The Alps
Where to stay 4
Andermatt reborn – how a Gotthard garrison town became a five-star resort
Andermatt reborn: from Gotthard garrison town to The Chedi Andermatt, a concert hall and a ski area linked to Sedrun and Disentis. Our guide.
Property prices in the French Alps – VERA PI's figures area by area
Property prices in the French Alps, resort by resort: Val d'Isère, Courchevel, Méribel, Megève, Chamonix and more, from every DVF sale since 2021 by…
The great hotels of the Alps – nine palaces from Courchevel to St Moritz
From Badrutt's Palace and the Kulm in St Moritz to Gstaad Palace and Courchevel's Cheval Blanc and Les Airelles: nine grand hotels that defined the…
Méribel – the chalet village in the heart of Les 3 Vallées
Méribel's wood, stone and slate rules date from 1936. The Roc de Fer Olympic piste, chalet life, Michelin tables and Les Allues prices from VERA PI.
Itineraries 7
Gstaad in summer – the Menuhin Festival, Glacier 3000 and a car-free promenade
Gstaad in summer: the Menuhin Festival founded in 1957, the Peak Walk on Glacier 3000, Saanen's frescoed church and the car-free promenade. A short…
Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz – the journey stretch by stretch
The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz: 291 km, 91 tunnels, the Oberalp Pass, the Rhine Gorge and the Landwasser Viaduct, leg by leg, with…
Ski season in the Alps month by month – when to go
The Alpine ski season month by month: when the resorts open, the French school holidays, Hahnenkamm and White Turf, quiet January, sunny March and…
A perfect summer day in Annecy – canals, lake and starred restaurants
A summer day in Annecy: the Palais de l'Île and old town canals, the castle, a bike ride or boat to Talloires and dinner at a starred table by the…
Lech am Arlberg – a day on Der Weisse Ring
Ski Der Weisse Ring around Lech and Zürs: 22 km and 5,500 vertical metres via Madloch, Zug and car-free Oberlech, with James Turrell's Skyspace en…
48 Hours in Zermatt – Two Days Beneath the Matterhorn
Two days in car-free Zermatt: Gornergrat by cog railway, Hinterdorf and the Matterhorn Museum, Glacier Paradise at 3,883 metres and the five-lakes…
48 Hours in Megève – The Rothschilds' Ski Resort in the Shadow of Mont Blanc
Two days in Megève: skiing on Mont d'Arbois, the car-free square, three-star Flocons de Sel, the Four Seasons palace and property prices from VERA PI.
What to see 17
Lech beyond the pistes – James Turrell's Skyspace, the White Ring and a Gothic church
Lech am Arlberg beyond skiing: James Turrell's Skyspace above Oberlech, the 22 km White Ring circuit and the Gothic church of St Nicholas, built c.…
The Streif in Kitzbühel – a section-by-section guide to the Hahnenkamm downhill
The Streif in Kitzbühel: 3.3 km and 860 m of drop from the Mausefalle to the Zielschuss, the Hahnenkamm Races since 1931, and the medieval town below.
St. Anton am Arlberg – the village where Hannes Schneider taught the world to ski
St. Anton am Arlberg: Hannes Schneider and the Arlberg technique, the Ski Club Arlberg of 1901, the Galzig cable car of 1937 and the Valluga at 2,811…
The Gornergrat Railway – Zermatt's rack train to 3,089 metres
Ride the Gornergrat Railway from Zermatt: opened in 1898, 9.3 km and 1,469 m of climb to a ridge facing the Matterhorn and 29 peaks above 4,000…
The Verbier Festival – 17 days of music on a sunny terrace in the Valais
The Verbier Festival: founded by Martin Engstroem in 1994, 17 days of concerts each July, an academy and three orchestras, plus free Fest'Off events.
Sils Maria – Nietzsche's summer village between two Engadin lakes
Sils Maria in the Upper Engadine: the Nietzsche-Haus, the 1908 Waldhaus, the car-free Val Fex by horse omnibus and the Chastè peninsula on Lake Sils.
The Jungfraujoch – through the Eiger to Europe's highest railway station
The Jungfraujoch: how the Jungfrau Railway tunnels through the Eiger to Europe's highest station, plus the Sphinx Observatory and the 1930s Ice…
Évian-les-Bains – the spa town on Lake Geneva where world politics meet
Évian-les-Bains on Lake Geneva: the mineral water, the Hôtel Royal from 1909, the Évian Accords and two summits, and a summer day by the lake.
The Alps in summer – the lakes and trails worth the trip
The Alps in summer: Lac d'Annecy, Lac du Bourget, Lake Geneva at Évian, Oeschinensee and Zermatt's lakes, plus the Tour du Mont Blanc through three…
Kitzbühel – the medieval town beneath the Streif and Hahnenkamm
Kitzbühel in Tyrol: a town since 1271, the Streif downhill with its 85 per cent Mausefalle, the Hahnenkamm races each January and 168 km of pistes.
Verbier – off-piste, Mont Fort and a Swedish music festival
Verbier in Valais: off-piste from the lifts, Mont Fort at 3,329 metres, the Xtreme Verbier on Bec des Rosses and the Verbier Festival founded by a…
Val Thorens and Saint-Martin – two extremes in the same valley
The Belleville valley in Les 3 Vallées: Val Thorens, built to be Europe's highest resort, and Saint-Martin, the old village with La Bouitte's two…
St Moritz and the wager that created winter tourism
How a St Moritz hotelier's bet with four British guests in 1864 invented the Alpine winter season: Kulm, Badrutt's Palace, the Cresta Run and two…
Chamonix – the valley where alpinism was born
Chamonix's story: two Englishmen in 1741, the first Mont Blanc ascent in 1786, the first Winter Olympics in 1924, the Aiguille du Midi and VERA PI…
Val d'Isère – the high-mountain village for those who take their skiing seriously
Val d'Isère at the end of the Tarentaise: the Olympic Face de Bellevarde, 300 km of pistes with Tignes, Michelin tables and flat prices from VERA PI.
Courchevel 1850 – guide to the Alps' most exclusive ski resort
Courchevel 1850 in facts: Les 3 Vallées' 600 km of pistes, the altiport, five palace hotels, three-star Le 1947 and property prices from VERA PI.
Gstaad – the luxury village in the Bernese Oberland that doesn't want to be seen
Gstaad at 1,050 metres: the car-free Promenade, Gstaad Palace since 1913, the Menuhin Festival, polo, and Glacier 3000's peak-to-peak suspension…