Sunrise at Gornergrat
Due to the current situation we cannot offer the Sunrise trip this summer. Various restaurants will remain closed. We look forward to offer it again in summer 2021.
Sunrise over the mountain panorama in Zermatt must surely be on every visitor’s ‘bucket list’.
Before dawn, take the comfortable train trip up from Zermatt to Rotenboden followed by a 10-minute walk bringing you to the Riffelsee Lake – the place where those magnificent photos of a perfectly mirrored Matterhorn originate. As the sun climbs up in the sky you are guaranteed to take that perfect shot for Instagram or your photo album.
Continue your journey upwards with the Gornergrat Railway after your brief detour to the lake. Go right up to Gornergrat where you can watch the day unfold from the viewing platform at your leisure, as the mountains and glaciers slowly awake. Your return journey is whenever you are ready to leave and you could also add a hike to your morning by leaving the train at one of the stations and going a part of the way on foot.
Sunrise ride on Gornergrat - what you can expect
We meet up beneath the moon and stars at the Gornergrat Railway station in Zermatt. Here participants are welcomed by our guide who offers tips on how to get the most out of the trip. In the breaking dawn the Gornergrat train leaves Zermatt for Rotenboden. During the ride we purposely turn off the interior lighting so passengers can better appreciate the early morning landscape above Zermatt.
See the incredible sunrise over the Matterhorn
That magic moment when the sun kisses the Matterhorn’s peak is incomparable: shades of ultra-violet and blue metamorphose to gold and fiery reds until the mountain is totally illuminated by the sun. This sunrise must surely be on everyone’s bucket list and will be an unforgettable memory.
Excursion to the Riffelsee lake with a musical accompaniment
Sunrise at the Riffelsee lake – the Matterhorn’s spiritual reflection
Leaving the train at Rotenboden station the path takes just 10 minutes to the Riffelsee lake. As you descend towards the lake you hear folk music and the Matterhorn, the lake and the Gorner glacier become a miraculous sight. At the lake it’s time to get the cameras out so as not to miss one second of the sunrise. The first rays of the sun are already touching the Matterhorn’s summit and the lake aspires to perfectly reproduce this image. Unbelievably beautiful; behind you the snow-capped peaks along the mountain chain try to outshine each other and spread beneath them, the gleaming glacier. Peaceful and calm, the lake glows before you like the Matterhorn’s spiritual mirror. A priceless panorama not easily described in words.
More tips for the Zermatt sunrise
After the sunrise there is plenty of time until the train brings guests up to the Gornergrat. We recommend a walk alongside the Riffelsee Lake where it’s not unusual to meet a small group of typical Valaisian Black Nose sheep. A small path goes to the left of the lake and leads to a second, smaller lake. This lake is less well-known and so generally less crowded. Interesting rock and stone formations together with Matterhorn’s reflection also add up to a great photographic opportunity.
