400 km of trail, and one walk that outsells all the rest
The Five Lakes Trail (5-Seenweg)
This is the walk almost every Zermatt visitor ends up doing, and the reason is simple: it strings together five small alpine lakes — Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee, and Leisee — several of which mirror the Matterhorn on a calm day, in one moderate 9.8 km route. Starting from the Blauherd cable car station (2,571 m) and finishing at Sunnegga (2,288 m), it's a net descent of about 165 m up and 454 m down, and most people finish it in 2.5–3 hours without rushing.
Stellisee is the standout stop and the most photographed of the five — arrive before mid-morning if you want the water still enough for a clean reflection, since afternoon wind is common in the valley.
Europaweg: the serious version
For hikers who want a genuine full-day challenge, the Europaweg extension turns the same general area into a roughly 32 km, 11.5–12.5 hour route with about 1,585 m of elevation gain — a high traversing trail along the valley's north side with continuous Matterhorn views and a genuinely different character from the lift-served Five Lakes loop. This is a fit-hikers-only route, not a casual extension of the shorter walk.
Picking the right one
| Route | Distance | Time | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Lakes Trail | 9.8 km | 2.5–3 hr | Most fitness levels, half-day plan |
| Europaweg | ~32 km | 11.5–12.5 hr | Experienced, full-day hikers only |
Practical notes
Both routes are lift-assisted at the start (Sunnegga and Blauherd are reached by underground funicular and gondola from Zermatt), which means you can bank most of your elevation gain before you start walking. Trail markings follow the standard Swiss yellow-and-red waymarking system; a paper or offline map is still worth carrying since mobile signal thins out above the tree line.