Furi is a small alpine village in the foothills below the Matterhorn. It's also the first gondola stop on the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise line, making it a convenient place to start or end or a hike.

Below are three hiking options near Furi. These are a good short activity for any day in your itinerary, particularly for an arrival day. They are also a great add-on after visiting the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise viewpoint higher up.

The Swiss like to hike here, but the tourists not so much. So you have a more authentic feel as you wander through the quiet alpine meadows.

Hike A: Furi to Gorner Gorge

The easiest option is hiking down from the Furi station to Zermatt village, visiting the Gorner Gorge on the way. At the gorge, you can pay small fee to walk through the gorge on elevated wooden walkways. It’s such a pretty path, admiring the rustic mountain huts and alpine meadows along the way.

Hike: easy • 1 hr • 2.5 km • 10 m up, 220m down • trail map 

Learn more on SwissFamilyFun.com.

Hike B: Furi to Suspension Bridge

From the Furi cable car station, it's a short hike up to very fun and slightly scary suspension bridge stretching over the gorge.

On the other side of the bridge, there is a nice picnic area in the forest with a playground, great if you have kids that need playtime. Near the playground, there is a “glacier garden” showing some interesting rock formations that were created by the glacier long ago.

Hike: easy • 1.2 km round trip • 90 mins • 120m up and down
See trail map

Hike C: Furi to Glacier Garden

If you'd like a longer hike, hike to the suspension bridge as description above. Then head further up river to the Glacier Garden, a beautiful high river valley filled with larch trees. You'll see the Gorner Glacier peeking through the mountains above the river. This is a great place for a picnic along the icy water tumbling over boulders.

You can combine this with the following hike from Furi down to Zermatt, as described above.

Stats: moderate • 3 hours • 6.4 km round trip • 300m up & down
See trail map.

Cost

If you are doing this hike on your way down from Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, you can get off at Furi and get back on after your hike.

If you are riding up to Furi for a hike, you'll either need a one way or round trip ticket depending on what you choose to do. A round trip ticket costs about CHF 20/adult. The price ranges depending on which season you visit.

You get a discount with the Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA and Half-fare.