Ski Davos: resort guide

Davos is a small Swiss town with international appeal that has always extended beyond its own ski slopes and those of the Parsenn ski area that it shares with neighbouring Klosters.

In Victorian times its worldwide reputation sprang from the tuberculosis sanatoriums that were built here in the belief that the crisp, clean mountain air could provide a cure, or least respite, from the ravages of the disease.

In the 1880s a local businessman bought a pair of the newfangled "Norwegian snowshoes", as skis were known at the time. The sport captivated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose wife was having treatment in Davos for TB. He shared his passion with the readers of Strand magazine and a whole new type of winter tourism was born. The town has never looked back.

In 1946 the development of the wonder drug Streptomycin heralded the demise of the sanatoriums, but by then the Swiss ski industry was already starting to emerge as a suitable replacement in Davos's economy. Since 1971 the World Economic Forum has been held here each winter, adding another financial string to the resort's bow.

Davos wasn’t built as a ski resort and it’s no architectural beauty, but then you haven’t come here to admire the solid and largely unenterprising blocks of hotels.

The town is divided into two parts: Davos Platz and Davos Dorf. Platz is most convenient for the majority of hotels and shops, while Dorf is the best base for accessing the slopes. However, there’s an efficient ski bus service, and getting from one to the other presents little problem during the day and early evening.

Anyone planning on holidaying here should first carefully examine their bank balance. Switzerland in general and Davos in particular is not a destination for a snow-sports trip on the cheap.

The majority of the accommodation is comprised of four- and five-star hotels. Once upon a time, a dozen British tour operators offered a far wider range of holidays here, but poor exchange rates and the imposition of a high Swiss minimum wage for staff has put an end to standard rental chalets. This is a real shame because the quality of the slopes remains as spectacular as ever.

After 31 years of service the 50-person Jakobshorn cable car from Platz was replaced by a new model twice the size for the 2014/15 season.

Getting there

Nearest airport: Friedrichshafen, 2 hours (152km); Zurich, 2 hours and 15 minutes (180km). 
Nearest station: Davos Platz and Davos Dorf, in the resort.

Davos ratings | Out of five

More info: davos.ch/en

Intersport

Davos