The features of Zermatt spread well beyond the town’s borders. Unless you were dropped in by helicopter, I find it difficult to imagine not feeling as though you were already in Zermatt well before you arrived. I traveled by train and, through this simple journey, was slowly surrounded by mountains, trees, snow, and eventually the Swiss chalets which mark the final stages of arrival. 

I was expecting to see the Matterhorn, that Disney-famed gem, standing tall above the rest, the town paling in comparison. 

The town is much more still and quiet than the lively accordion music that surrounds the Disney ride. And while the chalets scream Swiss culture, it is hard to imagine real people living in the obviously tourist-geared town with more shops than bakeries, and souvenirs pouring out the doors: miniature Swiss flags, backpacks, sweatshirts, t-shirts that all say “Zermatt,” and postcards of the Matterhorn’s funky peak caught at every hour of the day. 

And though the main streets of the town itself had little for me, venture just beyond these roads, and you’ll find a web of hiking trails stemming from the grassy mountainside. 

The Matterhorn is not the tallest, nor most impressive mountain in the area. It is surrounded on either side by even higher peaks, but the odd-shaped monolith impressively retains the attention of everyone around. The strength of its pull, drawing all toward it, parallels that of the great flaming eye in Tolkein’s most famous work. It was difficult to peel our eyes away, even on the hikes we took, and we would have to call out to each other to focus back on the trail.