Pretty Ski Resorts in Switzerland

Long before its name appeared in Harry Potter, Grindelwald and its glorious surroundings inspired the likes of Wagner and Lord Byron. The largest, liveliest town in the Jungfrau region is a collection of scallop-trimmed chalets and rustic brick buildings, with imposing peaks jutting out on the horizon. Walk to the end of Dorfstrasse for a spectacular scene of the town church with the Wetterhorn in the distance (conveniently by the museum if you want to brush up on history). The iconic train station is slap bang in the centre. From here, hop on the rack-and-pinion railway, which climbs up to Jungfraujoch – the highest station in Europe for sonnet-inducing sights of the UNESCO protected surroundings.

The motherland of winter tourism, St M played host to the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, with the likes of Hepburn, Chaplin and Hitchcock making it their European base. These days, that old-school sophistication mixes with new millennium chic and ancient buildings from before it all began: Sharing the town with Engadin’s signature architecture (feature stone walls with Sgraffito artwork), you’ll find the iconic 13th Century leaning tower and elegant old churches, next to palatial hotels and modern masterpieces (like the futuristic Chesa Futura). They edge a huge frozen lake to the backdrop of peaks and woodlands – this is the "Ballroom of the Alps" – and it’s enough to have you breaking into a Waltz.

Surrounding the sprightly Place Centrale, Verbier’s a town of spruced up old dairies, vintage chalets and simple ‘mayens’. But while they were once humble homes of farmers and shepherds, they now host the likes of Sir Richard Branson and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Alps’ most luxurious lodgings. New builds blend with the old, all brimming with the area’s signature chocolate box charm in a sunny south-facing bowl. Take a walk around the 17th century chapel and ruined 12th century chateau of the Count of Savoy for a taste of history, or for fine views out across the valley, nothing beats the top of Attelas.

Switzerland’s Toblerone-shaped landmark needs no introduction – the Matterhorn is one of many alpine giants that circle this town, and Zermatt itself is as much of a feast for the eyes. From the first expeditions up the Matterhorn to the times of Napoleon and beyond, this place has history in every nook and cranny. Up and down the cobbled streets, horse-drawn-carts clip-clop and dinky electric buses hum, while a ruby red train streaks through white landscape – no cars muddy the air here. Ancient barns rub shoulders with Belle Époque hotels and elegant chalets, all under the green spire of St Mauritius piercing the sky like the mountain behind it.

Hats off to Sir Arnold Lunn, who organised the first Slalom race here in 1922 and transformed a humble farming village into what’s now seen as one of the classic ski resorts. Some fifty years later, Murren hit the big screen in James Bond’s ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ – but global recognition hasn’t changed its character. You can still see 400 year old buildings from Murren’s days as the ‘village on the wall’, and any new ones stay true to the original Walser style. No Ferrari-filled streets here: Trains chug up and down the mountain, giving the whole place a faraway feel. That’s before you even get to the views, which sweep over the deep valleys, smooth glaciers and fall upon the dramatic rock faces of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Things only look better over the tips of your skis as you glide down from the Schilthorn, or kick back in Blofeld’s Lair, the Piz Gloria...

Old chalets and cow sheds huddle together in this high-altitude village – snug in a snowy glacial bowl. The car-free centre keeps everything quiet and homely, with narrow, winding pathways leading off in all directions – look out for the ancestral stone turrets of Hotel La Gorge. After the sinking sun dyes the 4000m+ peaks orange, lights flicker on, setting the village aglow. If you thought Sass was a tiddler, you should see surrounding hamlets like olde-worlde Furggstalden – or to turn the whole thing on its head, visit Mittelallalin, where views of the Dom, Monte Rosa, and Matterhorn put you on the top of the world.

The only way to reach Wengen is via the classic rack-and-pinion railway (there are no roads you see...) , which in itself makes the place feel pretty snug. Hope off at Allmend (or ski down from mighty Kleine Scheidigg) and cosy reaches a whole new level: Fir trees hug chocolate-coloured chalets, which poke sleepily through the leaves, while Victorian hotels and classic churches stand guard over them. From the quiet streets of Wengen itself, you’ll soon see why UNESCO have given the whole region world heritage status: Nothing beats the views of the Jungfrau peak and valley from the Protestant church.

Klosters has class; called ‘Hollywood on the rocks’ back in the 50s, when the stars of the silver screen were drawn to its thoroughly alpine appeal: Greta Garbo graced the legendary Chesa Bar – the same spot where Gene Kelley danced on the tables and Rex Harrison discussed the music of My Fair Lady with the pianist… But the atmosphere stays wonderfully humble – an almost unchanged farming village amidst a wooded valley, hugged by craggy mountains with frozen lakes and fields of white. Besides the Romanesque monastery tower, original buildings remain from the Walser era, with newer ones designed to match the traditional sloping-rooved, chalet style of days gone by.

A Walser settlement in the 1300’s, and with only 50 inhabitants come the nineteenth century, this old spa town feels refreshingly remote. It’s helped by tree-lined streets, alpine lakes and soaring summits that surround it. And the choice of two inbound journeys only add to the far-away feel - the first a gloriously windy mountain road that zig zags a whopping 360 times, the second the iconic Rhaetian railway from Chur. On first glimpse, you’ll see a bundle of chalets and colourful hotels on the shores of a vast frozen lake. Then there’s Inner-Arosa, the scene on many a postcard, where ancient wooden chalets are watched over by a 15th century chapel. For more history, visit the museum, housed in a fabulously preserved 16th century farmhouse. Head up the Hörnli if you’re a sucker for good views – from here it’s Graubünden peaks as far as the eye can see.

Until a railway arrived in 1913, Villars was a cluster of shepherds’ huts in the back of beyond. It became a trendy winter hangout in the roaring twenties, and has since settled into a family-focussed bolthole, with class and history oozing from each nook and cranny (plus oodles of sunshine). Take the cable car up to Roc d’Orsay peak or ride on the cog railway to Col de Bretaye for a birds-eye sight of the village: Typical chalets poke their powder-topped heads through fir trees, mixing seamlessly with their surroundings. And this wonderland treasures its environment – it’s one of the most eco ski resorts in the world, where the strictly pedestrianised streets are interrupted only by the buzz of an electric car. You’d want to thank Mother Nature - Mont Blanc can be seen on a good day and within a forty minute drive you’ll find yourself on the shores of legendary Lake Geneva in Montreaux.