Trek the Matterhorn Circuit
Hike a mini version of the world-famous trek through the beautiful Swiss Alps
Trek the Matterhorn Circuit
Hike a mini version of the world-famous trek through the beautiful Swiss Alps
DURATION
3 nights
LOCATION
Switzerland
ANNUAL LEAVE
2 days off work
SEASON
Jul—Sep
GROUP SIZE
Up to 8 people
MEETING POINT
Geneva International Airport, Switzerland
ACCOMMODATION
Classic
Mountain hut · Guesthouse
DIFFICULTY
Challenging
With high peaks, mountain valleys and 15-20km a day to cover, you’ll need to be experienced with a good level of fitness.
Trek through some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe over four unforgettable days
Visit Stellisee Lake and see the Matterhorn reflected on its mirror-like surface
Summit Pfulwe Peak (3400m), traverse the longest suspension bridge in the Alps and sleep in cosy mountain refuges surrounded by glaciers
Day 1
Welcome to the Swiss Alps
Driving
2.5hrs
Hiking
3-4hrs · 8km · 850m up · 80m down
Meet up with your crew in Geneva and drive for about two and a half hours, skirting Lake Geneva, to the Matterhorn Valley. After a quick gear check, start up the steep and rugged Europa Trail. Trek to the famous Europahut where you’ll spend the night. You'll arrive just before dinner is served and sleep in a cosy dormitory at over 2000m above sea level.
Day 2
Hike the Europaweg
Hiking
7hrs · 12km · 800m up · 800m down
Trek deep into the Matterhorn Valley and across the legendary Charles Kuonen suspension bridge. At 500m it’s the longest suspension bridge for pedestrian use in the Alps. Stand in the middle of the crossing and take in the jaw-dropping panoramic mountain scenery. After the bridge, continue on the famous Europaweg, a trail cut into the mountainside (with a few exposed sections), and join the Edelweiss trail to your cosy overnight mountain refuge, the Täschhütte. There will be plenty of time for a sunset beer on the deck overlooking the iconic Weisshorn and Zinalrothorn mountains on the other side of the valley.
Day 3
Summit Pfulwe
Hiking
8-9hrs · 16km · 800m up · 1900m down
Rise early and catch the sun hitting the surrounding glaciers and the circle of 4000m peaks - the kaleidoscope of colour is worth setting your clock for. Follow the rugged, rocky and beautiful Täschalp Path through the Pfulwe Pass. If you want a challenge, climb to the top of Pfulwe itself (3313m) for an amazing panorama of the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa (the highest mountain in Switzerland) and endless creaking glaciers. On the descent to Zermatt, you'll trek over the Fluealp, pass the famous Stellisee Lake and capture the iconic picture of the Matterhorn reflected on the mirror-clear water. Today is a big day with a lot of descent but if your legs are tired you can pay for the cable car down to Zermatt to reduce the distance.
Day 4
Zermatt Edelweiss Trail
Hiking
4hrs · 8km · 600m up · 600m down
Driving
2.5hrs
Wake up bright and early and indulge in a last, traditional Swiss breakfast, complete with local jams, marmalades, honey and cheeses. You’ll have a few hours to hike up the Edelweiss Trail and breathe in the mountain air before heading back to Geneva Airport. Zermatt is vehicle-free, so you'll take a 20-minute train with your guide to meet the vehicle, and then continue by road to the airport.
Included
Guides
Qualified, English-speaking mountain guides
Accommodation
1 night in a hostel, 2 nights in remote mountain refuge
Meals
Munch on tasty food throughout
Transfers
To and from Geneva Airport
Permits
All permits and entry fees
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Visas where required
Day 1
Mountain hut · Mixed dorm
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Mountain hut · Mixed dorm
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Guesthouse · Mixed dorm
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Departure day
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Breakfasts and dinners will be served at the refuges and include coffee, bread, jam and butter. Depending on the refuge, they may also include orange juice, cereal, yoghurt, fruit, cheese and meats. Dinners are hearty and served in large portions - just what a hungry hiker needs! Typical meals include a soup starter, a main course of meat and veggies with a side of grains or pasta, and a dessert like vanilla pudding or creme brulee. Picnic lunches will be provided each day with sandwiches or wrap, a salad and a selection of fruit, muesli bars, chocolate, nuts, etc.
