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![the cog railway the cog railway](https://kdvr.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/11/cog.jpg)
You stop frequently to admire the views, walk up to one of the ponds to catch the mirrored reflection of the Matterhorn in the water, hear the “clank, clank, clank” of the farmers’ cow bells in the distance – in case you doubted it to this point, this really hits home that you are the Swiss Alps – and perhaps do like and scamper off the trail to get up close to grazing black-and-white sheep that are so unusual they look like creatures in the Star Wars movies. In fact, the hike is quite enjoyable because in the way of the Swiss, you do it at a leisurely pace. This is not as challenging as it may seem. Or you can do as the Swiss do and hike your way back to Zermatt. Once you decide to depart – after you reach up on your tip-toes to grab your breath that the view took away – you can take the railway back to town. The dramatic view from thie Gornergrat lookout is good even on a cloudy day. The final stop of the Gornergrat Cog Railway, 3,089 meters up in the Swiss Alps. There’s little doubt you are in the Swiss Alps. Steep valleys provide dramatic views along the Gornergrat Cog Railway ride. Just up from this spot is an observation deck and a restaurant that provides sweeping views of this entire section of the Alps.
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#The cog railway series#
It cuts back and forth in a series of slow S-turns, takes a wide sweep of a ski run, makes two brief stops at lookouts and gives a peek at Europe’s highest-altitude hotel, the Kulm Gornergrat which, at 3,100 meters, you had better hope they don’t run out of wine if you stay there because it’s a long way down to the store.Īfter 33 thrilling minutes, it pulls to a final stop and there it is, a lookout pointing straight at the Matterhorn, beyond an imposing-looking valley.
![the cog railway the cog railway](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/20/18/9f/20189f294b987e120d7513b6a15f0729.jpg)
The train curls up the mountain, almost as if it is intentionally building the drama of its arrival at the peak. The train lets this all in with huge windows, the top of which is open for unobstructed photos. It crosses bridges, goes through a tunnel, provides for dramatic views of steep V-shaped valleys and past mountain lakes and ski runs. And getting to the Gornergrat is a steep grade – a vertical climb of nearly 1,500 meters (that’s 5,000 feet) to a soaring height of 3,089 meters (10,135.5 feet) from the village of Zermatt.Īlong the way, the scenery is spectacular. The cog railway is a train that uses cog wheels to climb steep grades. The bucket list of things to do in Zermatt includes boarding this old-fashioned cog train and taking it to a lookout peak in the Swiss Alps known as Gornergrat.įrom there, you can get great views – and selfies! – of the Matterhorn, have lunch with some excellent Swiss wine high in the sky, or hike back down to town where you can stop along the way at other restaurants for food, wine and schnapps.īut as is the case with many things in Switzerland, a big part of the thrill is not just the destination, but the journey. A Scenic Ride Past The Matterhorn In Zermatt, Switzerland The Gornergrat train, here stopped at the summit, is one of the top activities do to in Zermatt.īy Kevin Wilkerson, Travel Blogger