Zermatt. From the aircraft to the village under the Matterhorn, with every handover arranged.
The village under the Matterhorn has been closed to private cars for generations. Every road journey here ends at Täsch, and what happens in the twelve minutes after that is the part worth getting right.
The resort
A valley that ends in a village
Zermatt sits at around 1,620 metres at the head of the Mattertal, the long valley that runs south from Visp in the Valais. The road up it is good, steady and unremarkable until it stops, because the village itself has been closed to private motor traffic for a very long time. The vehicles you see in Zermatt are small electric taxis, hotel shuttles and service vehicles, all of them authorised. Private cars, including private electric cars, do not come in.
Above the village the skiing runs to a mountain station at 3,883 metres, the highest in the Alps, with lift served glacier skiing through the summer as well as the winter. That altitude is why Zermatt is snow sure when lower resorts are not, and why it is one of the very few places where a ski trip in June is a sensible sentence.
For the person arranging the journey, the interesting part is the interface at Täsch. It is five kilometres down the valley, it is where every car and every piece of luggage changes mode, and it works extremely well when it is planned and rather less well when a family discovers it for the first time in the dark.
At a glance
What you need to know
- The villageAbout 1,620 m, car freeOnly authorised electric taxis, hotel shuttles and service vehicles operate inside Zermatt.
- Where the road stopsMatterhorn Terminal TäschAround 2,100 covered parking spaces, including about 131 with electric charging, with the station under the same roof.
- The shuttle train12 minutes, every 20 minutesRunning through the day from early morning until late evening, between Täsch and Zermatt station.
- The heliportZermatt, about 1,616 mAt the northern end of the village. Sion is around 15 to 20 minutes away in the air, Geneva around 45.
Published figures, checked in September 2026. Timetables change with the season, so we confirm the shuttle pattern for your date rather than quoting it from memory.
Getting there
Airports and typical transfers
| Airport | To Täsch by road | By helicopter to Zermatt | Why you would choose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sion (SIR) | About 1 hour 15 | Around 15 to 20 minutes | The closest airfield in the Valais, and the shortest possible last leg by air or by road. |
| Geneva (GVA) | About 2 hours 30 to 3 hours | Around 45 minutes | The dependable choice, with the most aircraft and handling capacity. See Geneva private terminals. |
| Zurich (ZRH) | About 3 hours 30 | Around 60 minutes | Useful when the flight suits Zurich, and rarely affected by the weather that closes Alpine fields. |
| Milan Malpensa | About 3 to 3 hours 30 | Not usual | Over the Simplon from the Italian side. A real option when you are coming from the south. |
| Täsch to Zermatt | The road ends here | 12 minutes by shuttle train | Or a licensed electric taxi, which is the same short run with your luggage kept in one vehicle. |
Typical times in normal winter conditions, not promises. Helicopter flights are daylight and visibility dependent. Outside London and Manchester our cars are arranged through operators we know, with winter tyres and drivers who do the Mattertal regularly.
The handover at Täsch
Twelve minutes, and one decision
The Matterhorn Terminal at Täsch is a covered car park with a railway station underneath it, and the shuttle train to Zermatt takes twelve minutes and runs at twenty minute intervals through the day. It is quick, it is frequent and it is entirely civilised. It also involves moving everything you have brought from a car to a train and from a train to whatever meets you at Zermatt station, which with skis, boot bags and a family is a genuine operation rather than a detail.
The alternative is a licensed electric taxi from Täsch, which does the same run by road with the luggage staying in one vehicle. It is the reason we ask how many bags and how many sets of skis before we say anything about timings. For four people with hand luggage the train is perfect. For eight people at the end of a long day with equipment, one handover is better than two.
At the Zermatt end, hotels send their own electric shuttles to the station and will meet a named train if they are told which one. Chalets vary. Either way, tell us where you are staying and we will have the last hundred metres arranged rather than negotiated on the platform.
By air
The heliport, and when it is worth it
Zermatt has a heliport at the northern edge of the village, at around 1,616 metres. From Sion it is a flight of roughly fifteen to twenty minutes, from Geneva around forty five and from Zurich around an hour, in daylight and acceptable visibility. That turns a three hour road journey and a train transfer into a single leg that ends inside the village, with a short electric taxi run to the door.
It is not always the answer. Mountain weather closes it, capacity in the peak weeks is committed early, and for a family with a great deal of luggage the aircraft size matters. The sensible approach is the one we take everywhere in the Alps: plan the road transfer properly, plan the helicopter alongside it, and be told which one is happening rather than finding out. Coming home, build in slack at both ends, because the descent of the Mattertal is as slow as the climb when it snows. See helicopter charter.
Local realities
What experienced visitors do here
- Count the bags and the skis honestly before anyone chooses between the train and a taxi from Täsch. It is the whole decision
- Tell us the hotel or chalet. Hotels send electric shuttles to meet named trains if they know which one you are on
- Do not plan on driving into the village, in any vehicle. Private electric cars are treated exactly like any other private car
- Check the last shuttle of the evening for your date if you are arriving late, and assume nothing from a previous visit
Around the trip
Related pages
Routes and airports
Other resorts
Request a quote
Tell us the week and the luggage
Dates, how many of you, where you are staying, and how many bags and sets of skis are coming. We come back with aircraft options, the road and helicopter plans side by side, and exactly how the last five kilometres will work.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Zermatt
Can we drive to our hotel?
No. Zermatt is closed to private cars and the road ends at Täsch, about five kilometres down the valley. From there it is a twelve minute shuttle train or a licensed electric taxi, and inside the village only authorised electric vehicles operate.
Train or taxi from Täsch?
The train is quick and frequent and perfect with light luggage. A licensed electric taxi is better when there is a lot of equipment, because everything stays in one vehicle and there is one handover instead of two.
Can we fly in by helicopter?
Yes, into the heliport at the edge of the village, in daylight and acceptable visibility. Around fifteen to twenty minutes from Sion, forty five from Geneva and an hour from Zurich. Capacity in the peak weeks goes early.
Are these your own cars?
Our own cars and chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. Swiss transfers are arranged through operators we know, and you deal with one contact at Odyssey from the front door to the village.
One contact, wherever you are