SWITZERLAND—what an experience!

10 good reasons for visiting Switzerland during the winter

There are many good reasons for visiting Switzerland. When it comes to winter vacations and travelling, every person has different sensations, emotions and interests that come into play. That’s probably why there are as many different selections of Swiss highlights as there are people.

Here some of the facts that speaks for Switzerland:

Outdoor adventure

Switzerland offers the largest number of high altitude winter sport resorts of all alpine countries. In addition to ski runs, cross-country pistes, numerous well-prepared winter hiking trails are awaiting the visitors. But that’s not all, Switzerland is right on the mark with trend sports such as carving, freeriding, snowshoeing, zorbing, halfpiping – and sizzling snow parties. That makes Switzerland the definite winter wonderland.

"Soft, real or no adventure: you name it, Switzerland has it"

Skiing above the Tree Line

Most ski-areas in Switzerland are above the tree line. This way you can enjoy the panoramic view around you. It is so spectacular that you might forget to focus on the slopes.

“If Mountains had a home, it would be Switzerland“

Naturally Grown

Switzerland has the longest winter sport tradition. For more than 120 years tourists enjoy the Swiss winter-experience. Our resorts have naturally grown. Swiss resorts offer many advantages: great shopping, cultural events, local customs, gastronomy and entertainment. Experience all of this in a clean and safe environment, and within walking distance of your accommodation.

“Cozy villages surrounded by a gigantic scenery“

Switzerland less expensive than you think

For less than C$300 / U$200 you can rent top of the line ski equipment for the entire week, including boots. In most resorts you get a Lift Pass between C$200 to 300 C$ / U$180-U$260 for 7 days. And remember taxes and tips are always included in the posted price. You will be surprised, that if you compare the overall cost for your winter trip, that Switzerland has often the best price.

“Switzerland, your wallet will thank you“

Short Transfers

From Zurich or Geneva, our two international gateways, you are in 2 hours in some of the finest winter resorts. Both airports feature railway stations for a smooth transfer, you even can forward your luggage to your final destination.

“More time for your vacation“

Switzerland centrally located in Europe

If you have more time, why not combine your winter holidays with two or 3 days in Paris or London. These and other European capitals are just 1-2 hour’s flight from either Zurich or Geneva.

“Switzerland the heart of Europe“

A country and its people

No other alpine country has such a unique mix of cultures and languages. The incredible diversity typical of Switzerland unfolds within a small space. It’s felt and experienced right upon arrival. Contrasts like herding cows and the highest IT-density in Europe, Heidi and Roger Federer, wrestling on top of the Rigi mountain or swinging to the tunes of the Montreux Jazz Festival - Switzerland combines tradition with modern-day living and technology.

“4 cultures, 4 languages, 1 friendliness, 0 stress.“

Quality of experience

Swiss quality is an attitude. So it comes as no surprise that vacationing in Switzerland is easy, comfortable and problem-free. Everything functions! A unique and high quality rail network brings you up to the highest summits and across valleys with ever more beautiful panoramas unfolding.

“Switzerland is like a naturally grown theme. A maximum of adventures is connected by a high quality public transport system.“

Food and Wine

Enjoy over 300 different Swiss wines, more than 450 kinds of cheese, and of course world premium chocolate. Discover Haute Cuisine from Lake Constance to Lake Geneva. These are but some of the culinary delights our visitors will appreciate.

“The best of our neighboring countries combined with Swiss quality.“

Switzerland – Vacation Land

Mass tourism with all its negative aspects is something we don’t know in Switzerland. Each and every visitor is treated as an individual guest and welcomed personally. Just the way s/he likes it.

“Switzerland. Get natural“

Culinary Delights on the Slopes.

Beach chairs in the snow, a hot meal and the ultimate in music.

Winter sport would only be half the fun without the magnificent sun terraces and comfortable mountain huts on all the slopes. On the roofs of these traditional on-piste restaurants the snow piles up metres high. Inside, the proprietors spoil their guests with local specialities as the fire crackles away in the fireplace. Skiers and boarders are not the only ones to be enchanted by the magic of the huts. Tobogganers and walkers also like to sit down and soak up the sun, tapping their feet to the rhythm of the music and treating themselves to a refreshment break. For body and soul.

