St. Moritz

Two-time Winter Olympics host with the Upper Engadine lakes, glacier cable cars and races on the frozen lake; starting point of the Bernina Express and Glacier Express.

St. Moritz lies in the Upper Engadine valley in the canton of Graubünden in southeastern Switzerland, at about 1,800 m. Host of the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948, it is the oldest of the Alps' luxury winter resorts. The town has two parts: St. Moritz Dorf on the hillside (shopping and grand old hotels) and St. Moritz Bad on the lake's south shore. With the town as a hub, a chain of high Alpine lakes—Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana among them—stretches southwest to the Maloja Pass; to the southeast are Pontresina, the Morteratsch Glacier, Diavolezza and the Bernina Pass; nearby cable-car mountains include Corviglia and Corvatsch. Climate: winter (December–March) is sunny, dry and cold—the season for skiing, horse racing on the frozen lake and bobsleigh; June–September is ideal for hiking and scenic train rides; in mid-October the larches turn gold, the most photogenic time of year; April–May and November are off-season, when many cable cars and hotels close. Getting there: the train from Zurich via Chur takes about 3.5 hours, and the Chur–St. Moritz section is the World Heritage Albula line. St. Moritz is also the starting point of the Glacier Express (about 8 hours to Zermatt) and the Bernina Express (about 2.5 hours to Tirano in Italy). Local trains and buses are very convenient, and in summer a stay of two or more nights at a hotel usually includes a free pass for cable cars and public transport. Allow 3–5 days. Note: prices are among the highest even by Swiss standards; at high altitude UV is strong and temperatures swing widely between day and night; cable cars and attractions are seasonal, so check current timetables before you go.

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