Zermatt Lakes Guide

Two kinds of lake, one mountain

Zermatt is ringed by mountain lakes, and almost every one of them owes its fame to the same thing: the Matterhorn standing close enough, and at the right angle, to fall into the water. But the lakes are not interchangeable, and choosing the right one for your morning is the difference between a queue of tripods and a private dawn, or between a photo stop and a swimmable afternoon. Broadly they divide into two families — the high, still reflection tarns you come to photograph, and the one family lake, Leisee, you come to swim in — with a handful of quieter pools in between that reward walkers more than camera crews.

This guide reads them side by side, by the things that actually decide your day: how good the Matterhorn view is, how hard the lake is to reach, how much effort it asks, and whether you are there to photograph, paddle or simply sit. Most of the famous ones connect on a single loop — the Five Lakes Walk — so you rarely have to choose just one, but knowing their character lets you point the day at the lake that suits your weather, your legs and your party.

At a glance: the lakes compared

A quick reckoner. Heights and character are evergreen; confirm lift and railway timetables, the published walking times and current conditions before you set out.

• Stellisee (~2,537 m): the finest Matterhorn reflection; near Blauherd above Sunnegga; easy walk, dawn best.
• Riffelsee (~2,757 m): the classic doubled summit; below Rotenboden on the Gornergrat railway; short walk, dawn best.
• Leisee (~2,232 m): the family swimming lake; below Sunnegga; shallow, sun-warmed, playground and kids' trail.
• Grindjisee (~2,334 m): small, sheltered and quiet; on the Five Lakes Walk; lovely reflections, fewer people.
• Grünsee (~2,300 m): a wilder, greenish lake; on the Five Lakes Walk; more about wild setting than mirror.
• Moosjisee (~2,135 m): a turquoise reservoir-fed pool; on the Five Lakes Walk; striking colour, not a swim spot.
• Best overall reflection: Stellisee, then Riffelsee. Best for families: Leisee. Quietest: Grindjisee.

Stellisee: the best reflection

If you come to Zermatt for one lake reflection, make it Stellisee. Sitting at roughly 2,537 m above Sunnegga, near the top of the Blauherd lift, it gives the cleanest, most complete mirror of the Matterhorn of any lake in the valley — the whole pyramid laid out upside down in the water on a calm morning, with an easy, short walk from the lift to reach it. It is the picture that draws photographers from around the world, and the centrepiece of the Five Lakes Walk.

Its fame is also its catch: it is popular, and a clear summer dawn can bring a row of tripods. The reflection, like all of them, needs still air, which means the prize hour is as soon after sunrise as you can manage, before the breeze gets up — which conveniently also beats the crowd. Ride up early, walk the few minutes to the shore, and give it time to glass over between gusts.

Riffelsee: the classic, reached by cog

Riffelsee is the other great reflection, and the one most people picture when they imagine the doubled Matterhorn. It sits at about 2,757 m below the Gornergrat ridge, reached not by the Sunnegga lifts but by the Gornergrat cog railway — get off at Rotenboden, one stop below the summit, and the lake is a few minutes' walk down. The reflection here is famously symmetrical, and it pairs beautifully with the summit panorama at Gornergrat just above, so you can take in two of the region's headline views in a single ride.

Because it is served by the railway rather than the Sunnegga lifts, Riffelsee belongs to a different day than the Five Lakes — a Gornergrat day — and it suits walkers who want to descend the ridge from the summit past the lake to Riffelberg. The timing rule is identical, though: still air at dawn makes the mirror, and a breeze breaks it.

Leisee: the one you swim in

Not every Zermatt lake is for photographs and silence. Leisee, just below the Sunnegga station, is the family lake — shallow, sun-warmed and made for paddling and swimming, with a lakeside playground, the Wolli kids' adventure trail and picnic meadows around it. It is the easiest of all the lakes to reach, a few minutes from the village by the underground funicular, and the only one where the plan is to spend the afternoon rather than catch the dawn. On a still morning it reflects the Matterhorn too, so it doubles as the most accessible photo lake in the valley.

For families it is simply the best of the bunch: real alpine scenery, the Matterhorn behind, and water a child can safely play in, all without a hike. It is also the gentle reward at the end of the Five Lakes Walk, where tired walkers cool their feet before the funicular home.

The quieter lakes: Grindjisee, Grünsee and Moosjisee

Beyond the two famous mirrors and the family lake, the Five Lakes Walk strings together a trio of quieter pools, each with its own character. Grindjisee, small and sheltered among larch and alpine rose, is a connoisseur's lake — it gives a lovely, less-photographed reflection and sees far fewer people than Stellisee, making it a favourite for those who want the mirror without the crowd. Grünsee, the 'green lake', sits in a wilder, more open setting and is more about its raw alpine surroundings than a clean reflection. Moosjisee, lower down and fed by glacier melt, glows an arresting turquoise that comes from rock flour in the water rather than any reflection — striking to look at, but not a place to swim.

Together these three give the Five Lakes Walk its variety: you pass from the perfect mirror of Stellisee through the quiet of Grindjisee, the wildness of Grünsee, the glacial colour of Moosjisee, and finish at swimmable Leisee — five distinct lakes in a single, mostly downhill loop. It is the best way to understand the lakes as a family rather than a checklist, and to find the one whose mood matches yours.

When to go: season, hour and weather

Timing shapes a lake day more than any other choice. The reflection lakes live and die on still air, and the air is stillest in the hours just after sunrise — through the night the high air settles, and as the sun warms the valley a breeze gets up and ripples the surface. So the prize for Stellisee, Riffelsee and Grindjisee is an early start: cold, clear, calm, and ahead of both the wind and the crowd. Watch the forecast for a day or two, then spend the settled morning on the lake you most want to photograph.

Season matters too. These are high-mountain pools, so most are at their best from roughly late spring, once the surfaces have thawed and the surrounding ground has cleared of snow, through autumn — when golden larches make the quieter lakes especially lovely. Early in the season snow can still rim the shore and cover the higher paths; Leisee's swimming window is shorter still, summer-bound, when the shallows warm enough for children. Whenever you go, the weather has the final word: cloud can swallow the peak while the village basks, and afternoon build-up is common in summer, so plan the lakes for the morning and keep the day flexible.

How to choose — and the rules that apply to all of them

Pick by purpose. For the single best reflection on an easy walk, go to Stellisee; for the classic doubled summit on a Gornergrat day, Riffelsee; for swimming and children, Leisee; for quiet and solitude, Grindjisee. If you want the whole spectrum, walk the Five Lakes loop and let each pool make its own case. And if you only have a clear morning and a camera, the rule is simple: ride up at dawn to Stellisee or Riffelsee and beat both the wind and the crowd.

Whichever you choose, the same disciplines apply. Reflections need still air, and air is stillest soon after sunrise, so early is always better. Every lake here is high, exposed alpine ground — bring sun protection, warm and windproof layers, water and proper footwear, even for an 'easy' lake. The open swimming season at Leisee is short and summer-bound, and the high lakes can hold snow into early summer. Above all, keep the lift and railway timetables open and let the weather, not the itinerary, decide which lake you spend the morning beside.