My husband and I are looking to visit Zermatt at some point in the next two weeks with our baby twins. I was wondering if anyone could advise whether Zermatt is buggy (and baby!) friendly this time of year or whether it is a bad idea. We have been caught out the last couple of weekends where our buggy was too big for cable cars and walking routes were too steep!

Many thanks

We just recently visited Zermatt with our baby in a single stroller. We took the train from Zurich HB to Zermatt, no problem with a buggy. Everything around town is wide enough for strollers, there are lots of them. We took the stroller up the Gornergrat tram to the top (10,000 ft) and had a great view of the Matterhorn. If you have a double wide stroller, the older tram up the Gornergrat won't work for you but they do have a fabulous new tram that is modern with a wide entrance!

The next day we wanted to take the gondola to the top of the Matterhorn Paradise...we learned they DO NOT allow children under 3 to the top due to limited oxygen. So, I went to the 1/2 way point while husband went to the top. There is NOTHING to do at the 1/2 way point, everything was closed but the gift shop..off season? And it was COLD up there. After husband saw view at very top, came back and we switched. On this day we did not have the buggy but we had the baby in a sling. I think you could bring the buggy on this route but I would recommend staying at the bottom.

Good luck!

We were only allowed up to the second stop of the Gornergrat (Riffelalp not even half way up) with out 3 month old. Apparently the rule for babies under one year old. Might be worth checking out before you go. As Switzerland 2009 said, there was not much at all to do at the stop, just a hotel and restaurant -might be nice for lunch though.

Our baby is under a year and was allowed to the top, no questions asked. However at the Matterhorn Paradise, even though we went 1/2 way up with the baby, we were still stopped and asked if we were planning to go to the top.

Great! We have now booked to go this weekend and your advice/tips are really appreciated. Now fingers crossed the forecast is accurate!

That's interesting, they refused sell us tickets when they saw the pram and asked how old our baby was. I know it's because of the higher risk of altitude sickness and lower oxygen. I wonder what the medically advised height limit is?

I know this is a really old thread but in case people search and need the info:

The medical advice according to the French mountain rescue is:

Keep babies under 12 months below 1200m and those under 18 months below 1800m.

That applies to staying in resorts.
Apparently altitude increases risk if SID and babies cant tell you they have altitude sickness. And then there are the ears of course

You can take them a bit higher for a few hours but make stops en route to acclimatize and get them to suck on a dummy or a bottle for the ears

Some French cable cars to resorts will refuse to take babies..

Of course if they are born in eg Denver they will be fine at 1600!

Interesting info. Thank you. We took our youngest to Adelboden (1800 where we were staying) when he was 5 weeks old and to be honest, because we go there a lot (and we were visiting friends who have a hotel there) we didn't really think about the altitude issue .. but realised very quickly when the baby just spent the whole 3 days sleeping, morning and night (ok I know he was a newborn but he did usually manage to stay awake for half an hour/an hour or so until then).

He seemed fine but I don't think I'd do that again.

I'm wondering how taking the baby on a plane is then viewed differently, as the cabin altitude en route is 2'000m and the rate of climb much faster than when you drive up to a resort...

I would imagine because air pressure and oxygen levels are regulated and kept at normal levels in a plane the problem isn't the same.

I`m guessing it`s more about the oxygen level than the air pressure. When we flew with our 4mths old twins they both got bottles during takeoffs and landings to help with the pressure adjustment. It worked well for us.

Oxygen levels are lower as you fly as well. There's exactly the same oxy level in an airliner cabin at 2000m as on a mountain at 2000m. Probably even lower actually as cabin air is recirculated and oxygen saturation decreases gradually.

You're entirely right as far as air pressure is concerned - it is controlled and tops out at 2400m equivalent in cruise. Oxy levels are not regulated.