Rick Steves Says This European Mountain Attraction Is Worth The Splurge For Stunning Views

For being a small nation, Switzerland has an outsized, heavyweight reputation. Whether it's quaint villages, steep meadows, or the lakeside cities with waterfront promenades, the towering Alps captivate the imagination more than anything. They provide the backdrop to every dreamy Swiss scene. Naturally, Switzerland has one of the most famous mountain peaks in the world — the Matterhorn. Located in the south of the country, straddling the border with Italy, it is one of the most majestic mountains you need to see in your lifetime.

The Matterhorn is a mesmerizing 14,692-foot shark-toothed peak reaching through the clouds that has inspired and tantalized for centuries. Walt Disney famously fell in love with the Matterhorn, and it inspired his film "Third Man on the Mountain." Travel guru Rick Steves also finds it stunning, writing about it in his aptly named blog, "Falling in Love with the Matterhorn." One of Steves' passions is showing the rest of us that European travel can be affordable, but everyone knows Switzerland isn't the cheapest destination.

That said, Steves feels that riding the gondola up to get a better view of this world-renowned peak is worth the splurge. In a 2020 Swiss Alps episode of his travel show, he takes the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car to the highest mountain station in Europe. The ride costs around $120, and to make the most of the journey, Steves emphasizes the importance of being flexible and playing to the weather a bit. "If it's at least sunny-ish, get up the mountainside. Like me, you may find love at first sight of the Matterhorn."

The first ascent to the Matterhorn summit in the late 19th century was a decade-long race full of triumph and tragedy. Even today, the Matterhorn is one of the most difficult mountain climbs in the world. Luckily, for non-expert climbers among us, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on state-of-the-art lifts. So we all have an opportunity to reach thousands of feet in elevation and see the majestic Matterhorn up close.

The journey to see this world-renowned peak starts in Zermatt. The village is 5,000 feet above sea level, located at the end of a long valley, and part of The Glacier Express, a best-of-Switzerland scenic train ride. Just a couple of hours from Bern and around three hours from Zürich, the town doesn't allow gas-engine vehicles, so anyone who drives in must park lower in the valley and take the train to their destination. Zermatt's main industry is tourism, so there are plenty of modern hotels and activities year-round. But the Matterhorn, as Rick Steves says, is "the star of the show." The weather, however, is quite unpredictable.

Steves didn't catch a glimpse of the famous mountain until his third trip to Zermatt, so he recommends adding an extra day to your itinerary in case the clouds roll in. It's just not worth spending the money to ride up the mountain if it's hidden in low-visibility cloud cover. The best time to visit is mid-summer to early fall, and there are three famed lift routes linked with hikes up to summit stations for breathtaking views of the Matterhorn. All cost over $100, so choosing the lift that best fits your travel goals is key.

The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise route takes you closest to the Matterhorn and to the highest mountain station in Europe at over 12,000 feet. It takes 40 minutes and a series of cable cars to reach the top, so you're allowed to hike a bit and admire the views before jumping onto the next cable car. The view at the top is not the single-jagged-peak profile that the mountain is famous for, but it stunning all the same. Make sure you visit the Glacier Palace filled with ice sculptures and access the platform with panoramic views. On clear days, 38 Alpine behemoth peaks are visible. 

Another option is the Rothorn. The excursion starts at $105 and takes visitors to over 10,000 feet. Rothorn is great because it gives visitors the classic postcard view of the Matterhorn. This trip is also a series of cable cars, and the stops along the way feature hikes and restaurants if you want a coffee and a piece of blueberry cake. Due to a rockslide, this route closed during the late 2025 summer season. However, as of this writing, the operator's booking pages still list the route. Visitors are advised to check with Zermatt Bergbahnen directly to confirm opening times.

The third excursion is Gornergrat, starting at around $135. It's a classic rack-and-pinion railway that eases up the mountain. "Gornergrat is my pick if you can fit in only one high-mountain excursion," says Rick Steves, "simply because it's a best-of-all-worlds experience." Switzerland isn't cheap, and neither are the cable cars up the Matterhorn. But if anybody knows about getting value when traveling, it's Rick Steves, and for him, these mountain attractions are well worth the splurge. Just don't forget to plan in a buffer day for that unpredictable weather.