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(DailyExpertNews) — Choosing the most beautiful ski resort in the Alps is like choosing the most beautiful diamond.
Pristine peaks and glistening snow make for an attractive package — even with some of our man-made “creations” — but some mountain resorts just carry their beauty a little better.
The setting, the architecture, the atmosphere, the personality — it all somehow adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
These 10 European treasures will spark instant alpine urges.
1. Zermatt, Switzerland
Selling points: Famous Valais village, world class skiing, rich mountaineering history, iconic pointed peak.
From sneaky peaks at first light to ‘good night’ before bed, the mesmerizing Matterhorn captures the attention from the moment travelers arrive in Zermatt. This is of course possible by train, taxi or helicopter, because this jewel of a Valais village is car-free and a paradise for walkers.
Zermatt is part cultural heritage of part Swiss sophistication, where centuries-old barns stand on stone stilts to keep mice out, alongside cutting-edge creations.
A cogwheel railway chugs up to the slopes around Gornergrat, offering astonishing views of the Monte Rosa mountain range, while the cable cars to the Klein Matterhorn get a closer look at the icon itself, plus access to Cervinia in Italy.
Worth a trip: Chez Vrony on the Sunnegga slopes offers a typical mountain table with the Matterhorn as a backdrop. In town, the Matterhorn Museum draws on a rich history of farming and climbing.
Chez Vrony, Vrony and Max Cotting-Julen, Findeln, CH-3920 Zermatt, Switzerland; +43 027 967 25 52
2. Grimentz, Switzerland
Selling points: Chocolate-box chalets, pristine valley, geraniums.
The small Valais village of Grimentz is the complete package. Alleyways flank old-fashioned chalets, rustic granaries and sun-tanned barns, with balconies drowning in 34 varieties of geranium in summer. The setting is also quite opulent.
Grimentz is located in the Val d’Anniviers, a branch of the large Rhone valley. At the southern end is the “Great Crown” of four-thousanders (peaks over 4,000 feet above sea level), including the Weisshorn, Bishorn, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn, Matterhorn, and Dent Blanche.
Worth a trip?: You can literally take in Grimentz’s heritage with a tasting of the legendary Vin du Glacier, a unique Anniviers wine that is topped up year after year. The Bisschopsvat in the cellar of the Maison Bourgeoisale dates from 1886.
Maison Bourgeoisiale, 3961 Saint-Luc, Switzerland
3. Wengen, Switzerland
Selling points: Classic Swiss village surrounded by famous peaks.
The infamous north face of the Eiger casts a terrifying shadow over this neck of the Bernese Oberland. Not literally, as Wengen sits on a sunny spur down the hill from the ‘mordwand’ or the wall of death.
Accessible only by cog railway or cable car, the village overlooks the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley and up to the famous 4,000-metre peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.
Wengen, all big old chalets and kids sledding to school, is home to the famous Lauberhorn run on the World Cup circuit. The piste goes through a tunnel from another cog railway to Kleine Scheidegg at 2,061 meters, where you can admire the climbers on the north face of the Eiger from your lunch table.
Worth the trip?: A train from Kleine Scheidegg goes up through the Eiger, stopping to let riders look out of a window in the rock on the north face itself, before reaching the Jungfraujoch (3,454 meters) at the head of the vast UNESCO-listed Aletsch Glacier World Heritage site famous for skiing and climbing.
4. Kitzbuhel, Austria
Kitzbühel hosts the Hahnenkamm ski race in winter and the Austrian Open tennis tournament in summer.
Kitzbühel Tourism/Bernhard Spoettl
Selling points: Tyrolean charm, cobbled streets, Mecca for ski races.
Kitzbühel, ski racing’s answer to Wimbledon or Augusta National, is old-school, iconic and the spiritual home of dashing downhillers. The Tyrolean city hosts the historic Hahnenkamm race every January, when the world’s top ski racers throw themselves off a steep ribbon of ice – 40.4 degrees at one point – known as the Streif.
Pre-Covid Kitzbühel went crazy during race week. Schnapps-fueled fans roar to their favorites and later squeeze into the infamous London pub to drink beer served by the American and Canadian ski teams. The rest of the time, Kitz is an elegant charmer with a centuries-old center surrounded by the gentle peaks of the Wilder Kaiser mountains.
Worth the trip?: For an authentic taste of Tyrol, Huberbrau Stuberl offers lashings of schnitzel, goulash and dumplings in an attractive setting.
5. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
Selling points: Jetset gem en route to Italy’s snow-capped Dolomite towers.
This Southern Alps stunner is a magnet for the gorgeous set. Just two hours north of Venice, Cortina d’Ampezzo sits in a sunny bowl surrounded by the towering needles of the Eastern Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage region, some of which rise to more than 3,000 meters.
