What Sunnegga and Rothorn cost with the Swiss Travel Pass
The funicular to Sunnegga is CHF 26 return at full price and CHF 13 with the pass, which makes it the cheapest lift out of Zermatt. Carry on up through Blauherd to Rothorn and you're looking at CHF 60 to 70 full price, CHF 30 to 35 with the pass. The Rothorn figure stays a range because the prices shift through the year and aren't published as a tidy list, so budget the top of it and be pleased if it comes in lower.
Nothing needs booking, and there's no reservation fee. You walk to the funicular station in Zermatt, show the pass, pay the half fare and go.
The three stages from Zermatt to Rothorn
Zermatt is about 3h 15m from Zurich via Visp, all of it on the pass, and the funicular station is a walk from the railway station. From there it's about twenty minutes of travel to Rothorn, split into three lifts that each stop somewhere you might want to get out.
- The funicular from Zermatt to Sunnegga at 2,288m, about four and a half minutes, with three to six departures an hour. It was the first funicular in Switzerland to run entirely inside a tunnel, so the ride itself is a dark four minutes.
- A gondola or chairlift on to Blauherd at 2,571m, which is where the Five Lakes Walk starts.
- A cable car from Blauherd to Rothorn at 3,103m.
The catch is that the three sections keep three different seasons, so check all three before you plan the full ascent rather than assuming a ticket to the top is on sale.
What's actually at Sunnegga
Sunnegga is the station with things to do rather than the station with the view, and at 2,288m it's the one worth a lazy afternoon.
- The Leisee, a few minutes' walk away, and swimmable.
- A wooden raft you pull yourself across the lake on.
- A playground.
- Barbecue and picnic spots.
- A marmot-watching station.
- Kickbikes for hire.
- A self-service restaurant with a large sun terrace.
Findeln is a short walk down from Sunnegga, and it holds restaurants reckoned among the best in Zermatt, one of them with a Michelin star. Allow two hours for Sunnegga on its own, or half a day if you add the lake or the walk to Findeln.
What's at Rothorn, and what isn't
Unterrothorn at 3,103m is one of the highest points above Zermatt you can reach by lift, and several sources reckon the Matterhorn looks its best from up here. What's up there is a terrace and that view. There's no lake, no playground and no mountain hut, because the lake, the playground and the marmots are all down at Sunnegga. Rothorn also sits between 0 and 10C in summer and well below freezing in winter, so bring a jacket you'd wear in a Swiss autumn.
Sunnegga or Rothorn: which half fare to buy
The choice is really between paying CHF 13 for an afternoon and CHF 30 to 35 for a photograph, so here's how they line up.
| Sunnegga | Rothorn | |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 2,288m | 3,103m |
| With the pass | CHF 13 return | CHF 30 to 35 return |
| Full price | CHF 26 return | CHF 60 to 70 return |
| Season | 13 June to 11 October 2026 | 27 June to 4 October |
| At the top | Lake, raft, playground, barbecues, marmots, kickbikes, restaurant | Terrace, view, restaurant |
| Time needed | Two hours, or half a day with the lake | Twenty minutes of travel each way from Zermatt |
| Best for | Children, swimming, a long lunch | The Matterhorn photograph |
If you're travelling with children, Sunnegga does a lot for CHF 13. If you're here for the mountain itself, pay for Rothorn and treat Sunnegga as the stop on the way home.
The Five Lakes Walk from Blauherd down to Sunnegga
About 9km downhill from Blauherd to Sunnegga, open June to September, past the Stellisee, Grindjisee, Gruensee, Moosjisee and the Leisee. It finishes at a lift station, so there's no walking back to the village, and one ticket covers the ride up to Blauherd and the ride down from Sunnegga. Only the Gruensee and the Leisee can actually be swum in, so pack the towel for the second half rather than the first. Fluhalp, near the trail, has rooms if you'd rather not come down at all.
When Sunnegga, Blauherd and Rothorn are open
The three seasons are the thing most likely to trip you up, so read them as three separate lifts rather than one mountain.
- Sunnegga runs 13 June to 11 October 2026.
- Blauherd runs to 4 October, and shuts from early May to mid June and again from early October to mid November.
- Rothorn opens only from 27 June to 4 October.
Turn up in mid June and you may get no further than Sunnegga, which is fine if the lake was the plan and annoying if the summit was. In winter, from early December to mid April, the area runs as a beginners' ski area with descents by moonlight, and a day beginner pass starts at CHF 60.
Food, toilets and shelter on the Sunnegga side
There are restaurants at all three stations, with toilets at Sunnegga and Blauherd. The self-service place at Sunnegga has that large sun terrace. If the weather turns, the restaurants at Sunnegga and Blauherd are the indoor options, and Findeln down the path is the alternative to the self-service.
Does the Zermatt Peak Pass make sense here?
The Zermatt Peak Pass is a sightseeing card rather than a ski pass, giving unlimited trips on Rothorn, Gornergrat, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Furi to Riffelberg. No price is recorded for it, and one source says plainly that it isn't worth buying for a single trip to Sunnegga. That sounds right: CHF 13 with the Swiss Travel Pass is hard to beat with any card. It only starts making sense if you're doing several of the big Zermatt lifts in a few days. What the Swiss Travel Pass is worth on every other summit is on the mountain coverage page.
FAQ
How much is Sunnegga with the Swiss Travel Pass?
CHF 13 return instead of CHF 26, so half price. Going all the way to Rothorn costs CHF 30 to 35 with the pass against CHF 60 to 70 full price, and the range is because the fares change through the year.
Do I need to book the Sunnegga funicular?
No. There's nothing to reserve and no reservation fee, and the funicular runs three to six times an hour.
Can you swim in the lake at Sunnegga?
Yes. The Leisee is a few minutes' walk from the station and is swimmable, and there's a wooden raft you pull yourself across on. On the Five Lakes Walk, only the Gruensee and the Leisee can be swum in.
Is Rothorn open in June?
Only from 27 June. Sunnegga opens 13 June 2026 and Blauherd runs to 4 October, so arriving in mid June may leave you at Sunnegga with the lifts above you shut.
How long does the Five Lakes Walk take, and do I have to walk back?
It's about 9km from Blauherd down to Sunnegga, open June to September, and it finishes at a lift station so there's no walking back. One ticket covers the ride up to Blauherd and the ride down from Sunnegga.
How long should I allow for Sunnegga?
Two hours if you just want to go up and look, or half a day if you add the lake or the walk to Findeln. Rothorn is twenty minutes of travel from Zermatt in three stages if you're going all the way up.
