Planning a ski trip to Switzerland
Choosing a resort in Switzerland is not choosing the famous one: it is matching three things — your dates, the altitude the snow sits at, and the size of the ski area — to the people you travel with. Below are the 11 resorts in Switzerland with those figures side by side, each linking to its own day-planning page.
The resorts of Switzerland, with their figures
| Resort | Area | Base altitude | Top altitude | Vertical drop | Km of piste | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zermatt | Valais | 1620 m | 3883 m | 2263 m | 360 km | October 25, 2026 – May 3, 2027 |
| Engelberg - Titlis | Zentralschweiz | 1013 m | 3238 m | 2225 m | 82 km | November 15, 2026 – May 3, 2027 |
| Flims - Laax - Falera | Graubunden | 1050 m | 3018 m | 1968 m | 224 km | November 22, 2026 – April 26, 2027 |
| Verbier | 4 Vallees | 1500 m | 3330 m | 1830 m | 410 km | November 29, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
| Davos Klosters | Graubunden | 1120 m | 2844 m | 1724 m | 300 km | November 22, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
| Saas-Fee | Valais | 1800 m | 3500 m | 1700 m | 150 km | November 1, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
| Andermatt | Zentralschweiz | 1437 m | 2963 m | 1526 m | 120 km | November 29, 2026 – April 26, 2027 |
| Crans-Montana | Valais | 1500 m | 3000 m | 1500 m | 140 km | November 29, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
| St. Moritz | Engadin | 1775 m | 3057 m | 1282 m | 350 km | November 22, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
| Grindelwald | Berner Oberland | 1034 m | 2168 m | 1134 m | 213 km | December 6, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
| Bettmeralp | Valais | 1934 m | 2647 m | 713 m | 104 km | December 6, 2026 – April 19, 2027 |
Altitudes and kilometres are the ones each resort publishes. The season window is the usual one for the country while the resort has not announced its own dates; official dates appear on the opening-dates page as soon as they are published.
How to read this table before booking in Switzerland
Base altitude rules December and March
It is the height you start skiing at, and the first snow to go. At the start of the season and in spring, two resorts in Switzerland with the same piste kilometres are not in the same situation if one starts at 1,500 m and the other at 2,100 m.
Vertical drop tells you how much you actually ski
Top minus base is the longest possible descent. A big drop means long runs — and that when it is raining at the bottom it may be snowing at the top.
Kilometres are not the only measure of size
They count the length of marked pistes, not how varied the terrain is or how many people fit on it. They are useful for comparing resorts within the same country, which is how they are laid out here.
Your dates matter more than your resort
Christmas, New Year and the February half-term fill every resort in Switzerland; the second half of January and of March are the same pistes with half the people. If you can move the dates, move them before you move the resort.
Plan the day at a resort
- Planning your ski day in Zermatt
- Planning your ski day in Engelberg - Titlis
- Planning your ski day in Flims - Laax - Falera
- Planning your ski day in Verbier
- Planning your ski day in Davos Klosters
- Planning your ski day in Saas-Fee
- Planning your ski day in Andermatt
- Planning your ski day in Crans-Montana
- Planning your ski day in St. Moritz
- Planning your ski day in Grindelwald
- Planning your ski day in Bettmeralp
FAQ
When does the ski season start in Switzerland?
It depends on the resort and the year. This page carries each resort's usual window; the official date, as soon as the resort announces it, goes on the opening-dates page with its source. We do not invent openings the resort has not confirmed.
Which resort in Switzerland is best to learn at?
There is no single answer, but there is a checkable criterion: look at the share of green and blue pistes and whether the resort has a snow garden, with its age range. Both are on our skiing-with-kids page for each country.
Is a multi-day lift pass worth it?
From three consecutive days it almost always is, and from five the gap is large. Where we sell lift passes directly you will see the real per-day price on the resort page; where we do not, the link goes to the official ticket office.
Can I book gear before I arrive?
Yes, and it is what saves most time on day one: you collect with your size already set aside instead of queueing. Every resort with a linked shop has its own rental page.
How long does it take to reach the resorts in Switzerland?
We do not say, because we have no reliable road times and a made-up figure on a snowy day is dangerous. What we do publish for each resort is the train and bus stops that exist around the base and how far away they are as the crow flies.