Zermatt, Switzerland: Summer by the Matterhorn

We were in Nice, France for six weeks and wanted to plan some road trips, so this was the perfect time to visit our favorite ski town, Zermatt, and experience all of its charm in the summer. In just over five hours we'd go from the blue Mediterranean to the soaring Swiss Alps, and get to pass through beautiful Italy on the way.

It's a very easy drive up the coast of France and Italy and then inland through the Italian hills. We didn't know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised by how pretty it was passing small hill towns and picturesque landscape once we left the coast.

One surprise on the way was reaching Switzerland and following GPS through the mountains until we reached...a train? Google wanted us to put the car on a train and go through the mountains! But we decided we'd rather see the scenery than pass through it, so it added a little more time. The views, though, were worth it...and after France's heat it was refreshing to see snow on the peaks!

Zermatt is a car-free village, so we parked at the Täsch train station and caught the quick 15-minute train to our final destination, winding along the Matter Vispa river on the way.

At the train station our hotel met us with one of the small electric vehicles that scoot through town. We were staying at The Omnia, right in the center of the village. On other visits we'd stayed at The Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, a classic hotel that's been wooing guests since 1879. This time we picked something completely different: a modern masterpiece built on a rock shelf...in fact, the Omnia's vehicle drove us right into the mountain face where we took an elevator bored into the rock and soared up 148 feet to the lobby.

A modernist aesthetic is imbued through this boutique 30-room hotel, including gray granite, white oak, and custom-designed furniture by the Swiss firm USM Modular.

We have to say, from arrival and the welcome cocktails on the patio, to our room's balcony overlooking green mountains (and the sheep who woke us in the morning with tinkling bells), the service and serenity of this place was outstanding.

The fact that every room comes stocked with a decanter of bourbon that is refilled every single day...total bonus. And, although this is a modern masterpiece, the hotel feels cozy and very much of the mountains, including a whiskey and bourbon library nook with a roaring fireplace, hundreds of art and photography books, and a world-class, globally sourced collection of whiskies...not to mention a spa with views for miles. All this atop a rock, and still right in the center of town and everything there is to do and see.

We could have happily stayed in the hotel for four days, but we had places to go! Starting our first day with a hike. There are more mountain trails here than we could ever accomplish in four days, so we decided to start with a full day Five Lakes Trail. We took the Sunnegga funicular underground railway up from town, ascending to the Sunnegga sun terrace in just 4.5 minutes. From there it was all footwork and following trails to catch a glimpse of all five lakes.

Along the way we met some other hikers from California and Dorothy and her husband introduced us to the fun of posing in a field of wildflowers. After some pics and laughs, we said goodbye and went to refuel (although we'd run into them again in town the next day).

We'd made lunch reservations at Findlerhof, a classic alpine mountain restaurant along the hiking trail. We were definitely ready for some authentic Swiss food and lunch with a view and this didn't disappoint! After a day on the trails we headed back down to the village to stroll, enjoy cold beers, and...

The World Cup! The World Cup was taking place and everyone gathered to watch the games in town on a large screen with the Matterhorn as a backdrop. We cheered and enjoyed the matches with everyone...not a bad place to view a game!

We'd planned to take the Gronergrat Railway up to the summit of the Gornergrat the next day and hike, but when we found out the main attraction was "on holiday," we decided to take the Schwarzsee gondola up to the other side of the mountain instead. What's the main attraction up there that we were really bummed to miss out on?

Zermatt is known for one of the cutest things you'll ever see: Valais Blacknose sheep. These adorable creatures arrive in Zermatt at the end of June and graze the alpine meadows high above the town. There's even an app to track them so you can visit as they roam around with their shepherds. Unfortunately, we were leaving the day before the sheep returned to the mountains from their spring "holiday" so we didn't get to see them in person. Which was such a sad thing, but we did get to see plenty of other sheep and hear their bells jingle all around us. And the alpine cows and their babies were also lounging during our hikes so we got to enjoy their personalities as well. But next time, we will make sure to be there for the blacknose sheep!

Before we even reached the lift that day we saw a sign for Gorner Gorge and decided, why not? So we followed the arrows and climbed up to a wooden walkway along the stunning gorge, where water was gushing down from the peaks. A perfect morning diversion!!

We did eventually make our way to the lift and went up Schwarzee. This time we packed a picnic, found a comfy lounger at the top, and ate gazing at the peak of the Matterhorn. This is also where the "Zermatt" sign is located, a spot we've taken our photo at in the winter. What a difference without the snow! Instead of climbing up, this day we hiked all the way down to the village below and ended our day at The Omnia's spa...our feet appreciated that.

Our time in Zermatt was relaxing, the weather couldn't have been better, and there's just something about a traditional Swiss village adorned in summer flowers to make you feel like there isn't any place else you'd rather be.

Our road trip to Zermatt was everything we thought it would be and more, and Zermatt has solidified its spot as our Number One Most Favorite Place Even When We Can't Ski!

But the excursion continued on our way back to France, as we were passing right beside Italy's Lake Maggiore, so we made plans to stop for lunch. Italy's second largest lake, Maggiore stretches 40 miles across the Italian-Swiss border. We were looking forward to some pasta, seafood, and a stunning view of the water and mountains. As a break on our ride home, it didn't disappoint, and we enjoyed a beautiful, if sweltering hot, lakeside lunch and the perfect end to a perfect trip.

If you have some time and are willing to make the drive to leave the sunny shores of the French Riviera (or just anytime you're looking for an amazing escape to the mountains), Zermatt really can't be beat. We will be back...again and again and again!

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Enjoy a taste of our travels with drink recipes on Instagram - Worldwide.Cocktails.