Andermatt

Andermatt is a town and ski resort in the canton of Uri, Switzerland. It is located at a crossroad in the Alps with great historical importance. Before the opening of the Gotthard car and train tunnels, a big part of the north–south traffic had to pass through here. It has been a rather sleepy town for the last decades but is now slated for the development of a big resort by a foreign investor, so it might be a good time to visit while it is still the quiet place it is now.

Understand
In 2018, it was home to 1,400 people.

By car
There are roads in all four cardinal directions to Andermatt, and being a bit off the beaten track, driving there may be an alternative. The town is surrounded by mountain passes, and you need to cross at least one in order to get into the town. The highest of them, Furka to the west is situated at more than 2,400 m, and Andermatt is more than 1400 m (almost one mile) above sea level. Driving through alpine passes is a great experience and the views are fantastic. However remember that the engine heats up when ascending and the brakes when descending.

By train
Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (for travel details see Swiss national railways SBB ) operates local trains to Andermatt from Davos Platz, Göschenen and Visp. The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz also stops at Andermatt.

During the summer months, a bus connects to Meiringen (roughly 2 hr) via the Susten pass twice daily.

See
There are not actually many museums and monuments and that like in Andermatt. However, the town's alpine-style houses and the nature with the surrounding summits are certainly worth photographing. Do bring a camera.

Do
Like many other towns in the Alps travelers are attracted by various outdoor activities like skiing in the winter and hiking and mountain biking in the summer.



Buy
Shops in the town centre sell equipment for outdoor activities, but being a "tourist" town in Switzerland, they are not especially cheap. Classic Swiss souvenirs like chocolate, cuckoo clocks and Swiss army knives are also available.

Eat
"Hotel" and "restaurant" are interchangeable concepts in Andermatt – most restaurants are situated in hotels.

Go next
Being on a crossroad, there is many choices on where to go on from Andermatt:
 * Go south, over the Gotthard pass to sunny Ticino.
 * Head west to one of the many resorts in the Surselva.
 * Take the Glacier Express westwards to Fiesch, Brig or even all the way to Zermatt.
 * Go north, towards Lake Lucerne and one of the destinations around it, such as Brunnen or Lucerne.