Villages of Obersimmental-Saanen district: Gstaad

Following on from our story about the main village of the Obersimmental-Saanen district, Saanen, we are now taking you further into the Bernese Highlands. Probably the best-known ski resort in Switzerland, Gstaad is renowned as much for its ski slopes as for its luxury hotels and boutiques. Among its visitors and residents, popular celebrities such as Madonna, Prince and Johnny Hallyday, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and the members of the British House of Cavendish…

Not surprisingly, Gstaad was named “The Place” by Time magazine in the ’60s.

To experience a glittering and luxury experience, you could spend one or more nights in a five star hotel in Gstaad. Staying at Gstaad Palace or Alpina Gstaad for example. Let’s be honest, not everyone can afford to spend a thousand euros for a single hotel night! Our tip: you can book a room somewhere further away: It will be cheaper and you will still be able to experience and enjoy this beautiful region. You can reach Gstaad quickly thanks to the several daily services of the Goldenpass train.

Gstaad is a small village at an altitude of 1,050 meters. A complete visit of the village takes no more than a couple of hours. With its wooden chalets and flowers hanging from the balconies, it is a traditional postcard Swiss village. The central pedestrian street is the shortest “shopping mile” in Switzerland. Tourists and sports enthusiasts come to this remote area mostly for the large variety of sports facilities that the region has to offer.

With a large offer of train and bus services throughout the Obersimmental-Saanen district, from Gstaad and the neighbouring villages it is possible to reach several ski stations representing more than 200 kilometres of ski slopes in total. Gstaad hosts one of the largest ski areas in the Alps. In the Obersimmental-Saanen district, but also seemingly everywhere in Switzerland, it is not unusual in winter to encounter people travelling by train with skis, snowboards or other sports material.

Ranging between a minimum of 1000 up to 3,000 meters high, several ski slopes are open between the end of October and the beginning of May. The Gstaad ski area offers a great variety of scenery and is convenient for beginners as well as expert skiers. Besides ski slopes, tourists come to the area, Saanenland, to enjoy cross-country and winter and summer hiking trails.

Besides many sports facilities, Gstaad hosts several events every year such as tennis, polo and beach volley tournaments. Also, two classical music festivals and an old cars rally.

The Gstaad region is definitely not only a destination for rich and famous people: It can be enjoyed by all nature and mountains lovers.