The Alps

Where to Go

• Zermatt: a car-free village under the Matterhorn, with skiing that links over the border to Cervinia in Italy and a glacier ski area that stays open in summer.
• St. Moritz and the Engadin: a high, sunny valley that hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948, with Corviglia above town and Corvatsch and Diavolezza a short drive away.
• Courchevel: part of Les 3 Vallées, one of the largest linked ski areas in the Alps, with its grandest hotels in Courchevel 1850.
• Lech and the Arlberg: a small Austrian village linked by lift to Zürs, St. Anton, Stuben and Warth-Schröcken. Lech limits the number of day tickets it sells, which keeps the slopes calm.
• The Dolomites: pale limestone peaks in northern Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Dolomiti Superski pass covering villages like San Cassiano in Alta Badia.
• Andermatt: a small village on the Gotthard in central Switzerland, on the Glacier Express route, with a ski area that has grown a lot in recent years.

The Skiing

Alpine skiing is big and varied. Lift systems connect whole valleys, so you can ski from one village to the next and come back on a different run. Pistes are marked by color, and off-piste terrain is not patrolled, so hire a mountain guide if you want to leave the marked runs. Ski schools are strong, and the major villages have English-speaking instructors. Lunch matters here, and mountain restaurants are part of the day.

Summer

From late June to mid-September, the lifts reopen for hikers and bikers. Zermatt and the Engadin have well-marked trail networks, the Dolomites have easy walks between mountain huts and harder via ferrata routes, and lakes like those around St. Moritz are good for sailing and paddleboarding. Our guide to the Alps in summer covers the Engadin in more detail.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Fly into Zurich or Geneva for Switzerland and Courchevel, Zurich or Innsbruck for Lech, and Innsbruck, Munich, Verona or Venice for the Dolomites. Swiss trains reach Zermatt, St. Moritz and Andermatt in about three to four hours from Zurich. For Courchevel and Lech, a private transfer is easiest. We suggest a week in one village, or ten days split between two.

Where to Stay

In Zermatt, Mont Cervin Palace and Grand Hotel Zermatterhof are the two grand hotels on the main street, and The Omnia is a smaller, modern house on a rock above the village. In St. Moritz, Badrutt's Palace and Kulm Hotel are the classic pair. In Andermatt, The Chedi Andermatt is a large, polished hotel close to the station and the lifts.

In Courchevel 1850, Cheval Blanc and Les Airelles sit on the slopes of the Jardin Alpin. In Lech, Hotel Almhof Schneider is a family-run ski hotel next to the lifts. In the Dolomites, Forestis stands high on the Plose above Brixen, and Aman Rosa Alpina is in the village of San Cassiano. In Trentino, Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti is a wellness resort above Pinzolo, linked by lift to the Madonna di Campiglio ski area. Just over the Austrian border in Bavaria, Schloss Elmau suits families who want winter sports and a lot more besides.

Pairing

Zermatt, Andermatt and St. Moritz are all on the Glacier Express route, so a summer trip can link two of them by train. St. Moritz connects to Lake Como by road, and the Dolomites pair well with Venice or Verona. For the country pages, see Switzerland and Austria. Weighing the Alps against North America? Read The Alps or the Rockies for a Family Ski Trip?