Enjoyment in the cradle of winter tourism

BEST OF | Issue 2 | Winter 2024

Once upon a time it was a tiny village somewhere in the mountains of Grisons. Today St. Moritz is the most illustrious winter sports destination in the Alps. And that’s not all: winter tourism was born in St. Moritz in 1864. Hotel owner Johannes Badrutt purportedly placed a bet with his English summer guests that they could enjoy his terrace in shirtsleeves even in winter. His stake: he agreed to assume all the costs of the trip.

An event that classic car fans in St. Moritz should definitely not miss: THE I.C.E.

The outcome? The gambling English came to Upper Engadine at Christmas time and, because Johannes Badrutt hadn’t promised them too much, returned to their rain-ridden homeland at Easter time bronze-tanned to the toe tips. The world-famous champagne climate had bestowed sunny and dry days, and to top it off, fluffy powder snowfall. Since then, winter sports have never been the same. Writ large at the foot of the slopes of the 3022-metre-high Piz Nair in St. Moritz was the very first bobsled race in the world, alongside the first ski lift and also the first ski school in Switzerland. Whoever learns to ski on the Corviglia these days, cuts his/her tracks through the most prestigious runs of history. St. Moritz was twice host to Olympic winter games. For experienced skiers, an absolute must is the Hahnensee run in the Corvatsch-Furtschellas ski area. It is considered one of the most beautiful downhill runs in the Engadine.

St. Moritz is truly a winter dream come true.

The Calendar-of-Events is bursting full

The sportive calendar-of-events boasts a plethora of highlights this winter: the Audi FIS Alpine Women’s Ski World Cup will take place on 21st and 22nd December 2024 in St. Moritz. The illustrious Winter Polo Tournament will take place from 24th until 26th January 2025 on the frozen-solid Lake St. Moritz. This event will be carried out for the fortieth time, it is considered to be the highest-endowed, i.e. lucrative and prizewinning tournament on snow worldwide. No less spectacular than the February events on frozen Lake St. Moritz – the traditional White-Turf horse races – are the White-Turf Family Days on each Saturday preceding the racing days, which are awaited with breathless drama and excitement. Horsepower also counts at THE I.C.E., the International Concours d’Elégance, at which car collectors and lovers of classic automobile history breathe a whiff of elegance and ecstasy. However, even without special grand events atop the surface of frozen Upper Engadine lakes, excursions are highly worthwhile: sporting activities on cross-country trails or winter hiking along freshly prepared walking paths are worth their weight in gold.

Absolutely spectacular: the traditional White Turf horse races.

“Fondue Gondola“ at Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

Culinary pleasures at their pinnacle

After all that sports activity and motion out in the fresh wintertime air, one needs a little reinforcement or a cultivated evening dinner, wouldn’t you say? On the Corviglia, the White Marmot numbers among the most sought-after addresses. At the Celeste Mountain Bistrot in the Salastrain district above St. Moritz, a young team revolving around executive chef Samuel Carugati pampers its guests to the hilt. And with the Suvretta chairlift and just a 10-minute stroll, you arrive at the Club-Restaurant Paradiso. Directly in the village, Ecco St. Moritz in Hotel Giardino Mountain and Da Vittorio at the Carlton Hotel are highly prized as top addresses. Both, incidentally, are the recipients of two Michelin stars, and can be enjoyed only in wintertime. In summertime Rolf Fliegauf and his team cook at “Ecco“ in Ascona on Lago Maggiore. Chef de cuisine Paolo Rota from Da Vittorio has his main temple in Brusaporto in Lombardy. Emblazoned with one Michelin star each are the venerable Restaurant Krone, the Cà d’Oro located in the highly impressive “Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski” as well as the Talvo by Dalsass, on whose menu pages approximately 800 different wines can be ordered/savoured. For those who treasure Asian cuisine, Hato is the destination of choice. Highly recommended is also the Japanese restaurant Kura in Hotel Laudinella. Incidentally, gourmets are in the limelight at the end of January in St. Moritz, when the Gourmet Festival takes flight with breathtaking culinary joys.

Extraordinary Hotels

The exclusive selection of hotels is unbeatable. A recommendation from among the newer hotels is surely the 5-star-S hotel Grace La Margna, which succeeds in merging and uniting luxury, elegance and artistic flair. St. Moritz is no longer conceivable without art: Italian landscape painter Giovanni Segantini who spent his last years in St. Moritz, rendered the picturesque landscapes in its inimitable style. The Segantini Museum at the entrance to the village is a vibrant remembrance to him. The traditional hotels of town are in the habit of fulfilling every single wish of their guests. Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski is a 5-star luxury hotel with rich and long traditions and spacious, luxurious rooms and suites. Carlton Hotel, which hails back to the golden era of 1913 is the smallest and most individualistic hotel in town, for example offering a butler service for the utmost comfort. A veritable emblem of St. Moritz is Badrutt’s Palace. The opulent 5-star hotel from the year 1896 in the heartbeat centre of St. Moritz is member of the Leading Hotels of the World. And then, of course, there is the fabulous Kulm Hotel St. Moritz through which Johannes Badrutt convinced his guests with his famous bet in the year 1856 and which has seduced all its guests ever since then through its ever-so-special style and lived authenticity.

A true landmark in the centre of St. Moritz is the popular Badrutt’s Palace Hotel – one of the first and most important hotels in the era of St. Moritz.

St. Moritz is truly a winter dream come true. Last but not least, the wintery landscape and its climatic benefits and advantages make guests want to stay all winter long, just like those very first winter guests of Johannes Badrutt.

One of the signature dishes at Restaurant Ecco, in the Hotel Giardino: Norway lobster.