The single most expensive and most dramatic trip in the series: a car-free mountain village, the Matterhorn's near-perfect pyramid, and a free bed each way at a friend's place in Besançon. Park at Täsch, shuttle up — you cannot drive into Zermatt itself.
The Matterhorn is the mountain every other mountain gets compared to — a near-symmetrical granite pyramid that looks almost too perfect to be real. Zermatt sits directly beneath it, at the head of a valley that's been car-free since 1961 (electric taxis and hotel shuttles only). At ~679 km from Meudon-la-Forêt, this is too far for a single push in a Model Y Premium with realistic range of 330–370 km, so the trip leans on your free bed at a friend's in Besançon as a waypoint each way — exactly the Savoie-Lakes pattern: drive out Thursday evening, work remotely from Besançon Friday, cover the long second leg Friday evening/Saturday morning, and mirror it coming home. Given the total distance this becomes a Thursday-to-Tuesday extended weekend rather than a standard one.
Switzerland requires a motorway vignette sticker (or e-vignette) to use any Autobahn/Autoroute — there's no pay-per-trip toll option like France. The 2026 vignette costs CHF 40 (≈€43) and is valid for 14 months (1 Dec 2025 – 31 Jan 2027 for the current run), so if you buy it for this trip it's still valid for any other Swiss trip in the series (Neuchâtel, Gruyères, Montreux, Interlaken, Lucerne, etc.) within that window. Buy it at the border, a Swiss petrol station, post office, or online as an e-vignette before you cross.
Standard motorway run east — this is the same free-stop pattern used on the Savoie Lakes and other eastern-France trips. Arrive Besançon late evening, free bed, no charging needed if you left with a full charge (well within single-charge range on tolled A-roads).
Full remote workday from your friend's place. Charge the car overnight or during the day on a normal household/destination charger if offered — you want a full battery before tackling the long second leg into the Alps. Buy the Swiss vignette today if you haven't already (petrol stations near the French/Swiss border sell them, or get the e-vignette online in advance).
Leave Friday evening if you're not too tired, or first thing Saturday morning — either works, since at ~300 km this leg is within the car's realistic ~330–370 km range and doesn't strictly require a charging stop, provided you left Besançon close to full. The Tesla Supercharger in Martigny (A9 Marché Relais St. Bernard, 20 stalls, up to 250kW) sits almost exactly on the route about an hour before Täsch, so it's a worthwhile optional top-up given the elevation gain into the Mattertal and the value of arriving with a fatter buffer before a car-free valley with limited charging. Continue via Sion and Visp up the narrowing Mattertal valley to Täsch, the end of the drivable road.
You sleep in the car at Täsch, not in Zermatt (nowhere to park a car overnight up there anyway).
Leave the bike in the car — there's nowhere useful to ride it up here and Zermatt's paths are pedestrian-priority. Shuttle up to Zermatt for the day. The Matterhorn is visible free from the village itself and from Kirchbrücke/the church square — no ticket needed for the classic postcard shot. For a proper hike with reflection-lake views, ride the Sunnegga funicular up and walk the Five Lakes Trail (5-Seenweg) — 9.8 km, ~2.5–3h, moderate, linking Leisee, Grindjesee, Grünsee and finishing near Riffelalp, with Riffelsee (the "Alpine Mirror Lake," near-perfect Matterhorn reflection on calm days) as the highlight.
This is the one comfort meal of the trip, and Zermatt/Valais is genuinely one of the best places in Switzerland for it: a proper cheese fondue or raclette. Restaurant fondue in Zermatt runs roughly CHF 37–42 per person for a classic 2–3 cheese fondue (up to CHF 49 for a truffle/champagne version); raclette can be ordered à la carte per portion at around CHF 8.50–13 per serving if you'd rather have 2–3 portions than a full fondue pot. Either way, budget ~€40–45 for this one meal — a genuine splurge given every other meal on this trip is self-cooked.
Morning shuttle back down if there's anything left unseen, or head straight out. Drive back via the same Sion–Lausanne–Pontarlier route, work the rest of the day remotely from your friend's in Besançon, free night again.
Home in time for Wednesday.
Bring the bike per usual (front wheel off, stored inside per the Car Camping & Bike Guide — no range penalty), but be honest that it's mostly dead weight on this specific trip: Zermatt is pedestrian/shuttle-only and the Mattertal valley roads are narrow mountain routes, not casual riding terrain. If you want to use it, Täsch and Randa down-valley have quieter road sections; otherwise this is a hiking trip, not a cycling one.
| Category | How it's calculated | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss motorway vignette | CHF 40, valid 14 months (reusable on other Swiss trips) | ≈ €43 |
| Tolls (French A6/A36 legs) | Meudon↔Besançon round trip, ~€30–35/leg | ≈ €65 |
| Charging | ~1,400 km round trip × ~0.17 kWh/km ≈ 238 kWh × ~€0.40–0.45/kWh (Swiss Supercharger rates run higher than France) | ≈ €105 |
| Täsch parking + shuttle | 2 nights parking (CHF 11–16/day) + return shuttle train CHF 17.20 | ≈ €40 |
| Lodging | 2 free nights Besançon (friend) + 1 night Täsch (car park or Camping Täsch ~CHF 30/€32) | ≈ €32 |
| Groceries (self-cooked, ~5 days) | Swiss supermarkets (Migros/Coop) are notably pricier than French ones — budget ~€15–18/day | ≈ €85 |
| Splurge fondue dinner | 1 person, classic cheese fondue in Zermatt | ≈ €43 |
| Misc (Sunnegga funicular, tourist tax, contingency) | ≈ €35 | |
| Total | ≈ €448 | |