Prices of Swiss mountain journeys getting steeper

The Gornergrat Railway with Monte Rosa visible in the background. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Access to Switzerland's mountain peaks is becoming increasingly expensive. The price of a trip has risen by a good third in recent years, according to reporting by the Swiss German weekly SonntagsZeitung.

Since 2015, prices have climbed most steeply for trips to Gornergrat, one of the best places to see Switzerland’s famous Matterhorn peak near the resort of Zermatt, Diavolezza in the Canton of Grisons, and the Säntis summit overlooking Lake Lucerne.

Of the 21 lift companies contacted by the newspaper, only one – the Stanserhorn in canton Nidwalden overlooking Lake Lucerne – said it had not raised its prices since 2015. Two-thirds of the ski lift companies, however, had pushed up prices by more than a third over the same period.

One reason for the jump in prices is the high number of owners of half-fare and GA travelcards. These popular subscriptions offer travel on the Swiss Federal Railways and various means of local transport at a discounted rate. Another is railway and cable car operators seeking a return on investments after upgrading their offer, according to operators quoted in the newspaper.

“Twelve years ago, 45% of our guests had one of the two subscriptions, this year it’s already 70%,” says Martin Ebneter, manager of the Hoher Kasten revolving restaurant and cable car, which had to raise prices by 21% percent in the past eight years to stay afloat.