St. Moritz – A Glitzy Swiss Ski Resort

Glitz and Glamour at St. Moritz – but not so much in Summer…

St Moritz is one of the world’s glitziest, most expensive ski resorts, deserving its reputation as the St. Tropez of ski destinations. Our tour director referred to this place as a ski resort for the “chic-kie mickeys“, her description of the jet-set types who have heaps of money to burn. In St. Moritz you can buy everything from Chanel skis to Cartier diamonds in the swanky boutiques.

Designer Labels galore

For such a compact town centre, the concentration of designer label boutiques is amazing. Every shop window that you look at, there’s a label staring back at you, including names like Etienne Aigner – Bucherer – Bally – Cartier – Herve Leger – Ferrè – T.Mugler – Prada – Dolce & Gabana – Gucci – Donna Karan – Calvin Klein – Jil Sander – Jet Set – Versace – DKNY – Ralph Lauren – Giorgio Armani – Louis Vuitton – Escada – Bulgari – etc. Why, I wondered, would anyone buy designer goods in St. Moritz when the choices are much better in Rome, Milan or Paris?

We were here in summer and the place was quiet and had a deserted feel about it. Certainly, the summer tourists aren’t the ones who come here for designer label shopping.

St Moritz boasts some excellent skiing with outstanding views and an average of 322 days of sunshine a year. The town has two main districts: St. Moritz-Bad is the spa area located on the southwestern side of the lake, whilst St. Moritz-Dorf is on the northern side of Lej da San Murezzan.

St Moritz Dorf is the place to stay

Most of the hotels are located in St Moritz Dorf or village, located above the northern shores . The town centre is very small, and it is amazing that St. Moritz had the capacity to facilitate the winter Olympics. It is modern and lacks the medieval charm of some of the more traditional Alpine ski resorts. However, what it lacks in charm, it more than makes up for in the stunning views over the lake and surrounding mountains. In fact, one of the nice things to do here is to take a walk around the lake.

For atmosphere and nightlife, St Moritz Dorf is the place to stay as most of the hotels, restaurants, bars and shops are located here. From here, there is direct access to Corviglia, the largest local ski area, and there are also several bus stations from which you can take the free shuttle service to the other mountains.

Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza – skier’s paradise!

Ski enthusiasts will not doubt be familiar with St. Moritz – Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza are known for their unforgettable skiing experiences. Snowfall has arrived early this year and with current temperatures of Min / Max -20°C to -4°C, ski conditions are bound to get better.

Whilst St. Moritz is a winter paradise offering skiing, ice-skating, tobogganing and snowboarding, accompanied by après-ski fun, there are also lots of other activities happening in summer, e.g. polo competitions, sailing regattas, mountaineering and hiking. So if you’d like a “chic-kie mickey” ski experience, St. Moritz is the place to go. Make sure you have lots of credit cards!

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