Can I fly to Zermatt?

However you choose to arrive in this breathtaking Alpine haven at the foot of the Matterhorn, you’re guaranteed a spectacular, smooth and memorable trip both in and out. And, while the town doesn’t have an airport of its own, the short answer is of course yes - you absolutely can get a flight to Zermatt.

In fact, given that the area is typically bustling with international visitors from all corners of the globe at all times of the year, flying to Zermatt is clearly among the most popular ways to get here. As with the majority of small and mid-size ski resorts, the key to an easy and stress-free arrival here is a simple bit of advance planning. Once you’re aware of the various routes and choices, it’s a straightforward job to identify your ideal method of connecting travel from any of the various airports within a few hours’ journey time of the resort itself.

That said, it’s always worth remembering that the fastest or shortest journey isn’t always the most convenient. Do bear that in mind when planning your trip, especially if your itinerary leaves you with a fairly broad range of potential options.

The nearest airport to Zermatt is Sion, just outside the city of the same name, which is located less than 50 miles west up the spectacular Rhone Valley. Being so close, Sion Airport is certainly among the more direct arrival points for visitors to Zermatt, whether it’s their first time here or a trip they make regularly.

With great road connections directly to the outskirts of the resort, many people choose to drive from Sion to Zermatt, which typically takes a little over an hour. However, being a smaller airport, the range of options for airlines and arrivals at Sion can be fairly limited, depending on where you’re coming from. As a result, many holidaymakers and seasonal residents arriving from the UK and elsewhere in Europe choose to aim for one of the five larger hubs within practical driving distance.

Looking slightly further afield, Bern Airport lies just under 80 miles away to the north, and will usually take less than 2.5 hours to reach by car, although the range of airline options is again smaller than for the major international hubs. Due to fast and smooth highway routes, it doesn’t take much longer than this to arrive from the much larger Geneva Airport - despite being more like 150 miles away, it should still only take around 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel from Geneva to Zermatt in a car.

Italy’s Milan-Malpensa Airport is another great hub option for many international travellers, at a distance of 120 miles and also with a drive time of less than 3 hours. Basel Airport and Zurich Airport are both almost the same distance away from Zermatt as Geneva (145-ish miles to the north and northwest respectively), with Zurich being much larger and having a far more diverse array of carriers and scheduled flights to pick from. Each will typically take just under 3.5 hours to arrive at Zermatt from by road.

Note to all drivers: A car-free policy guards pristine Zermatt village from the damaging environmental effects of traffic pollution, meaning that visitors heading to the resort by car will be required to leave their vehicles at the ample secure parking facilities in nearby Täsch.

Located just over 3 miles away, Täsch is the main connecting hub for the famed mountain cog railway train, which involves a short but spectacular 12-minute ride into the heart of Zermatt centre. Trains run up to four times every hour, and there are always plenty of safe parking options to choose from in the immediate vicinity of the station, so it’s an extremely convenient method of arrival even for those with oversized luggage (Zermatt is a famed ski resort, after all!).

From any of the airport arrival hubs outlined above, you will of course be able to arrange taxi, limousine or people carrier transport to Zermatt - although unsurprisingly, the prices in peak season can be fairly high, especially on longer journeys.

A much more common choice for most visitors is to come by train. While regularly scheduled buses do run from Milan-Malpensa to Zermatt (usually around €60, with a total journey time of about 6.5 hours), the Swiss rail network tends to be a far easier and faster option for people whose flights are arriving at Geneva, Zurich, or one of the country’s smaller regional airports such as Sion, Basel or Bern.

Typical journey time by train to Zermatt from each of the airports listed above can vary between 2-4.5 hours, depending on your arrival point. The Sion-Zermatt rail route is of course the quickest of the various options, with the longest train travel times being from Basel and Milan.

If your flight to Zermatt is landing at a Swiss airport, you’ll get the best flexibility for your onward rail trip by purchasing a Swiss Transfer Ticket. These tend to cost around €130, although significant discounts on Saver Day Passes are also available if you’re able to book more than 60 days in advance. Supersaver tariffs can also be bought up to an hour before departure. Note that arrivals to Geneva Airport and Zurich Airport can collect their luggage and get directly on the right train from the terminal itself, whereas most of the other options involve a short connection to a nearby train station.

If you happen to be visiting Zermatt from Milan-Malpensa, a train pass all the way here can actually cost as little as €100, although again do bear in mind that you’ll need to make your own way from the airport to the rail terminus by bus or taxi.

All in all, whether you choose to fly and drive directly to Zermatt, or make use of one of the many handy rail connections to get here from slightly further afield, you’re unlikely to encounter any major difficulties in arriving. Leaving, on the other hand, might be more of a problem - not because it’s any more complicated, of course...it’s just always quite difficult to tear yourself away!