Sightseeing in Gstaad - what to see. Complete travel guide

The charming and upscale winter resort of Gstaad lies in the area where four mountain ridges meet at the border of the Bernese and de Vaud Alps. Many fans of winter sports around the world know this resort as one of the most interesting and comfortable. People of art enjoy visiting Gstaad to relax and find inspiration here, and the mountain resort got an elite status due to this fact. This is a calm and serene place where it is so pleasant and simple to forget about big city stress and numerous cars. Here it is important to mention that all kinds of vehicles are banned in Gstaad. Five-star hotels open in this resort offer premium accommodation and services that are better than the services provided by five-star hotels in many other parts of the world.

The area of modern Gstaad was a part of the Burgundy Kingdom until the start of the 11th century. Later, this region became the property of the Gruyère counts. This house remained the ruler until the middle of the 16th century. The region kept developing and adding new lands during this period. However, everything changed drastically in 1500. The Gruyère counts had serious financial difficulties that urged them to start selling their lands. The family became bankrupts in 1554. Bern started controlling this region.

Gstaad started developing as a tourist destination in 1577. This is when the first hotel opened here. Later, the first mountain ski paths were made not far from the village. It was clear that the area was perfectly suitable for mountain sports. The resort became increasingly popular year after year. Tourists from all over the world were visiting this place in order to spend their vacation in a calm place with warm and windless weather. In recent decades, Gstaad became a prestigious resort, and this is the reason why it is not rare to see kings, celebrities, film stars, and famous businessmen here. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Nowadays, Gstaad offers comfortable ski areas with up-to-date infrastructure to its guests. It is possible to reach these areas by trains and buses that connect different parts of the resort. There are six different ski areas in total. The first one is situated between several villages, namely, Zweisimmen, Saanenmöser, Schönried, and St. Stephan. This massif is called Hornfluh. Ski lifts have quite an unusual location here as they form something like a skiing roundabout. The majority of mountain ski pistes have a blue label. That is why Hornfluh is the best choice for inexperienced mountain skiers and tourists with children.

Local people often use another name to call Hornfluh – “Snow paradise”. This name appeared because this part of the resort is suitable for absolutely everyone regardless of their age and training. There are many pistes and their variety also deserves a compliment – some ski runs are perfect for beginners and some are great for mastering carving. Fans of freeriding and freestyle will easily find suitable ski runs here.

Two other areas, namely, Wasserngrat and Wispile, are much smaller in size. Without a doubt, they are ideal for beginner skiers. There are not many vacationers here, and local ski runs are quite comfortable and safe for people who only learn how to ski. Intermediate skiers who don’t have considerable experience in mountain skiing may find the red ski runs of Chateau d'Oex to be the most suitable for their needs.

Eggli is a more spacious skiing area that offers tourists to visit the Chalberhoni valley, test their skills in conquering the top of La Videmanette, and then finish their skiing journey in Rougemont village. You will end up at a considerable distance from the center of Gstaad but you can always get back by train. Of course, it is possible to make a journey back using a longer road that starts on a glacier. However, it is better to get some information before making a choice in favor of this path. The height of this area is 3000 meters. Are you ok with such elevation? In this case, make a mesmerizing run down to Reusch.

Are you fond of snowboarding? Of course, Gstaad has prepared much interesting for fans of this winter sport. Each of the areas has comfortable fun parks with everything that snowboarders need. In Eggli, there are areas for quarter-pipe and big-tail-jump, as well as many other trails for beginner and advanced snowboarders. Fans of extreme activities will find it super exciting to try skiing down from mountain walls. Besides this thrilling skiing, tourists can try sledding or simply explore the area.

If you decided to visit the popular winter resort of Gstaad, you first need to fly to the nearest airport that is open in Geneva or Zurich. After that, use public transport or taxi to get to the railway stations of these cities and buy a ticket to Gstaad. There are many regular trains to the popular resort from the major Swiss cities. A train ride from Geneva lasts roughly two and a half hours. The journey from Zurich will be longer – almost four hours.