Ski Areas Switzerland

Ski Areas Switzerland

Switzerland is well known for excellent ski areas with rich histories. Holidaymakers will find solitary huts, car-free ski resorts, and luxurious flair.

Switzerland has 74 mountains towering above 4,000 m. Twelve such mountains are located in the Wallis Alps, among them the world famous Matterhorn (4,478 m), with its glamorous ski village Zermatt. Nearly as well known is the triumvirate of Eiger (3,970 m), Mönch (4,107 m), and Jungfrau (4,158 m) in the Bernese Oberland. Every year the famous Lauberhorn world cup ski race takes place here in Wengen. You can get to the Jungfrauen Joch (3,454 m), the highest train station of Europe, by cog railroad from Grindelwald.

The ski region Les Portes du Soleil, located south of Lake Geneva, guarantees border-free skiing enjoyment (union of 12 French and Swiss districts), and is the largest ski region in the world with 580 kilometres of piste and 194 lifts, along with "Les Trois Vallées" in France.

In 1956, Switzerland achieved honours at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. The famous destination offers glamorous flair, as well as an excellent ski area.

Après ski Switzerland

If you've decided on a winter holiday in Switzerland, you really have a great choice of ski huts, bars, casinos and party locations on hand. You also have various relaxing and sporting opportunities available : use of a sauna, massages, fitness centres, heli skiing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice skating, tobogganing, squash, badminton and bowling are just a few examples. Most of the larger ski areas also offer a varied programme of activities, including torch runs, ski races for guests, ski tours and night time snowshoe hikes. Every ski area has a wide range of restaurants pubs and snack bars available, where you are sure to find something to suit everyone's taste.

When you think about food and drink in Switzerland, the first thing that usually comes to mind is famous Swiss cheese. Therefore it's not surprising that cheese fondue and Raclette originate from Switzerland. You will not find a ski resort that doesn't offer both these specialities. Switzerland is also world-famous for producing top quality chocolate. Further Swiss specialities include Rösti, Bündnerfleisch (a type of dried meat), Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (veal stew from Zurich), carrot cake and swiss muesli.

Excursions Switzerland

There are many things that Switzerland is popular for: great cheese, delicious chocolate, the story of Heidi, and also its various mountain peaks. These topics offer a lot of variety for your trip to Switzerland. You can, for example, witness how some famous types of cheese are produced in the show case cheese factories in Affoltern in the Emmental and in Gruyère. The Maison Callier in Broc, on the other hand, is specialised in sweets. Here you can watch each single phase of chocolate production and furthermore there are workshop where your can create your own chocolate.

In Maienfeld you can follow in the tracks of Heidi, the main character of the famous children's book. In the Heididorf (village) the story of the little girl becomes alive and you can visit the original locations, the Heidihouse and the Heidi Alp, where the author Johanna Spyri got the inspiration for her novels.

Heidi's world are the mountains. Should you feel the same way, there are many possibilities of exploring the Swiss mountains, even away from the piste. Of course the Matterhorn in Zermatt is a must-see for many tourists, as it is the landmark of the country. An especially great view, however, can be enjoyed from the Säntis, whose 2,502 m high peak is not as high as the peak of the Matterhorn (4,487 m), but it still offers a spectacular panorama, because you can overlook 6 countries: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy. Furthermore, a gondola in the ski area Engelberg-Titlis provides a great view all around, because the gondola of the "Titlis-Rotair" lift makes a 360° turn during the ride. Exactly like the highest turning restaurant in the world, the "Threes!xty". It is located at an altitude of 3,500 m in the ski area of Saas-Fee - in the near of the largest ice pavilion of the world in Mittelallanin. Additionally, extraordinary "mountains" can be found in Enseigne in the Wallis. These earth pyramids are up to 15 m high and can be traced back to the Ice Age, approx. 80.000 years ago.

Those who are fascinated by water, can find not only the spring of the Rhine, the Tomasee in Graubünden, but also the largest waterfalls in Europe, the Rhine Falls in the near of Schaffhausen.

Last but not least, Switzerland also has a variety of museums on offer: from the Swiss Museum of Transport in Luzern to the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, which has the biggest cultural-historical collection, including the "Swiss miniature" in a scale of 1:25. In Melide there are more than 120 hand-made models of the most popular buildings, monuments, and means of transportation.