Zermatt exists because of the Matterhorn. The village is car-free, the views are the point, and the usual way up for a first visit is the Gornergrat railway rather than a climb. It is a committed journey from Zurich or Geneva — better as an overnight than a day raid.
Tours handle the train connections and a viewpoint ticket. Clear mornings are everything; if the mountain is in cloud, the village and the glacier views from Gornergrat still earn the trip.