Vegetarian, vegan and most other dietary requirements can be catered for. Just let your host know when booking.
What is the accommodation like?
The Alps
You’ll stay in peaceful mountain refuges or guesthouses high in the mountains. Accommodation will be mixed (male + female) dormitory rooms (up to 20 persons in one room). All mountain accommodation features hot showers, running water, pillows, blankets and a bar serving cold drinks. Most refuges also have outlets for charging your electronics and even wifi.
Zermatt
You’ll stay in either the Zermatt Youth Hostel or the Hotel Banhof in mixed dorm rooms with bunk beds.
Upgrades
Unfortunately, upgrades are not available due to the nature of accommodation on this trip.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Geneva International Airport, Switzerland
Arrive any time before 11:00 on Day 1
Ends
Geneva International Airport, Switzerland
18:00 on Day 4
Transfers
You'll need to arrive into Geneva Airport no later than 11:00 on Day 1. Your transfer to the Alps will depart at 11:30 sharp! Your return transfer will arrive at Geneva Airport at around 18:00 on Day 4, so if departing that evening, book any flight that leaves after 19:30.
For those wanting to arrive a day early, extend their trip, or cannot make the included group transfer times, your host can assist with booking pre/post trip accommodation and private transfers for an additional cost. Prices vary across the season with availability, it's best to book early to avoid disappointment.
Travel options
The latest possible joining time for this trip is either 11:30 at Geneva Airport, even in the event of a flight delay. If you arrive beyond this time, it will not be possible to catch up with the group. You may wish to arrive a day early and overnight at an airport hotel or in Geneva before your trip gets underway.
There are regular flights across Europe into Geneva Airport (GVA).
For those who wish to avoid flying, there are regular trains connecting London and Geneva. The fastest way is to hop on the Eurostar and change in Paris. The whole journey can take as little as 6 hours if you get a short connection. Your return leg at the end of the trip can begin at Zermatt train station for various onward train travel routes throughout Europe.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What do I need to bring?
Kit
- 35 – 50L backpack with waist belt and raincover
- Sleeping bag liner (cotton or silk). This is very important as it's a mandatory requirement at the mountain refuges. Pillows and Blankets are provided.
- Trekking poles (can be rented - see Optional Extras)
- Sunglasses
- Towel
- 2 x 1-litre water bottle(s) or 2-litre hydration bladder
- Toiletries, including sunblock
- Camera
- Earplugs (recommended)
- Cash (CHF) for drinks, snacks along the trail, tips etc.
Clothes
- Fleece or Merino pullover or sweater
- Primaloft or thin down jacket
- Waterproof jacket (with hood) and trousers
- Synthetic shirts and trousers (zip-off preferable) for hiking
- Comfortable shirt and trousers for the refuges
- 2+ pairs of wool or synthetic hiking socks
- Sturdy hiking boots
- Comfortable shoes for around the refuge
- Cap with brim to block the sun
- woolly hat and gloves (especially for late August departures)
Walking Poles
Payable In Resort
Walking Poles
…
This was my first MBA trip and it did not disappoint. A tough walk but rewarding walk awaits you in Switzerland. Our local guide Grant was very informative and kept us all going strong throughout.10/10 would recommend
Hiking around the Matterhorn in Switzerland was an absolutely amazing trip - I will definitely will be returning soon for more! I really enjoyed the experience of staying in the mountain refuges, it made the trip authentic and exciting. Grant was an excellent guide, always happy to help and chat about his knowledge of the mountains. A highlight was climbing up Pfulwe 3314m and having panoramic views of the glaciers. Another great trip by MBA, cannot recommend enough!
