Geneva – Aoste – Breuil-Cervinia – Petit Cervin – Zermatt – Geneva
Matterhorn Alpine Crossing
Breuil – Cervinia
Since July 1 last year, the Breuil-Cervinia to Zermatt route has offered the chance to discover one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the Alps, from Mt Rose to the Matterhorn.
Departure by bus from Geneva, bound for the Aosta Valley.
A short stop in a restaurant near Entrèves.
Then down the valley to Châtillon, before taking the Valtournenche road to Breuil – Cervinia (1,620m), which we reach in the late morning.
Lunch in a traditional inn with local delicacies
Matterhorn Alpine Crossing
After lunch, it’s time to cross the Alps with the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, which adds a whole new dimension to lift travel. This is the highest Alpine crossing by gondola.
The ascent is by gondola to the Testa Grigia/Rosà Plateau station at an altitude of 3,458 m .
From here, access the new Matterhorn Plateau Ride section to the Klein Matterhorn station at 3,883m above sea level. You’ve now reached the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, from where you can immediately enjoy the rare feeling of being close to the peaks, 34 of which are among the “4,000” in the area, out of a total of 58 in Switzerland.
From here, the ascent of the 4,164-metre Breithorn begins, an easy route that opens the way to the “4,000” for novices.
The Pininfarina-designed cabin of the cable car takes you up to the Swiss part of the massif, ending up in Zermatt in several stages.
Option
From here, accompanied by a mountain guide, you can climb the 4,164-metre Breithorn, a low-tech route that opens up the “4,000” route to novices. An excellent challenge for a company outing.
And with a Pinifarina-designed cable car, we switch to the Swiss side of the massif for a stop at Lac Noir before finishing in Zermatt (1,620m). At Lac Noir (2,583 m), you take a final photo of the whole group, weather permitting, with the Matterhorn in the background. A rocky colossus with a world-famous silhouette (4,478 m). Its slender pyramidal shape has cost the lives of hundreds of adventurers who have attempted to climb it. But it is perhaps also what has generated the immense power of attraction that Zermatt exerts today on these “conquerors of the useless”, to paraphrase the famous French mountaineer Roger Frison-Roche.
Zermatt
Zermatt in German, the language spoken in this part of the Valais, comes from zur matten (in the mountain pastures). The place was already identified in the 13th century, when a trade route over the Saint-Théodule pass linked Val d’Aoste to Valais. However, it wasn’t until 1839 that the first inn was opened, followed a few years later by the Monte Rosa hotel, which still stands proudly in the heart of the town. The initiator was Alexander Seiler, who saw Zermatt as the ideal base camp for mountain adventurers. Among them was the Briton Edward Whymper. In 1865, he was the first to reach the summit of the Matterhorn, accompanied by the Zermatters, the Taugwalders father and son, pioneering guides whose company, founded a few years earlier (1858), is a benchmark today. The foundations of high-mountain tourism had been laid, and would continue to develop as skiing became more widespread in the first half of the 20th century.
After a tour of the town, departure from Zermatt by mountain train to Visp, then on by train to Geneva.
Optional: 2-day excursion with 1 night in Zermatt
Prices
Information booklet for your guests
THE PRICE INCLUDES
- English-speaking guide
- Transportation by private car or van
- Cabble car and Gondola “Alpine Crossing”
- 1rst class train Zermat-Geneva
- Lunch at “Alpage” restaurant
THE PRICE DOESN’T INCLUDE
- Tips
- Drinks