The Matterhorn Railway, Zermatt, Switzerland
The Gornergrat railway is an iconic mountain rack railway, located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at 1,604 m above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gornergrat railway station is situated at an altitude of 3,089m, which makes the Gornergrat railway the second highest railway in Europe after the Jungfrau, and the highest open-air railway of the continent.
The line opened in 1898, and was the first electric rack railway to be built in Switzerland. The Gornergrat is a starting point for many hikes, as it lies surrounded by 29 peaks rising above 4,000 m in the Alps and several glaciers, including the Gorner Glacier which is billed as the second longest glacier in the Alps. At the end of the line on Gornergrat, the Matterhorn is visible on a clear day. It is also a popular skiing area.
Visit Switzerland. Epic Switzerland Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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