10 Best Ski Resorts In Switzerland

Anyone who loves skiing will have Switzerland on their bucket list. Magnificent mountains, icy lakes, snow covered pine forests, wooden chalets, alpine sun terraces, après-ski relaxation, off-piste adventures, family time, hearty plates of delicious food … Switzerland has it all.

You might not yet have figured out exactly where to go in Switzerland. We understand. You really are spoilt for choice thanks to the well maintained pistes carving their way through spectacular scenery and the chocolate-box villages with a choice of welcoming, family-run hotels.

To help inspire you (and after much fierce discussion!) we’ve come up with our Top 10 ski resorts in Switzerland. As ever, we’re here for you if you want to chat through your Switzerland holiday plans; in the meantime, please read on and picture yourself on some of the very best ski slopes in the world.

There is always a special place in our hearts for Wengen. An idyllic village tucked away on a sunny plateau in the Jungfrau mountains, this is a superb place for a ski holiday! Despite the village’s small size, you have access to 211 kilometres of pistes across the whole region including those at Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen – with blue, red and black runs to suit everyone. There are also nursery slopes conveniently located in the centre of village for beginners. And the scenery? Unforgettable! Look up to see the famous trio of the Jungfrau, Eiger and Mönch peaks and gaze down for the full sweep of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. In the village, take a wander along the high street and enjoy the charm of the chalet-style buildings; there’s plenty of cafés along the way in which to stop and watch the world go by … and enjoy a hot drink and a pastry. We have 7 hotels to offer you here. You may like to upgrade your hotel room, to enjoy those spectacular alpine views as soon as you wake up.

Our Wengen tip: Try your luck on the challenging 4.5km Lauberhorn run, featured annually in the Ski World Cup.

Two words: The Matterhorn! If you’ve ever fancied skiing with one of the world’s most famous mountains in your eyeline, you must head to Zermatt. A fantastic Swiss village in the high Alps, Zermatt has won numerous awards over the years for the superb ski holidays it offers. The pistes are perfectly groomed with some truly challenging runs even for the most experienced skier and the network of cable cars, mountain trains and chairlifts combine to let you explore the whole region seamlessly. With skiing on famous slopes such as the Gornergrat, Riffelalp, Furi and Schwarzsee, this is winter holiday heaven. There are several runs which take you all the way back to the village and of course, some gentle slopes for beginners (could there be a better place in which to introduce yourself to skiing?!). Zermatt village itself is also known for its utterly charming wooden buildings, picturesque car free streets and excellent cuisine. Indeed, you will have plenty of fine dining opportunities, both in the mountain restaurants and in Michelin starred establishments in the village. 

Our Zermatt tip: Why not ski over the border to Italy and see the Matterhorn (or ‘Monte Cervino’) from another angle. 

Celebrating over 150 years of winter tourism, St. Moritz is the original - and many would contend the best - ski resort in Switzerland. The story goes that a hotelier in the summer of 1864 made a wager with British guests that he was so sure they would equally love the mountains in winter that he would pay for their stay if he was wrong. They did return that winter and found that their host was absolutely correct! Today, St. Moritz still entices with its alpine glamour, a huge choice of elegant boutiques and restaurants, the chance to ski on slopes featured in the Winter Olympics and the famous Cresta Run. St. Moritz lies in the heart of the vast Engadin ski region, with 350km of heartstoppingly scenic pistes. Skiers will delight in the variety of runs that are easily reached from the resort and the high altitude (up to 3,300m) guarantees good snow coverage throughout the season. Apparently, the sun shines 322 days of the year too!

Our St. Moritz tip: An afternoon skating on frozen Lake St. Moritz. A thrilling experience with fantastic scenery all around. 

Beloved of well-heeled skiers, Klosters exudes a genteel charm. Wander along the picturesque streets with their refined boutiques and take in the surrounding Graubünden scenery – this is a fantastic place for a winter holiday with a stylish but always warm and relaxed welcome. With 45km of prepared walking trails, it is a real pleasure to gently immerse yourself in the landscape. There’s nothing sedate about the Klosters slopes however: you will find yourself in the heart of an extremely well regarded ski area. During your holiday you can explore a range of local mountains including Madrisa, Parsenn and Weissflujoch, with well organised mountain transport from the village. You can also easily reach neighbouring Davos and its collection of slopes, giving you a total area of over 300 kilometres of scenic skiing (your lift pass covers the whole region). Klosters is also a good bet for families. Madrisa features ski schools and nursery slopes for beginners, 4 magic carpets and even colourful mascots making an appearance. Parents can cheer their children on while relaxing on sun loungers!

Our Klosters tip: Handy for shorter breaks as the transfer time from Zurich airport is just over 2 hours.

Not the antihero of 'Fantastic Beasts' in this case, but a much-loved resort in the Jungfrau mountains. Grindelwald is perfectly placed for a huge area of tremendous skiing. At the top of the village is the cable car for the First mountain, with its sunny, south facing ski slopes and other high-octane activities to experience such as the ‘First Flyer’ zip wire.  At the other end of the village is the smart new Grindelwald Terminal which gives you access to the Männlichen (from where you can ski down to Wengen) and the Eiger Express cable car which travels up to the Eigergletscher. Connecting these two points is some fantastic skiing, with a series of glorious slopes to enjoy during your holiday, including the Lauberhorn and the runs around Kleine Scheidegg. The whole Jungfrau ski region also boasts a great choice of mountain restaurants. Rest your ski legs and enjoy lunch and a drink or two on one of the sun terraces, accompanied by an outstanding view. With an impressive variety of skiing to enjoy throughout your entire holiday, and a delightful alpine village for your base, Grindelwald comes highly recommended.