We take pleasure in introducing you to some mountain restaurants from five of our winter sport regions. Here is what they say:

Engelberg-Titlis: Jochpasshütte

www.jochpass.ch, Tel. +41 (0)41 637 11 87

With our waiter-serviced Jochstübli restaurant, self-service Enzian restaurant and sun terrace, we are a typical, traditional on-piste eatery known for a wide range of local specialities. Meals are accompanied by fine, value-for-money wines. Here, locals and holidaymakers quickly strike up a conversation, waving their hands, if necessary, to communicate. You can also stay overnight.

Leysin: Les Fers

www.lesfers.ch, Tel. +41 (0)79 439 50 44

A charming chalet, in the middle of the piste, offering a large, natural sun terrace surrounded by an imposing mountain panorama. Enjoy fine specialties: croûte aux champignons, entrecote steak, cheese sandwiches, pasta of the day – either in our waiter-serviced or self-service restaurant.

We also organize fondue evenings followed by a torchlight descent, and our open-air, wooden country-style bar offers a choice of music, kebabs and hamburgers and a superb atmosphere.

Grindelwald: Restaurant Brandegg

www.brandegg.ch, Tel. +41 (0)33 853 10 57

The chalet is easy to reach from Grindelwald using the WAB cog railway. But you can also get to us via ski piste No. 22 from Kleiner Scheidegg, the Eiger toboggan run or any number of winter hiking trails. Make yourself comfortable in our fully serviced restaurant, on the sun terrace or in our self-service restaurant. Try the house speciality, the world-renowned Öpfelchüchli (apple cake). Or take a drink at the Eiger Bar in our heated snow marquee. After a fun day’s tobogganing on the Eiger Run, you can also enjoy a convivial fondue.

Klosters: Alp Garfiun

www.garfiun.ch, Tel. +41 (0)81 422 13 69

To get to our comfortable restaurant hut, you can ride on a horse-drawn sleigh, walk while the children sledge, or glide on cross-country skis. Treat yourself to some homemade cake on the large sun terrace. Or maybe you fancy some barley soup, a selection of cold cuts, a Graubünden platter or Chäsgetschäder, a local cheese speciality. Every Thursday in winter there’s great atmosphere at our fondue evening.

Zermatt: Restaurant Zum See

www.zumsee.ch, Tel. +41 (0)27 967 20 45

This very old, homey mountain house is located in a tiny hamlet above Zermatt that offers great views of the Matterhorn. Specialties are fillets of lamb, calf’s liver, fresh fish and homemade pasta. Or you can try the legendary homemade cream-filled pastries! As the Mountain Restaurant of the Year 2000, and having been awarded 13 Gault Millau points, we are obliged and happy to spoil you in every way we can.

Jungfrau Region.

Fabulous descents in the Jungfrau Region!

The world-renowned destinations of Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren and Interlaken lie close to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn. An Eldorado for all winter sports enthusiasts, whether on skis, snowboard, sledge, snowshoes or hiking boots! Plenty of snowy space for everything and everybody! In the heart of the beautiful Bernese Oberland. Only one hour from Berne by road or rail. Dominated by the imposing peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. An incredible winter sports arena stretching from the Schilthorn, over the Lauberhorn to the Wetterhorn offers a total of 44 transport facilities (railways, cableways and skilifts) and well over 130 miles of marked pistes with runs down to the valley ranging from four to eight miles in length.

WENGEN-MÜRREN.

The traffic-free villages of Wengen, home of the famous Lauberhorn World Cup Ski Race, and Mürren are on sun-kissed terraces. Both destinations are perfect spots for an exiting yet peaceful skiing vacation. Ski areas are Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen and the Eiger Glacier. Müerren “musts”: 10 piste restaurants with splendid sun terraces, magnificent mountain panoramas, a friendly atmosphere and the fantastic Fun Park.

Hotel Sunstar, Wengen ****

Very centrally located, close to the station and in the direct vicinity of the cable-car up to the Männlichen mountain. The Sunstar has a very friendly, cosy atmosphere.

