Zermatt–Matterhorn

Beautiful people, beautiful surroundings. Few mountainscapes come close to that of Zermatt. Highest ski area in the Alps, its surrounding 38 peaks tower above 4,000m—about one third of all the 4,000ers in the Alps. One of the top spots to soak up such diamond-studded panorama is from the highest aerial cableway in Europe…et voila! It’s staring you right in the face. The Matterhorn, proudly touted by the Swiss as the most photographed mountain in the world (who knows how they count the clicks but don’t doubt they do), is scarcely avoidable from any of the resort’s 360 km of pistes. And come nightfall, all manner of exact replicas are available in gold, silver and, naturally, chocolate in the many village shops. The air in carfree Zermatt is cleaner than clean and the sun shines 300 days a year. Not only can you ski down into Italy but, for the ultimate challenge, take a punt at the longest ski run in Europe, an epic 25-km descent. Start your descent at the highest cable car station in Europe, the Matterhorn glacier paradise at 3,883m, and sashay your way home to the village of Zermatt.