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SKIIING

Skiing in Switzerland: Three ski resorts within easy reach of Lausanne

Whether you’re looking to ski, snowboard, cross-country ski, snowshoe or even enjoy a round of tobogganing, here are three wintry regions just an hour or two from the Swiss city of Lausanne.

Published: 30 January 2023 11:10 CET

Skiing in the resort of Leysin. Photo by Nathanaël Desmeules on Unsplash

Leysin

The ski resort Leysin – also referred to as the freestyle Valhalla – is located in the beautiful canton of Vaud where vacationers can enjoy 60 kilometres of snow-covered slopes at an altitude of 1,250 to 2,198 metres.

The Leysin ski area mainly offers easy and moderately difficult ski routes, which makes it a perfect fit for families and less experienced skiers. For those wishing to be challenged, Leysin also has a fair share of freeride skiing opportunities in addition to well-maintained, diverse descends.

Those opting to freestyle can choose from snow parks in Leysin and nearby Les Mosses where a 140-metre-long halfpipe, numerous kickers and rails await you. There’s also good news for thrill-seekers and fans of tobogganing, or so-called “snowtubing”, as Leysin is home to its very own Tobogganing Park. There you can sit inside a well-padded inner tube and spin your way down the park’s many slopes.

Aside from skiing, visitors can head to the Kuklos for a bite. The revolving restaurant sits some 750 metres above Leysin and revolves under the power of self-produced solar energy, achieving a full circle in just 90 minutes. Diners can take in views of the imposing Matterhorn and Mont Blanc while stealing a glance at the Eiger from a distance.

Crans-Montana

It goes without saying – the canton of Vaud is not short of outstanding ski regions. But Crans-Montana in Valais is not far away and is very lavish. It is based just above the Rhone Valley in the immediate vicinity of other well-known ski areas such as Verbier, Grimentz-Zinal, Anzère and Chandolin.

As the name suggests, Crans-Montana is made up of the villages Crans and Montana and sits at an altitude of 1,500 metres. The ski resort’s 19 lifts will transport visitors to the famous Plaine Morte glacier (3,000 metres) where they can then ski down the 12 kilometres long track.

If this has you convinced, keep in mind that there are three entry points for everything winter sports-related in Crans-Montana. You can access the ski region via the village centres of Crans and Montana as well as via Les Barzettes, a region famous for its wonderful cuisine.

But while winter sports may be what draws most visitors in, Crans-Montana isn’t solely known for its excellent ski slopes. It also boasts many luxury shopping opportunities making it especially popular with families, shopaholics and even celebrities – the late actor Roger Moore owned a chalet there.

Arolla

If the other resorts sound a bit too busy for you, then the quaint ski region of Arolla, in Valais, is a great alternative.

You can purchase Arolla’s ski pass and ski or snowboard a total of 47 kilometres across 12 slopes to your heart’s content. The majority of the region’s slopes are either easy or intermediate and thanks to an altitude of 3,000 metres, there is generally little concern regarding a lack of snow.

Meanwhile, cross-country skiers can ski along a trail running from Satarma via Arolla, all the way to the end of the lower Arolla glacier along the Borgne river which flows into the Rhône. Guests can also enjoy more laidback activities such as skating on the two natural ice rinks or learning how to ice climb.

The optimal time to visit the Arolla region is from December to April.

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Amsterdam

Amsterdam has long been trying to clean up a reputation for rowdy stag parties, drugs and sex that has been partly blamed on an influx of around 20 million visitors a year.

In 2023 it launched an online campaign aimed at discouraging young British men from travelling to Amsterdam to get high or very drunk, telling them in typically blunt Dutch fashion to “stay away” or risk arrest.

Amsterdam also announced last week a ban on new hotels and that it would halve the number of river cruise ships in the city within five years.

It also decided last year to ban smoking cannabis on the streets of the red-light district.

Hallstatt and Salzburg in Austria

The tiny village of Hallstatt, a hamlet just 750 people strong not far from Salzburg and bearing a striking resemblance to the fictional kingdom of Arendelle from Disney’s Frozen – last year caused furore when its residents erected a fence at its famous vista to deter selfie-seekers. After a social media backlash, the village – which is also a UNESCO heritage site – removed the fence, but signs remind visitors to enjoy the site quietly.

Residents were also protesting in favour of tourism curbs in the village, which gets as many as 10,000 visitors a day in high season. They want to limit the numbers and ban tour buses in the town after 5:00 p.m.

Not far from Hallstatt, the city made famous by classical music, Hollywood classics and Christmas songs, Salzburg, has also complained about massive tourism and the danger of being “overrun by mass tourists and day trippers”.

The city’s tourism boss Christine Schönhuber said: “We only want those who stay overnight”. The western Austrian city is yet to take any concrete measures, but it has floated ideas such as closing some streets to cars and putting restrictions on souvenir shops. The city is also considering closing the bus terminal at the city’s Mirabellplatz to day tripping companies – allowing only those transporting overnight guests.

Iseltwald, Switzerland

The quaint Swiss village of Iseltwald has been forced to limit the number of tourists after fans of a South Korean Netflix hit show flocked to the region in droves sparking a backlash from locals.

Iseltwald is often referred to as the pearl of Lake Brienz, and rightfully so. The fishing village is located on the left bank of the river and is one of the smallest communities in the canton of Bern – and locals would like to keep it that way.

A picture taken on June 2, 2023 shows the village of Iseltwald at the shore of Lake Brienz, in the Swiss Alps. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Dubrovnik

Croatia’s medieval walled city of Dubrovnik is one of Europe’s most overcrowded cities, with the flow of tourists sometimes making it impossible to walk inside the historic Old Town.

The jewel of the Adriatic has seen a huge surge in visitor numbers since scenes from the series “Game of Thrones” were filmed on its ramparts in 2011.

In 2023, the town of 41,000 people received 1.2 million tourists, below 2019’s record of 1.4 million.

In 2019 local authorities limited the number of cruise ship arrivals to two per day, with no more than 4,000 passengers each at a time.

They also launched an app that uses machine learning and weather forecasts to predict when the Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site, will be busiest.