The Swiss ski resort of Zermatt provides winter visitors with a combination of excellent skiing, breathtaking scenery and a delightful village base.

Popular with both skiers and climbers, Zermatt is charming resort, which mingles modern amenities with old-fashioned nostalgia. With its car-free cobbled streets and horse-drawn sleighs, the mountain village of Zermatt itself is located in a picturesque valley between two steep mountains, within sight of the towering, jagged Matterhorn.

Zermatt has a variety of different ski runs catering to all abilities and many skiers return again and again for its combination of peace and quiet, dramatic scenery and great snow. The three ski areas in Zermatt reach 3,100m at their height, providing long runs in deep snow, and the local ski season runs from November to early May.

The resort also has 21km of ski runs and a snowboard half-pipe that are open all summer long and is linked to the Italian resort of Cervinia, which offers still more skiing options.

Beginners will find some excellent safe runs and ski instruction around Zermatt, while intermediates and advanced skiers will be dazzled by the choice of terrain available to them, from open snowfields to forest tracks and some impressive off-piste action. Zermatt is also a hit with snowboarders, with two parks and two manmade half pipes and snowboarders welcome on 99 per cent of the pistes.

Surrounded by 29 peaks over 4000m, the only way to enter Zermatt is via the narrow-gauge BVZ train line or the panoramic Glacier Express. The resort is fringed by the highest mountains in Europe with cable cars providing the main mode of transport. German-speaking, Zermatt is 62km southeast of Gstaad and just ten kilometres from the Italian-Swiss border.

Zermatt has a number of excellent Alpine vantage points from which to view the iconic Matterhorn and a range of other winter activities, including canyoning, ice-climbing, heli-skiing, sledging and snowshoe hikes, can be arranged from the village. From the surrounding peaks, it is possible to see across Switzerland into Italy and even France.

The resort is famous as the base for the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 and Zermatt attracts a mixed crowd, from backpackers and snowboarders, to families and socialites. Accommodation is reflective of this, with everything from hostels and campsites to chalets and luxury hotels, all clean and well run. There are some lovely eateries along the main street, from cheap pizza and pasta places to traditional Swiss fondue.

With a permanent population, of just 4,000, the resort's village is small, welcoming and lively, with pretty shops, hotels and eateries. Zermatt itself can be expensive and there are cheaper and more rustic options available in the mountains.

The friendly and energetic nightlife is worth visiting the village itself for, with bars and nightclubs for all tastes. Other attractions in Zermatt include the Alpine Museum and the old chalets and buildings of the village's Hinterdorf quarter.