Our Grindelwald tip: Upgrade your hotel room to one with an Eiger view. Simply awesome.

Come and ski in the ‘Pearl of the Alps’ as Saas-Fee is known, a resort nestled at 1,800m in amongst soaring mountains including Switzerland’s highest peak, the Dom. Saas-Fee offers the best of all worlds for a fabulous ski resort – a relatively small, traffic-free village, but packed with shops and lively après-ski bars. There’s a great variety of skiing for all abilities, thanks to a network of cable cars within easy reach of the village centre waiting to whisk you ever upwards to the array of blue, red and black slopes. As one of the highest ski regions in the whole of the Alps, Saas-Fee is a snow-sure resort (actually, you can even ski on the glacier in the height of summer). The alpine scenery here is to die for. Take it all in as you enjoy the skiing across 145 kilometres of high altitude pistes, or as you slide down from sunny Hannig on a toboggan! Back in the village, the panorama of mountains, snowy pines and the icy, rushing river is equally stunning.

Our Saas-Fee tip: Experience skiing on the Mittelallalin at 3,500m and treat yourself to lunch in the world’s highest revolving restaurant. 

The gorgeous scenery in the Pontresina region will astound you and make a holiday here one to remember. This is a small, traditional village surrounded by the Engadin mountains, with easy access to winter walks along the picturesque lakes of Sils and Silvaplana. As well as the picture-perfect setting, Pontresina offers first-rate skiing. Our partner hotels here offer ski passes at a greatly discounted rate, which give you access to over 350km of pistes – the largest ski region in Switzerland. Enjoy the Corvatsch, Corviglia, Muottas Muragl and Diavolezza (She Devil!) mountains and many more. To help you reach all those glorious slopes, Pontresina benefits from an excellent network of co-ordinated trains, funiculars and cable cars. The ski region is also well set up for mountain huts and restaurants, so that you can rest awhile during your day’s skiing and enjoy those spectacular alpine views. Try the Bellvista’s sun terrace on the Diavolezza at 2,978m. While you are on holiday in Pontresina, you may also want to visit St. Moritz, the village’s glamorous neighbour.  

Our Pontresina tip: Tear yourself away from the slopes for a day to experience the magnificent Bernina Express train across the Alps.

Here we are with a suggestion for an idyllic Swiss village perched on a terrace above the scenic Lauterbrunnen Valley, with excellent access to the slopes of the mighty Schilthorn. Visitors to Mürren will be charmed by the wooden chalet buildings in the car-free village … stroll around the lovely, quiet streets and breathe in the pure alpine air at 1,640m. This is perfect resort for you if you’re after a more chilled out ski holiday, where you simply want to relax in the hotel after a day on the slopes. And what skiing it is – from the enjoyably gentle slopes at Allmendhubel to the thrilling black runs with steepish moguls up on the Schilthorn, where the James Bond movie ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ was filmed. You could even challenge yourself by skiing all the way back to the village – 11 unforgettable kilometres of testing turns and magnificent scenery. As well as all the Schilthorn skiing opportunities, from Mürren you also have access to the wider Jungfrau region over towards Wengen and Grindelwald – a total of 211km.    

Our Mürren tip: Follow in James Bond’s tracks on the toboggan run from Allmendhubel back to the village. 

Klosters’ noisier neighbour, Davos has a more of an urban feel, boasting plenty of sports facilities and a choice of nightlife. Yet it is also surrounded with beautiful mountain views and features the scenic Lake Davos. This is Europe’s highest altitude town (1,560m) and is known for the World Economic Forum which is held here each year. However, we love Davos for its superb transport connections to the slopes, giving you over 300km of amazing skiing. The Jakobshorn and Parsenn have the widest variety of runs on offer for differing abilities and naturally, no shortage of mountain restaurants to stop at. For snowy activity adventures and off-piste skiing, try the Pischa. For quieter slopes and tranquil scenery, the Rinerhorn is highly recommended, or if you have younger children head to the sunny Madrisa mountain (via Klosters). You can practically ski on a different mountain every day of your holiday! How wonderful – and all surrounded by soaring peaks of the high Alps. Davos is certainly a special winter resort that never disappoints as a quality ski holiday destination.

Our Davos tip: Book a special sunrise pass for the first Parsenn run of the day. An unforgettable experience.

Here’s a great recommendation for beginners and intermediates and anyone who likes to intersperse their ski days with other activities - or even just to relax in an unspoilt winter wonderland with views of the Blümlisalp mountains. Kandersteg village is Swiss picturesque perfection, with charming wooden buildings and an alpine river running through the centre, carrying the glacier meltwater down to Lake Thun. There are easily reached cable car stations in the village which take you up to two ski areas: the Oeschinensee area - which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site – and delightful Sunnbüel. Both these areas have quieter slopes in comparison with the main Swiss resorts and offer very scenic surroundings. As such, the skiing is gentle and relaxed – and most enjoyable. On other days, there’s activities such as tobogganing to enjoy, and a network of prepared winter walking paths through the beautiful landscape. For a completely different winter experience, you could even try ice fishing in the lake. Head to Kandersteg for your ski holiday and prepare to be charmed!

Our Kandersteg tip: Try scenic cross-country skiing. The resort has access to 90km of cross-country routes.