St Moritz

Overview of St Moritz Ski Resort

St Moritz is arguably one the world’s most famous ski resorts and also one of the best. It was also one of the first winter holiday destinations. In the early 1860s the owner of a farm house that welcomed summer visitors bet some visiting English tourists a free stay that they’d find winter in the Engadin sunnier and generally much more fun than cold, foggy London. He won his bet and the rest is history. Within a few short years the world’s great and good were descending on little St Moritz and vast luxury hotels appeared as well as world famous attractions like the Cresta Run. The little farm house is still there though, merged in to the huge grand Kulm hotel, one of St Mortiz's five-star palace hotels. Others include the Carlton Hotel, the impeccable Badrutt's Palace and the Kempiniski Grand Hotel des Bains. 

But a common mistake is to think that St Moritz’s fame as the winter playground of kings means it is an exclusive and expensive destination for everyone. In fact, it is as affordable as any top resort in the Alps. Alonside the designer boutiques and upscale restaurants, you'll find plenty of ‘regular’ shops and places to eat in St Moritz.

There is something special about St Moritz. Regardless of your budget you’ll be impressed by the beautiful scenery of the mountainscape around you and the timeless feel of the village itself, spreading around its famous frozen lake where the ice is thick enough in mid winter to withstand the weight of polo matches and horse races, along with thousands of watching fans.

St Moritz is in fact divided in to two centres, the original mountain resort and the famous shopping areas and hotels at St Moritz Dorf, closest to the Corviglia ski area; and then the original spa area down by the lake and closest to the Corvatsch ski area at St Moritz Bad. These two local ski areas are among the biggest of no less than eleven that make up the giant Engadin ski region, providing a choice of four large and seven small snow sport areas, with a total of 350 km (217 miles) of pistes. As well as being a big area, the slopes are also higher than in most traditional ski regions, with the villages at around 1800m at the bottom of the slopes that head up 1500 vertical metres above them.

Oh and it’s sunny, 322 days a year in fact, with the resort lying at quite a southerly latitude by Swiss standards, right on the Italian border: it has a relaxed feel that surprises some visitors.