Whether you want to head to St. Moritz for timeless ski fun or you love staring at Matterhorn over Zermatt, your ski dreams probably feature the sights and snowscapes of Switzerland.
This snow kingdom has become the mecca for skiers who want to enjoy majestic mountains and challenging runs while relaxing in luxury at some of the finest ski resorts.
If you’re a fan of getting the first, fresh powder run or a groomed path, skiers can find both in this beautiful land with panoramic mountain views and bewildering heights. The state-of-the-art facilities and life systems in this region also make it easy to get in multiple runs per day.
Here are our favorite choices for ski resorts in Switzerland.
1. Zermatt
We started with the best because it truly is. With 2,133 meters of a vertical drop, Switzerland’s greatest ski resort is located at Zermatt, referred to as the skier’s dream.
This resort sits just at the base of Matterhorn and rises up from the nearby village. There are 360 miles of trails here with two countries and three resort towns connected around the mountain.
In 2019, the world’s highest cableway was opened for the new season. It’s called the Matterhorn glacier ride and can carry 2,000 skiers per hour to the glacier, which has an altitude of 3,883 meters.
You can ski year-round at this altitude, and if you need help, just tap into the Zermatt Skiguide app. It uses GPS to take you to each area around the mountain.
Zermatt is also famous for its long ski runs and other paths that work for all levels. Beginner skiers and children can head over to Wolli’s Park if they want to experience lesser challenging runs and get their bearings before heading out to some of the trickier trails on Matterhorn.
If you love to ski and want to experience the best, then Zermatt is definitely the ski resort you should visit first in Switzerland.
2. St. Moritz
The second-best place to go if you’re looking for the top places to ski in Switzerland is St. Moritz. This is one of the oldest and most renown winter sports resorts in the area.
St. Moritz has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, once in 1928 and again in 1948. The Olympic ski-jump and challenging slopes make it the site of world championship ski events to this day.
However, St. Moritz isn’t just for the Olympians and professional skiers. You can find 20 lifts with ranging skill levels. Many families often choose to go to St. Moritz because of their social life as well. You can head town to Silvaplana, where you’ll find kid-friendly slopes and lifts to the Corvatsch slopes.
The area is much more lively in the winter when the villages open up for Nordic skiing, tobogganing, bobsledding, and ice skating.
If you want to have some wild fun, head to St. Moritz at the end of January for the Snow Polo World Cup or in February, go to the White Turf St. Moritz horserace event.
3. Davos-Klosters and Parsenn
If you want more challenging runs and as a network of mountains, then Davos-Klosters and Parsenn is the place to go. We love this area for two reasons: Davos and Klosters.
These are two separate Alpine villages connected by the mountains. You can ski from one to the next, enjoying 300 kilometers of groomed paths. However, if you like a challenge, the off-piste terrain in this area is worth a go as well.
Parsenn is what links the two towns. You’ll find the most challenging runs in this area, and it has some of the most exhausting runs on the Alps.
You’ll find that the longest run is 13 kilometers and takes you from Weissfluhgipfel to Küblis, leading to a vertical drop of 2,034 meters. It’s exhilarating to ski these slopes.
4. Verbier — Voted Best Ski Resort in Switzerland 2018
Expert skiers wanted. Verbier is a finely tuned ski resort with a ton of backcountry slopes to conquer and well known off-piste skiing trails.
In fact, the Tortin is a challenging, steep descent. If you love a natural run, then you’ll get up every day to head up to the Grand Combin and Mont Blanc.
One of the great advantages to this ski resort is that it’s part of the Four Valleys, joining Veysonnaz, Nendaz, and Thyon. You’ll get a ton of skiing done with over 410 kilometers of the best trails as well as 93 lifts that connect all of them.
This is truly an experienced skier’s paradise. If you’re not up for some of the experts runs here, then you can stick to the intermediate level trails, which takes you to Bruson.
There’s also a snow park with a Verbier Ride that hosts freestyle events and the Verbier Xtreme freeride competitors. All of these are apart of the renown Freeride World Tour.
Lodging here isn’t always kind to the wallet, however. Since it was named the best ski resort in Switzerland in 2018, the resort has filled up with skiers and their families looking for an escape from the traditional St. Moritz and Zermatt vacations.
5. Grindelwald, Wengen & Jungfrau
With 206 kilometers of runs and slopes, you will find endless snow adventures on the three peaks of the Jungfrau massif.
Whether you like expert level runs or want intermediate, you can ride the Jungfraubahn railway to all of the peaks, across 4,000 meters of trails.
Of course, Grindelwald has become a famous Alpine village with picturesque village spots and panoramic mountain views. You’ll find yourself staring at the Eiger mountain and enjoying the slopes of Wengen every day.
Most skiers head to Grindelwald-First for the freestyle superpipe or for the off-piste freeriding as well. In fact, you’ll find one of Europe’s longest lifts here, where skiers and boarders are ferried to miles of Alpine ski trails.
In this area, luxury hotels like Hotel Eiger and Eiger Guesthouse are the best places to stay in.
6. Saas-Fee
We love that Saas-Fee rose up in the ski resort awards in 2018. The ski resort was noted for its dependable groomed runs as well as being the closest resort to the highest peak in Switzerland, known as the Dom. The resort combines 150 kilometers of ski trails with a 1,800-meter drop.
While most of the runs here are for intermediate skiers, there are endless trails to roam and enjoy. If you are traveling with family, Saas-Fee is the perfect place to go for all levels of skiing. There are also several miles of black-diamond trails for those who want a challenge.
In this area, there’s also a year-round snow park, as well as a halfpipe, boarder-x, and jumps on the glacier.
7. Arosa Lenzerheide
For the longest time, Arosa and Lenzerheide were separate resorts. However, in 2013, they joined up to service more skiers and make it more convenient to trekk down 150 miles of groomed runs across three different mountains.
These are some of the best trails to go to for blue-rated, panoramic views. However, the region does get a bit more sunshine than others, so you can expect to get up early for fresh powder and fun.
You can always head to the Ski Safari to take advantage of three descents with deep powder trails. There’s also the summit of Parpaner Rothorn, where you can ski across the entire glacier. We think that Arosa is probably the more attractive place to stay in the area.
Guide to Picking the Right Ski Resort in Switzerland
What makes a ski resort better than the rest? We like to think that it’s the location first. The mountain that looks the most challenging to you is probably where you’ll end up.
However, there are other things you should consider, especially if you are headed on holiday to a resort with multiple skiers of different levels.
Switzerland is hard to beat when it comes to ski resorts because it has the most dramatic mountains, such as the legendary Matterhorn.
The most impressive ski runs are also here, and along with that, the villages are prepared for the tastes of expert skiers.
Before picking the right resort, you should think about the following:
- What type of runs are you looking for? Expert challenges? Off-piste? Ski jumps? Extreme drops? Beginner snow park?
- How important is the lift system? A state-of-the-art lift system will keep you on the slopes every day.
- Do luxurious amenities matter at all? Then pick a resort with a spa and gourmet dining.
- How much do you plan to spend? Switzerland ski resorts are generally more expensive than other areas of Europe.
- Do you just want to see the most beautiful mountains of all? Then head to Zermatt!
Need even more of an excuse? Just see the panoramic views of Zermatt, Matterhorn below:
If you’ve got the budget to enjoy world-class skiing, then Switzerland is the best choice for a ski vacation. You’ll find that most of the resorts here are made just for skiers who want every option and challenging run available.
