Adventure,  Europe,  Hiking,  Switzerland

5 Lakes Walk in Zermatt Switzerland, a Must-Do!

September 24, 2020 / 49 Comments

Have you heard of this scenic walk in Zermatt? I just did it for the first time on September 18, 2020, and I highly recommend it! The ‘5 Lakes Walk’ is an easy 3-hour mountain hike above the village of Zermatt, a real must-do if you are in this area!

I decided to write this blog post about our wonderful day of hiking while all the details were fresh in my mind! I hope you enjoy my lake-by-lake description as well as all the photos I took in this unique paradise!

Zermatt is a two-hour drive from where we live in Switzerland, so we decided to make it an overnight journey. We probably could have done it in one day, but it would have made for an early start and late return.

Quaint village scenes on the main street in Zermatt

We left on a Thursday evening at 6 pm and arrived at Täsch at 8 pm. As you cannot drive in Zermatt, you must park your car in Täsch (it costs 16 CHF for one full day) and take the 12-minute train through the valley to the village of Zermatt. The one-way cost of the train is reasonable at 8 CHF per person.

Our hotel on the left of this building

We walked from the Zermatt train station for less than 10 minutes to reach our hotel by the river. We arrived just in time to eat a delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant called ‘Chez Max Julen‘. Max Julen is the owner of the hotel and was the 1984 Olympic Slalom champion. I found the Hotel Beau Rivage at the last minute on Booking.com. It was not too expensive (175 CHF per night) and perfect for our one night stay!

Our Hotel Beau-Rivage and the restaurant below

We had a tasty breakfast the next morning with an amazing view of the majestic Matterhorn mountain right out our window.

View from our breakfast window

We then checked out of the hotel, left our bags at reception for the day, and headed off by foot to the nearby Sunnegga funicular.

View of cemetery from our hotel room balcony

The underground Sunnegga train takes you swiftly up the mountain in only 4 minutes. But be warned that you have to pay a hefty price for such convenience and speed!

Entrance to the Sunnegga funicular

We didn’t have any special discount cards so we paid the full price for the Sunnegga train and the Blauherd gondola, 62 CHF for the two of us. We didn’t buy the return trip from Sunnegga as we were thinking to walk all the way down to Zermatt village. That plan didn’t happen after our long day, so we had to pay another 34 CHF (for two people) for the one-way ride down.

Modern interior of the Sunnegga station

I would advise you to look into the special deals they offer for using the various trains and lifts in Zermatt, especially if you plan to be there for several days. Here is the website to look for tickets.

Looking back while riding the Blauherd gondola

After you arrive at the top of Sunnegga, you follow the signs for the adjacent Blauherd gondola. After another short ride further up the mountain, you arrive at the starting point of the hike. You will look for the signposts marked ‘5-Seenweg’. The route is clearly marked all the way.

Map showing the area of the 5 Lakes Walk in the yellow circle

We were very lucky the day we chose to do this hike. The weather was sunny and warm, especially in late September. The best part was that we could see the Matterhorn very clearly! This jagged shaped tooth mountain usually has cloud cover in the afternoon, so I would suggest starting your hike early if you want to see the majestic pyramid during the entire walk.

For more detailed info about the walk, check out this link.

Getting artsy with my photos at Stellisee Lake (1st one)

The first lake is called Stellisee. It is the largest lake of the five and at the highest point (2537m) along the walk. It offers the best panoramic views and reflections of the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn summit is 4,478 meters high and one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe.

At Stellisee Lake around noontime

You should walk all around the lake to get the best photo opportunities. There were many people there, even on a Friday. We learned that this walk is extremely popular!

Amazing views like this all along the walk

As you continue the path toward the next lake, you will have amazing vistas looking out on the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains.

The path toward the other lakes after the first one of Stellisee

There are no steep descents along this 9.8km walk. I normally use hiking poles but didn’t need them at all on this hike. You will see trail signs for other routes that you can take if you don’t want to do the ‘5 Lakes Walk’.

