travel by train your checked bags can magically turn up at your destination.

A snowHead

DIY isn't a nightmare at all. Half term 2009 I did it with my 13 year old daughter and loads of luggage inc 2 pairs of skis. The Swiss transport system is extremely efficient.

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Absolutely agree about the ease of train travel in Switzerland and would go for "do it yourself" every time. We usually drive ( we live just south of London so it is relatively straight forward for us) but have also done flights to Geneva and Zurich. Swiss is our preferred airline as they carry the skis for free. Getting to the train station from the airport couldn't be easier as, in both cities, the station is adjacent. My children have flown into Basel (from London City) and, although you need to catch the shuttle bus from that airport to the station, they hav e reported that it was very easy with fast and frequent transfers. We've even used the new ski train direct to Switzerland from Kings Cross and that was probably the easiest of all given where we live. The advantage of the TO must be cost (driving is not really cost effective, we just prefer it) but it is a long coach transfer. Queen Bodecia, the onward travel arrangements might look daunting in theory but, in practice, they work very well and, as Scotsgirl says, the aim journey up from Visp to Tasch is quite magical as you grt your first glimpse of the Matterhorn. Don't let the travel put you off - it is surprisingly hassle-free.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've done Zermatt DIY for cheaper - in 2010 and 2011. Even with weak pound at the time. Call up some hotels privately, or use the zermatt.ch website accommodation finder (lots of good stuff there). Decent 2* or 3* (remember this is not France, where star ratings are IME sometimes inflated) plus flights for around £500.

Don't overlook flying to Zurich - it is about the same distance as Geneva (maybe 20/25 mins more). You can get a train from ZRH to Zurich, then go on to central CH and change somewhere near Basel. Get the Swiss Transfer ticket (gets you from any airport to Zermatt and back) for the trains. 2nd class (which is perfectly fine IME) is £96 and valid for a month.

The area lift pass (Zermatt and Cervinia) is about EUR40 or so cheaper if you buy in Cervinia. So if you're flying to milan it may be worth stopping off in Cervinia first. Not sure if you have to activate the pass on Cervinia side though. Others may know.

the electric taxis in town are around CHF12 per trip.

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I didn't read the whole thread but I see a few other posters mentioned the good trains, as well as the Swiss Transfer Pass. I've used these guys before and everything worked out well: http://www.swiss-pass.co.uk/en/swiss-transfer-ticket

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Agree about using Zurich airport if the flights work for you but, just for info, there are direct trains from both Zurich and Geneva airports to Visp ( change here for the shuttle up to Zermatt). Zurich is marginally quicker at 2 hours 20 with Geneva about 2 hours 30. The improved Zurich service is thanks to a new tunnel. We prefer Zurich airport to Geneva as, in our experience, it has been quieter on a Saturday (maybe because it is primarily a business airport?) but the train journey around the lake if you come in from Geneva can be quite spectacular if the weather is fine.

After all it is free

Agree with all Welshcakes says. No need to change more than once at Visp from any of Zurcih, Geneva or Basel (subject to short bus ride from the airport to the train station in Basel)
I'm afraid the 'buy the pass cheaper in Cervinia' suggestion is one the lift companies are wise to, unsurprisingly. A pass bought in Cervinia must be used first time every day in Cervinia, it won't work on the first lift in Zermatt. Not much consolation on the price, but if you remember to hand it back on the last day they give you 5 francs back. Gets you a coffee or similar maybe?
Obviously you should do TO if that suits you and your budget better but as has been said, the DIY travel is really pretty simple and efficient, don't be alarmed by the plane then train then taxi description. In any event, many hotels in Zermatt have their own little taxis waiting at the station which will pick you up for free, you just look for the one with your hotel name on it. If not, only at peak times is there any wait for a taxi and you are planning on travelling off peak. It will be fine.

Thanks for all that info, train travel doesn't sound as bad as it first looked from timetables, etc. and yes hire car does sound rather pointless. All food for thought, thanks folks.

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DIY transport by train is way easier as less stressful than hiring a car and navigating to a new destination, and for one person definitely cheaper.
Off plane in Geneva pick up bags, turn left in arrivals hall, 2 min walk to the station under the airport. Trains run to Visp about every 30mins. Watch Lake Geneva slip by. Get off at Visp, then onto train about 10 mins later (we stock up on coffee, beer and nibbles at the station shop) and trundle up to Zermatt for an hour. If you drive, then it takes slightly less time to get to Tasch, but then you need to get on the train up for the last 10 mins of the journey.
One big plus of the train is that you know when you will leave and arrive at the airport, and there is none of the hassle of car return. Depending on your flight times, it's quite possible to ski till 3.30pm on your last day and get a flight home from Geneva at 9.30pm.

Help!!

Is there a cheaper way to do Zermatt?

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