Toblerone Mountain

Colloquially known as “Toblerone Mountain”, that peak actually has a name – the Matterhorn. Now say it again with a German accent. There you go. Use the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn to go from Visp to Zermatt on the same scenic route that the Glacier Express uses. Be sure to ride in first class to guarantee that you will be in a panoramic carriage, the route is included in standard Swiss rail passes and a lot cheaper than the actual Glacier Express.

Since the same company that runs the railway also operates the Gornergrat Bahn, you can buy a ticket for the cog railway journey up to see the Matterhorn from the ticker inspector on your way in to Zermatt to avoid a long queue. There’s an offer on the website for priority boarding, but if you’re smart about it you can save yourself CHF5 and just wait the whole 20 minutes to grab a window seat like I did.

Though the Matterhorn lends its profile to the shape of Toblerone, the Churfirsten mountain range is what inspired the notched structure of the chocolate bar.

Depending on your perspective you may either be really lucky to ride on the old 1947 rolling stock like I did and enjoy the wartime Swiss experience or be really unlucky in an uncomfortable train packed with noisy and inconsiderate tourists like sardines. It is the tallest open air mountain railway in Europe and the second oldest. Perspective can be a choice. Sit on the right hand side to the direction of travel to grab the best shots of the Matterhorn on the way up. If you travel during the Matterhorn Zermatt Marathon, feel free to wave and cheer the runners!

When you get to the top, put on a jacket, you’re higher than the glaciers below you and don’t want to catch a cold. The hike up to the summit of Gornergrat is a short one from the railway station. My tip: don’t buy anything in the observatory, you can get everything for cheap down in Zermatt. I brought lunch and enjoyed the view for an hour or so before heading back down in one of the roomier and more comfortable trains on the way down.