The seven Gornergrat Bahn stations, in order
The line, station by station
Read this table before you buy, not after. The fare falls with every station you stop short of, and a single up to a lower station plus a walk is a legitimate and much cheaper day than a summit return. The row I would look hardest at is Rotenboden, because it is the trailhead that makes the walk-down plan work.
| Station | Altitude | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Zermatt | 1,604 m | The base station, directly opposite the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn main station, with the depots behind it. |
| Findelbach | 1,774 m | A minor crossing point with a freight siding built in 1956/57 for Grande Dixence dam material. Rarely a reason to stop. |
| Riffelalp | 2,211 m | Tramway link to the Riffelalp Resort, running since 1899 and Europe’s highest open-air tramway. Restaurants and a hiking start. |
| Riffelboden | 2,358 m | Not an official stop. Seasonal skier and freight use only. Do not plan to get off here. |
| Riffelberg | 2,582 m | Hiking and snow-sports base. Hotel Riffelhaus 1853, two restaurants, and the Brother Klaus chapel, whose outline copies the Weisshorn silhouette. |
| Rotenboden | 2,825 m | Opened in 1917 at the Swiss Alpine Club’s request. Start of the Riffelsee lake trail and home of the Alpine Garden. |
| Gornergrat | 3,089 m | The terminus. Viewing platform, 3100 Kulmhotel, ZOOOM the Matterhorn, the Golden Spot and the observatory towers. |
Why Riffelboden is on the map but not on your itinerary
Riffelboden sits at 2,358 m between Riffelalp and Riffelberg, and it appears on diagrams of the line, which is how the confusion starts. It is not an official stop. It exists for seasonal skier traffic and freight, and no scheduled service is going to let you off there for a walk. If you have read a route description that starts at Riffelboden, treat Riffelberg as your station instead.
Which station to get off at, and for what
- Rotenboden, 2,825 m — for the Riffelsee lake trail down to Riffelberg, 3.1 km and about an hour, and for the Alpine Garden. This is the stop that turns a train ride into a day out.
- Riffelberg, 2,582 m — for the chapel, two restaurants and the hiking network, and as the place to rejoin the train after walking down from Rotenboden.
- Riffelalp, 2,211 m — for the 1899 tramway, the restaurants and a lower, gentler walking start.
- Gornergrat, 3,089 m — for the view of 29 four-thousanders, the Gorner Glacier and everything covered on what to do at the top.
- Findelbach, 1,774 m — for completeness. There is no visitor reason to stop here.
Your return ticket is valid for one day, so a stop on the way down costs you nothing but time. Ride to the summit first while the light is on the Matterhorn, then work back down through Rotenboden and Riffelberg on later trains. Departures are every 24 minutes — see the timetable.
The stations decide what you pay
The tariff is built station by station, and this is where money is saved. A summer return to the summit is CHF 132; the same return to Rotenboden is CHF 114, to Riffelberg CHF 84 and to Riffelalp CHF 58. A single up to the summit is CHF 66. If you intend to walk down anyway, you are paying for a descent you will not take. The whole table, in both season bands, is on ticket prices, and the operator’s own purpose-built version of that plan is the hiking ticket.
What the stations have, and what they do not
Riffelalp, Riffelberg and Gornergrat all have toilets, wheelchair-accessible toilets, step-free platform access and baggage drop-off, and all three have free WiFi. Riffelberg has no ticket machine, neither Riffelberg nor Gornergrat has lockers, and Gornergrat has no wheelchair-accessible ticket counter. The full inventory is on facilities and access.
Book a return and use the whole line
One return ticket, valid for one day, covers every stop on the way back down. Live dates and prices below, with the ZOOOM exhibition included and free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Frequently asked questions
How many stations does the Gornergrat Bahn have?
Seven: Zermatt 1,604 m, Findelbach 1,774 m, Riffelalp 2,211 m, Riffelboden 2,358 m, Riffelberg 2,582 m, Rotenboden 2,825 m and Gornergrat 3,089 m. Only six are stops you can use: Riffelboden is not an official stop.
Which station do I get off at for the Riffelsee?
Rotenboden, at 2,825 m. The lake trail runs from there to Riffelberg, 3.1 km and about an hour, and the Alpine Garden is at the same station. The ticket built for that walk is the hiking ticket.
Can I stop off on the way down?
Yes. The return ticket is valid for one day and every official station is a legitimate stop, so you can break the descent as often as the timetable allows. Departures run every 24 minutes in the main season — see the timetable.
How high is the top station?
Gornergrat station stands at 3,089 m, 1,485 metres above Zermatt. The terminus was moved 71 m higher to that position in 1909 and the station was rebuilt in 2004.