Hotel Eiger, Mürren ****

First class hotel with a personal touch in a relaxed atmosphere. Located in the sunny, car free village with magnificent mountain views from suites and most rooms.

Very centrally located, close to the station and in the direct vicinity of the cable-car up to the Männlichen mountain. The Sunstar has a very friendly, cozy atmosphere.

First class hotel with a personal touch in a relaxed atmosphere. Located in the sunny, car free village with magnificent mountain views from suites and most rooms.

St. Moritz.

Enjoy the sparkling champagne climate!

St. Moritz, the famous exclusive vacation resort with its “dry, sparkling champagne climate” and its very cosmopolitan atmosphere, is nestled 6,000 feet high in the Swiss Alps, where the sun shines an average of 322 days a year – more than anywhere else in Switzerland! St. Moritz is the only place in Switzerland to have hosted the Olympic Winter Games twice (1928 and 1948) and four times the World Ski Championships (1934,1946,1974,2003). In addition to winter sports, St. Moritz stages numerous attractions throughout the winter – the quality, diversity and quantity of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world: The Cresta Run, the bobsled run, the tobogganing run on Muottas Muragl, horse and greyhound races, as well as polo and cricket competitions on the frozen lake, the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, the famous Engadin Ski Marathon and many more.

There are many hotels in St. Moritz that epitomize local hospitality and have many amenities. Prices vary by season and packages are often available. Among the many we could mention are the four-star Hotel Albana and the three-star Hotel Hauser.

Lake Geneva & Matterhorn Region.

Where the Lake Meets the Alps!

Your are sure to remember the splendid fairytale winter landscapes in your childhood picture books. Large snowflakes drifting from star-spangled skies to cover the ground in a thick, white blanket. Brightly dressed children pulling sledges through enchanted silent forests with a glimpse of snow-clad peaks in the distance. Dream worlds from the past that spring to life in the Lake Geneva & Matterhorn Region during the winter. The magnificent scenery is unspoiled but the fairytale has been successfully updated to provide modern comfort and the facilities to enjoy the most recent sporting crazes.

The Lake Geneva & Matterhorn Region has always been perfectly attuned to desires of its guests, achieving a delicate balance between tradition and the latest fashion. The winter’s offer is no exception as alongside skiing, cross-country, snowboard, snow-shoe hiking and sledging there is a wide range of new fun and adventure activities including snow-tubing, skifox and snow scooters that can be enjoyed in specially-created funparks. Guests can also discover the pleasure of ice fishing, the thrill of climbing a wall of ice and the nostalgic charm of skimming over the snow in a horse-drawn sleigh. The conviviality of a snow party or the magic of night skiing by torchlight after dark are among the other delights that can transform your dreams to reality. Getting away from it all can also be simply a matter of going for a walk in the snow, being pulled along on a dog sled or exploring the surroundings on snowshoes.

As for the children … the world belongs to them in the Lake Geneva & Matterhorn Region. There are a myriad of opportunities for them to let off steam and amuse themselves to their heart’s content. They can enjoy their favourite sports, have fun, make new friends and widen their horizons with new activities. Simple pleasures that leave lasting memories to be handed on from generation to generation. Just like the story books. And they all lived happily ever after.

Majestic summits and pristine forests surround the pretty mountain village of Les Diablerets in the heart of the Vaud Alps. The 80 miles of pistes and several miles of cross-country ski and hiking trails are more than enough to lure vacationers out into the snowy landscape.

Leysin/Les Mosses is synonymous with year-round sport, adventure and relaxation! Sports enthusiasts can find everything their hearts desire here. In the Vaud Alps, care is also taken to preserve tradition, culture and nature.

Representative hotels of the many comfortable accommodations are these: Central in Leysin, Les Sources in Les Diablerets, Victoria in Villars and Ermitage in Chateau-d’Oex.

Renovated hotel in the heart of the European hot-air balloon capital (take off point of Breitling-Orbiter for its world tour). Panoramic view. Superb restaurant recommended by Gault&Millau.

For comprehensive information on what you can expect in Switzerland click here