Fantastic trip from start to finish. Challenging hikes but with the most amazing views of the Alps, clean and comfortable mountain refuges. Highlights were summiting Pfulwe at 3314m and getting a perfect clear day on the last day for the best Matterhorn views. Big thank you to our guide Grant for such an epic 4 days of hiking.
Challenging hiking through beautiful scenery. The trails were quiet and remote, with a great balance of technical sections, wildlife and breaks at mountain refuges. Our guide was knowledgable and flexible, allowing the group to adapt our plans slightly to suit us. We were lucky enough to have views of the Matterhorn as we approached throughout the trip, but there are plenty of other amazing peaks and glaciers along the way. Kept well fed by the refuges, but do bring your own snacks too for along the route as there are some long climbs with additional energy required!
Fantastic trip. Well organised with airport transfers and pre-booking info. Comfortable and clean accomodation. Food was good and plentiful at the cabins. Well guided. And we were lucky with perfect weather to enjoy the stunning view.
This trek takes you through some beautiful Swiss scenery
This is one of my favorite experiences. From staying in the adorable mountain huts, to learning more about the terrain of the Swiss alps and summitting a mountain to see glaciers, monta Rosa and the Matterhorn. I couldn’t recommend this hike more!
Amazing and beautiful trip. Our local guide and our group was incredible. Highly recommend!
I would highly recommend this long weekend in Switzerland to anyone considering it. The views were amazing and definitely worth the challenging days hiking. The mountain huts are basic but part of the adventure. I couldn't fault our host who was very knowledgeable and the other travellers were supportive and great to chat to over games of uno in the evenings!
I went on the Matterhorn Circuit trip in mid September. It was my first ‘much better adventure’ and it was great. Being up in the alps with clear blue skies, challenging my legs to haul me and my pack up, higher than I’d ever been before, sharing the experience with a fun group and being looked after by a knowledgeable guide all made for an excellent, memorable trip.
I got exactly what I wanted from a guided trip; someone else in control and feeling safe throughout. I went as a solo traveller which is not something I would normally do. I was a little worried about joining a group of unknowns (!) but I needn’t have bothered. The group was lovely, and hearing about other adventures people had been on or had planned was fun.
Staying in the mountain huts was and experience and the food was good and plentiful.
We were lucky that the weather was on our side allowing us to climb up to the col at Pfulwe. This was the most challenging part of the route. We crossed boulder fields and threaded our way up narrow paths. To me this was by far the best bit especially when rewarded as we reached the col with the view opening up to Mount Rosa and the Matterhorn.
Our guide, Dave, was great. He read the group well and helped us gel. He clearly loved the mountains and passed on his enthusiasm.
I arrived into Geneva the night before the adventure started and stayed at the airport which worked really well for me. I picked up Swiss Francs at the airport; these were needed for snacks and drinks - the huts did not accept card. We also opted to pay for the lift down into Zermatt which cost around 30francs. Other than that everything was covered and the kit list was good.
Be warned that getting a shower at the huts was either not possible or not for the modest! Power sockets weren’t always available so a power bank was needed.
Would definitely use ‘much better’ again and recommend to friends.
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 58kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This trip is suitable for experienced hikers with a reasonable level of fitness who are able to hike 15–20 km each day, with as much as 1000m of elevation gain. You will also be carrying your rucksack between refuges so you should be confident hiking with a 35-50L pack for multiple days.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Tap water is freely available at the mountain huts and the guide will direct you to mountain springs while trekking.
Summer in the Swiss Alps is generally warm and fair, but the weather can change very quickly, bringing cold rain and wind (especially at the higher altitudes on the trek, and later in the season). Average temperatures range from 6°C to 24°C. It rains roughly half of the days each month, but storms generally pass quickly. We suggest packing layers so that you can easily adjust your temperature to suit the varied conditions.
Absolutely. You can leave anything you don't need with our host and collect it on the last day. It must be in a closed bag, rather than loose items, so that it can be properly labelled and looked after.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
Pay In Installments
You can choose to pay for this trip in as many installments as you like, with no interest or fees.
Full Financial Protection
Your money is safe. Every booking is fully financially protected.