Cortina hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and was the setting for a certain James Bond film. Seeing her makes you wish Cortina was “For Your Eyes Only”.
Worth the trip?: If it’s good enough for Mr. Bond, the five-star Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel can do the work for you. Or take the 007 license to enjoy the Olympic bobsleigh track.
6. Lech, Austria
Selling points: Old-school elegance by royal approval.
Another former farming village well done, luxurious Lech caters to the more discerning end of the money spectrum, plus holidaymakers. Diana, Princess of Wales, was a fan. The town is located in an open bowl between gentle mountain peaks on the banks of the River Lech, part of the famous Arlberg region that includes nearby Zurs and neighbors St. Anton, St. Christoph and Stuben.
Worth the trip?: Odometers can try the White Ring ski circuit – 22 kilometers of groomed pistes and 5,500 meters of vertical loops around the Lech and Zurs. Adrenaline freaks can hire a guide and tackle the steep off-piste of the Valluga North Face. Lunchers can head to the legendary Hospiz Alm in St. Anton.
Hospiz AlmoSt. Christoph 118 Arlberg Hospiz, St. Anton am Arlberg 6580, Austria
7. Saas Fee, Switzerland
Selling points: High mountains, old wooden granaries, in-your-face glaciers.
Saas-Fee hit the right note as the setting for Wham!’s “Last Christmas” music video in 1984, and her tune continues to amaze visitors. It’s another pleasant Swiss village, nestled in a lofty alpine cirque filled with traditional “raccards”, or granaries, and old-style chalets among rushing glaciers and majestic mountains.
Famous 4,000-meter peaks such as the Dom, Taschhorn and Alphubel dot the skyline, and from here begins the extended version of the Zermatt-Chamonix Haute Route. The generally intermediate ski runs flow downhill along glacier tongues popped through gaping crevices.
Worth the trip?: To meet the real mountaineers, the Britannia Hutte is a climber’s haven 15 minutes’ walk or a quick snowmobile ride from the nearest lift. A simple lunch on the sunny terrace offers a sublime view.
8. Alpbach, Austria
Alpbach was named “the most beautiful village in Austria” in a TV competition in 1983.
AlpbachI Tourism
Selling points: Nice, typical, modest.
Pretty Alpbach has long known about its best features and made it a point to show it off. The traditional wooden farmhouses of the medieval village proved to be an eye-catcher for early tourists and planners took note.
All upper floors of new buildings should be clad in wood to maintain the old feel. The cute, home-made look — farming is still very much alive — has won the award as ‘Austria’s prettiest village’ — and the competition for it is tough.
The skiing is generally gentle and low – the village is only 1,000 meters above sea level – but this Tyrolean treasure lives up to the name of the ski area it shares with the neighboring Wildschonau valley – Ski Jewel.
Worth the trip?: The rustic Boglalm is a favorite in Alpbach, near the top of the Galtenberg drag lift, and offers authentic Tyrolean dishes such as goulash soup or grilled sausage.
boglalm, 6236 Alpbach, Austria; +43 5336 5177
9. Megeve, France
Selling points: View of Mont Blanc, stylish center, scent of pine.
Megeve muscles in the list because of its location, with close-up views of Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s highest peak at 4,810 meters. The town was one of the first purpose-built resorts in the Alps, developed by the wealthy Rothschild family in the 1920s, but unlike some of France’s more recent purpose-built carbuncles, its ancient peasant roots have been preserved.
The picturesque cobbled center exudes an authentic atmosphere, while cruising the beautifully wooded lower slopes fills your nostrils with the pleasant scent of pine.
Worth the trip?: Gourmets are spoiled for choice in Megève, but chef Emmanuel Renaut’s three Michelin stars Flocons de Sel tops the list.
10. Courmayeur, Italy
Selling points: Great mountain scenery, historic town, restaurants, Mont Blanc.
It’s hard not to get a neck pain in Courmayeur. The quaint old town sits on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc tunnel (strictly, it’s now Monte Bianco) and the massive ramparts and buttresses of the Alps’ highest mountain range soar overhead, seeming to climb forever.
The skiing begins from a sunny plateau above the city with stunning views of more than a dozen of Europe’s highest peaks. Courmayeur is known for its numerous mountain restaurants serving simple Italian dishes, while the historic center is a great place to dine.
Worth the trip?: For the ultimate high mountain experience, get a guide and take the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car to Punta Helbronner (3,462 meters) to access the famous 20-kilometer-long Vallee Blanche glacier that descends to Chamonix in France.
Skyway Monte BiancoStrada Statale 26, 48 Strada della Brenva / Strada Statale 26, 48, 11013 Courmayeur, Italy
Rob Hodgetts is a journalist and editor who has worked for DailyExpertNews Sport, BBC Sport, BBC News and Reuters, among others, and has covered some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including numerous winter and summer Olympics, the US Masters of golf and the Ryder cup.