Looking at the Matterhorn and the 2nd lake of Grindjisee down below

There is only one section of this walk that some people may not feel comfortable with. If you suffer from vertigo and tend to get dizzy in the mountains, the path between the first and second lakes is on a steep incline. It didn’t bother me at all, but some people might feel uneasy.

2nd lake called Grindjisee

The nicest part about Grindjisee Lake was the many mountain goats we saw along the path. They were chilling by a huge rock and didn’t mind us getting close for a nice photo.

Above Grindjisee with the mountain goats

The ‘5 Lakes Walk’ is special because you pass through varied terrain during the three hours. At times you are walking above the tree line and other times you are deep in a green forest.

Admiring the views along the path on the way to the 3rd lake of Grünsee

The anticipation of arriving at each of the five lakes kept our interest up throughout the day.

Reflections in the 3rd lake of Grünsee

When we arrived at Grünsee, we saw many people having picnics next to the lake and even a couple of brave souls swimming. Out of the five lakes, you are only allowed to swim in two of them, the Grünsee and the Leisee (the 5th lake).

3rd lake called Grünsee (German for green lake)

As we walked around the Grünsee lake, we could see how the color changed from a brownish tint into deep emerald green. It was a sight to see indeed! There was no view of the Matterhorn from this lake, but you could see the other majestic mountains off in the distance. Even in September, you will see frozen glaciers at the peaks.

Walking toward the Ze Seewjinu restaurant after the 3rd lake of Grünsee

By this time, we were getting hungry so we decided to stop at a very nice lodge right on the path. The Ze Seewjinu restaurant had a large terrace where we could sit outside and enjoy a relaxing lunch.

The restaurant where we had lunch

I had the traditional pork schnitzel and Mike had a huge pulled pork sandwich. This was a great way to refuel for the remainder of the hike!

My pork schnitzel lunch at our lunch stop

One thing worth mentioning is that even though Zermatt is in the Swiss-German region, everyone speaks English. They are used to many tourists from all over the world that come to this well-known area.

Mike capturing this huge exposed tree with his GoPro

After lunch, we walked through a forest toward the 4th lake called Moosjisee. This is actually a reservoir used to generate electricity. The turquoise blue lake is filled by the glaciers. Moosjisee definitely had a different color than the other four lakes.

The 4th lake – Moosjisee

From the Moosjisee lake, we could see the Matterhorn again. Even though it had clouds around the peak, it was beautiful!

Moosjisee with Matterhorn in background

After walking past the Moosjisee lake, the trail started to climb a bit. We saw several friendly mountain cows that were kind enough to pose for our pictures. You will hear many cowbells on this hike!

View of the cloud-covered Matterhorn peak before we reached 5th lake

Another surprise along this path was walking through a traditional mountain village with wooden and stone houses. We passed a group of mountain sheep, some with bells around their neck. So sweet!

Cute sheep in the village we walked through

The last lake is called Leisee. This lake is right next to the top of the Sunnegga funicular, so there were many people here. There are areas for children to play or swim in the lake.

Beautiful Lake Leisee at the end of our hike

We walked around the perimeter to take in the view from different angles. There was a cute wooden structure with a rope that you could use to pull yourself from one side of the lake to the other. Of course, I had to do it!

Cloud reflections at Leisee with Matterhorn view

At the end of our full day of fun, we hopped back on the Sunnegga funicular to return to the village of Zermatt. We stopped off at our hotel to pick up our suitcase and walked through the town to reach the Zermatt-Täsch train.

Old buildings in the town of Zermatt

It was a spectacular day! I’m so glad we finally did this hike that I had heard about and seen many beautiful photos of. Zermatt is known for its winter sports but I really like the look and feel of this town in the summer months. For more photos from this day, click here!

If you would like more details about this walk or visiting Zermatt, feel free to drop me an email at jan@janadventures.com. I think everyone coming here should experience the ‘5 Lakes Walk’, a true Must-Do!

If you liked this post, you’ll love my other posts on what to see and do in Switzerland! Check them out!

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

MY FAVORITE PRODUCTS… I get asked often which products I use when traveling so I created a page of all my favorite products. You can check it out here

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