St. Moritz: the insider guide

Why St. Moritz

St. Moritz invented the winter holiday. In 1864, hotelier Johannes Badrutt made a bet with a group of English summer guests: if they came back in winter and didn’t love the sunshine, he’d pay their travel costs. They came, they stayed until Easter, and Alpine winter tourism was born.

Since then St. Moritz has hosted the Winter Olympics twice (1928 and 1948), given the world the Cresta Run toboggan track, and turned its frozen lake into a stage for horse races (White Turf) and polo. It’s glamorous, yes, but it’s also a real Engadin town at 1,822 m, with wide valleys, larch forests and famously dry, sunny winter weather.

The ski area in numbers

The skiing

• Corviglia is the home mountain: long, sunny, beautifully groomed reds and blues above the town, up to Piz Nair (3,057 m). Perfect for intermediates.
• Corvatsch is higher and snowier, with glacier skiing up to 3,303 m and the classic Hahnensee run back down to St. Moritz Bad. On Friday nights, Corvatsch also offers night skiing.
• Diavolezza is the adventure: a run of about 10 km from the glacier down to Morteratsch, past seracs and ice falls. Go with a guide; it’s a glacier.
• Lagalb, opposite Diavolezza, is steep, quiet and a favourite of locals.

Marc’s insider tip Ask about the “Sleep & Ski” packages: with many partner hotels in the Engadin, the lift pass costs only a fraction of the normal price. We know which hotels take part. And go to Diavolezza on a clear day: the view of Piz Bernina from the top is one of the finest in the Alps.

Where to eat

On the mountain, Corviglia has some of the smartest lunch spots in the Alps: Mathis Food Affairs, El Paradiso with its sun terrace, and La Marmite. In town, the fine-dining scene is exceptional: IGNIV by Andreas Caminada at Badrutt’s Palace, Da Vittorio at the Carlton, the Talvo in Champfèr and the historic Chesa Veglia. And don’t leave without a stop at Hanselmann or Hauser, the town’s legendary confiseries.

Beyond skiing

St. Moritz is the best resort in the Alps for non-skiers:

• White Turf: horse races on the frozen lake on three Sundays in February.
• Snow polo and the Cresta Run: watch, or try a guest ride down the Cresta (book well ahead).
• Winter walks and cross-country skiing across the frozen Engadin lakes.
• The Bernina Express and Glacier Express: two of the most famous train journeys in the world start or pass here.

Snow: what to expect

We looked at eleven winters of measurements (2015/16 to 2025/26) from the SLF station Valetta (2,512 m) above Bever, a few kilometres down the valley from St. Moritz. Average snow depth:

The Engadin is a dry, sunny high valley: it gets less snow than the northern Swiss Alps, but what falls stays cold and light, and the high altitude keeps the snow good well into spring. March is our favourite month: a deep base and long, sunny days.

You can check today’s measured snow depth and the forecast in the box next to this article.

Getting there

• By train: the most beautiful way. From Zurich, change in Chur onto the Rhaetian Railway over the UNESCO-listed Albula line, around 3.5 hours in total.
• By plane: Zurich, Milan and Innsbruck are all about 3 hours away by road.
• Private transfer or helicopter: we organise both, and private jets can land at nearby Samedan airport.

Good to know

• Lift pass: one Engadin pass covers Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza-Lagalb.
• Peak events: White Turf and the Snow Polo World Cup fill the town’s hotels; book early if you want to be there.
• Dress code: relaxed on the slopes, smart in the grand hotels in the evening.

Planning a week in St. Moritz? A grand hotel by the lake, a guide for the Diavolezza glacier run and a table at the right restaurant: tell us how you like to spend your days and we’ll send you two tailor-made proposals.