Best Ski Resorts in Switzerland for Every Winter Lover
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The cold, dense snow crunches beneath your boots as you walk from Riederalp to Bettmeralp, two car-free villages 2,000 meters above sea level in the Upper Valais.
Frosty air nips at your cheeks and misty clouds form as you exhale the pure, invigorating Swiss alpine air.
It’s dark, but the moonshine creates snow sparkles, reflecting off the ice crystals.
Welcome to Heidiland, the country not just famous for flashy watches and slowly melting chocolate but also for romantic hiking trails and mind-clearing ski resorts. Here’s our pick of the best ski resorts in Switzerland:
Discover the tremendous resorts of Flims, Laax, and Falera
Given that Laax is home to the world’s largest halfpipe and deep powder, it’s little wonder that the World Ski Awards named this town in Graubünden the World’s Best Freestyle Resort.
Laax has five snow parks with more than 90 obstacles, five valley runs, and an Olympic-sized kicker line. Complete with tournaments, freeride areas, and the Snowboard Freestyle Academy, the Flims-Laax-Falera region has become a mecca for snowboarding. So, it’s no surprise that it’s also one of the top ski resorts in Switzerland.
The mountain cable car station of Crap Sogn Gion is framed by snow-powdered mountain chains as far as the eye travels. It’s anything but what the name suggests.
The area boasts 224 km of pistes with guaranteed snow in winter. Using the INSIDE LAAX app, you can check the latest weather conditions, ticket prices, and even the best après-ski spots.
Laax has lively scenes to explore after a fun-filled day on ski trails.
Fuel up with a Bündner Gerstensuppe or Buendner barley broth and listen to live music in mountain huts and umbrella bars. Mulled wine goes down particularly well as you dance in your snow boots at Crap Bar, a granite hulk and après-ski hotspot worth witnessing.
And if you’re not done pounding powder, night skiing is fun. So, zip down on the six-kilometer-long, floodlit ski run from Curnius to Laax Murschetg between 7 and 10 pm for an extra adrenaline rush.
Getting to Flims, Laax, Falera
You can ride an airport bus from international airports like Basel or Zurich. Alternatively, jump on a train to Chur. It’s a 30-minute PostBus ride from Chur to Crap Sogn Gion’s valley station.
Hit Mount Titlis and Engelberg’s ski slopes
On par with Laax, Titlis presents a panorama of endless, snow-covered mountain ranges.
The mountaintop sits enthroned at 3,062 MASL (meters above sea level) and has year-round snow. You can also go sledding, snow tubing, and of course, skiing or snowboarding.
There is a lot to do in this area. Head to Glacier Park with its artificial ice cave and tunnel beneath the sparkling blue, 5,000-year-old ice. Or the Ice Flyer chairlift and its neighboring 100m-long Cliff Walk, Europe’s highest suspension bridge. And don’t miss the Titlis Rotair. It’s the world’s first rotating cable car.
Whether you’re soaking up the winter wonderland on the cable car or at the mountaintop’s viewing platform, you’ll feel literally on top of the world.
Titlis brims with attractions.
Engelberg is one of the best ski resorts in Switzerland for beginners featuring 82 km of slopes.
Zipping down to Engelberg from Stand, you’ll have the broad, red-flagged pistes for intermediate skiers almost to yourself. Once your stomach rumbles, you can find bars, self-service restaurants, and fine a-la-carte dining dotted all around the ski resort.
Family fun awaits you in nearby Trübsee, where sledding, snowmobiling and ziplining, an ice-skating rink and restaurants are available at the snow park. Add in Globi’s snow village (Klostermatte), featuring 8.5 kilometers of ski runs, and it’s easy to see why this area is one of the best ski resorts in Switzerland for families.
Getting to Engelberg
It’s easy to get from Zurich to Engelberg—it’s a one-hour car ride.
Otherwise, as Switzerland’s railroad network ranks among the best in Europe, you can ride the train from many towns to Engelberg.
Follow in James Bond’s footsteps at Schilthorn near Grindelwald
Snuggled into the alpine scenery at Eiger’s foothills, surrounded by dandelion- and daisy-clad meadows and bubbling streams, Grindelwald sets the bar for winter destinations. The mountain village sits at 1,034 MASL.
Dreamlike Grindelwald has benefited from its proximity to Lauterbrunnen, a base jumpers’ playground and home to the famed 007 scene in the movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. But the glacier village’s appeal is also in its old timber chalets embodying Switzerland’s alpine charm.
Mind you, it’s only a teaser of the Jungfrau region.
There’s also the Little Scheidegg at 2,061 MASL and the areas of Wengen, Männlichen, and First—known for its Sphinx observation deck. It offers mind-blowing views of the Aletsch Glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The icing on this cake? The Cliff Walk, a walkway clinging to the side of Mount First, culminating in a 45m-long observation platform over the void below. Not for the faint-hearted.
Getting to Grindelwald
If you’re looking for ski resorts in Switzerland near Geneva, Grindelwald will make your heart beat faster. There are minivans from Geneva to Grindelwald, which take about 2.5 hours.
Otherwise, ride the train from Berne or Lucerne to Interlaken-Ost, then hop on the Bernese Oberland Railway to Grindelwald.
Feel free in Riederalp, Bettmeralp, and Fiescheralp
The idyllic sunny plateau of Riederalp, Bettmeralp, and Fiescheralp have about one-hundred-and-four kilometers of groomed ski runs with Aletsch Glacier views.
Highlights include Riederalp’s Hohfluh and Moosfluh (2,227 and 2,333 MASL), Bettmeralp’s Bettmerhorn (2,647 MASL), and Fiescheralp’s Eggishorn (2,869 MASL).
Riederfurka’s Villa Cassel, now a conservation center for the Aletsch Forest, is well worth visiting.
Resin-coated Arolla pines, dozens of four-thousand-meter peaks, the Aletsch Glacier, and snow-covered mountains galore, make this fairytale region a paradise for nature lovers, sports enthusiasts, and chill-seekers.
Getting to the Aletsch Arena
Ride the train to Brig from anywhere in Switzerland. From Brig, another train takes you to Mörel, Betten, and Fiesch. Ride the cable car from Mörel if you’re going to Riederalp, Betten to Bettmeralp, and Fiesch to Fiescheralp.
FAQ
Where is the best night skiing?
You can ski from 7–10 pm at Curnius to Laax Murschetg.
What is the best ski resort for families?
Trübsee in the Titlis-Engelberg area has so much to do for kids and adults.
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