Gstaad Travel Guide

Gstaad © Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Overview Bernese Oberland's most glamorous holiday resort and the place for glittering socialites to be seen is the chic town of Gstaad, known for its high society, luxury hotels, fine dining and expensive boutiques. Gstaad has been the favoured holiday destination of the rich and famous for years, entertaining the likes of Roger Moore, Paris Hilton, Elle Macpherson and Tina Turner, among others. The picturesque village is traditional in style with delightful alpine chalets, a pedestrian-only centre and spectacular scenery, and lies at the centre of the Gstaad Super Ski Region, one of the largest ski areas in Europe.

Skiing There is excellent skiing and snowboarding for beginners and intermediates in and around the Gstaad town centre, but for more challenging runs it is best to make use of the Gstaad Super Ski Region pass, which is valid for about 155 miles (250km) of prepared runs spread over six different ski areas. The pass provides access to the ski areas of Château d'Oex, Rougemont, Saanen, Schönried, Saanenmöser, Zweisimmen, Lauenen and Gsteig, which are all accessible by train. Intermediates are the most spoilt for choice with a huge variety of blue and red runs available near Gstaad, while the Diablerets glacier has snow most of the year and some challenging skiing and snowboarding for the advanced, as well as heli-skiing. Advanced skiers will also find off-piste possibilities in the Saanenmöser and Schönried area. There is an excellent ski school in Gstaad, and many others in the Gstaad region.

Shopping Gstaad's main shopping street is Hauptstrasse, with a large selection of stores and boutiques offering wares from the latest fashions and exclusive sporting goods to jewellery and pastry shops, catering mainly for the wealthy elite on holiday. There are also a variety of Swiss-made devices to be found at Von Siebenthal.

Restaurants Visitors on holiday in Gstaad are spoiled for choice when it comes to restaurants. A large number of establishments have been awarded with Gault Milau points for outstanding cuisine, such as Restaurant Le Grill at the Palace, while about 70 others offer everything from traditional specialities to Asian, Italian, fish and grills.

Nightlife There is a good choice of trendy bars and pubs in Gstaad, and there is dancing at Rosie's Suite and Chlösterli. The GreenGo bar and nightclub at the Palace Hotel is the place to be seen and is the centre of Gstaad's nightlife with two bars and a massive dance floor. Richie's Pub is a popular meeting spot for locals, an English pub with a large TV screen for sporting events. The elegant Rialto bar hosts live music in winter.

Activities Besides skiing and snowboarding while on holiday, Gstaad offers ice-skating, tobogganing, ice-climbing and curling in winter, as well as a wide range of summer activities. In summer, hiking is popular, as well as mountain biking, climbing, tennis, golf, horse riding and even beach volleyball. There are also lots of excursions in the surrounding area, and a variety of top events throughout the year, including the Swiss Open Tennis Tournament, classic music festivals and international hot-air ballooning.

Negatives Gstaad has a reputation for being an exclusive holiday destination and therefore rather expensive. The skiing might be a disappointment for expert skiers, and snow coverage is unreliable due to the relatively low altitude.

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