We took a funicular up to some alpine lakes on the route to Rothorn Peak. The funicular only took a minute or two to ascend from central Zermatt. I misinterpreted the sign that read, "Zermatt 1" to mean that Zermatt was either a kilometer or a mile distant. Turns out it meant one-hour on a bicycle. We had a beautiful but slightly painful and long walk downhill (elevation loss 2000ft).