Après-Ski / Nightlife

The fun starts even before the lifts close. In addition to stopping on the way down for a schnapps, Glühwein (hot spiced red wine), and so on, and assuming you can still make it down, from 4–6 p.m., stop at the Olympia Stübli on the way to town from the Sunnegga Paradise area. On the way down from Furi, Zum See, Blatten, Hennu Stall and Simi are also good after-ski watering holes.

In Zermatt, try the Papperla Pub (younger crowd), Old Zermatt (slightly older and quieter) and Elsie’s Bar (most pretentious) where the upscale crowd meets for oysters and serious, cramped mingling. For a little more elbow room, try the Hotel de la Poste across the street.

Tea rooms along Bahnhofstrasse have fantastic pastries and hot chocolate. And the Café in the Walliserhof fits somewhere between bar and tea room and has great Glühwein and Café Fertig (the Swiss version of Irish Coffee or Austrian Jägertee).

Before and after dinner there are numerous bars worth checking out. Walk to those of the Mont Cervin Palace, Zermatterhof (photo above) and Monte-Rosa Hotels, the Schweizerhof (photo below) with its fireplace. Still going strong will be the Papperla Pub and the bars of the Hotel de la Poste. For a view of Zermatt try the Panorama Bar on the top of the Nicoletta Hotel. There is no shortage of bars, and you will find your favorite tucked away in some hidden alley.

For dancing or listening to music, the undisputed place to go is the Hotel de la Poste; if it sounds like you don’t have to leave the Post Hotel, you are right. It is a totally unique concept in the ski (and perhaps any other) world. It resembles an underground jumble of something Hieronymous Bosch might have concocted—it is THE hot spot of Zermatt. Just go, you’ll understand. The disco downstairs is so confusing that on one trip we found friends thought lost years ago. The 2nd floor Papa Caesar Lounge Bar also has a great bar with less noise and on the ground floor in the back is the Pink, Zermatt’s premier jazz address. The Pollux T-Bar is good for dancing. The Schneewittchen (downstairs in the Paperla Pub) is for the younger set.

GramPi’s Pub needs a warning—if you close this place, you’re well on your way to missing tomorrow’s skiing. English-speakers are as much a part of GramPi’s as is the decor (you might even feel as if you haven’t left home). GramPi’s is easy to find right on the Bahnhofstrasse.

Finally, and not to be missed, is the Vernissage. This multi-level combination of bars, art galleries and a movie theater (showing first-run movies) is unique. The lower level has a theater set up more or less like some Hollywood mogul’s screening room, complete with a bar and lounge chairs. Grab a drink and make yourself at home. Like so many things in this town, you have to see it to believe it.

In the end Zermatt offers an incredible number of bars and restaurants; if you just follow the narrow, winding streets you will discover your own favorite. And remember, you can have one for the road—you’re not driving!