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Switzerland’s resorts are world class – and should be on every ski nut’s bucket list. There’s no denying that this isn’t the cheapest country to stay in… And if you’re really skiing on a shoestring, you’ll find lower prices for food, passes and lessons in Italy and Austria.
But that’s not to say you can’t ski Switzerland without spending thousands: there are some canny ways to experience the classic Swiss ski towns and legendary ski areas without blowing the budget, and these are the ten best resorts in which to do so.
Switzerland: Top 10 Cheap Ski Resorts
Davos is a big ski town, so when it comes to accommodation, food and après, there’s enough room for cheaper options. Self-catered is the best way to do it on a budget, where supermarkets like Denner, Migros and Coop will keep your cupboards stocked (if you’re driving in, stop off at bigger Aldi or Lidl to scrimp even further). Grabbing a bite out needn’t break the bank either: La Caretta serves up the cheapest nosh, where soup of the day is around 5.50CHF and pasta’s 22CHF – which can be washed down with a 4.50CHF beer. Being based in Davos is a cracking way to ski the iconic slopes of posh neighbour Klosters, with a smaller price tag: The Regional pass stretches across six mountains and 300km of slopes, and it’s also possible to buy separate passes for each individual mountain if you don’t plan to ski all day, every day. Cross country skiing is free, which is handy when you’re in one of the best Nordic ski areas in the Alps. And if you’re ever hit with a whiteout - the Museum of local history also has free entry.
With Glacier 3000 teetering overhead, Les D’s early and late season skiing is usually fabulous – letting you make the most of off-peak prices without missing out on good snow conditions. You can still save if you’re tied to school holiday skiing though, with children aged 9 and under qualifying for free lift passes in recent years. An uber accessible resort, this place has frequent trains from Geneva and is within 2.5 hours’ drive of Geneva, Bern, Zurich and Basel airports – letting you save en route by choosing the cheapest option. Self-catered is the best way budget and supermarkets Coop and Denner supply all the essentials. L’Ormonan’s your best bet for a cheap meal out, where their famously large Chinese dishes start from 5CHF… (they also have a sterling pizza menu just in case).
Interlaken is a proper lakeside town with its own rail station and no less than four airports within a two hour drive – being so well connected makes it a huge hit with backpackers in the summertime and an equally great budget base come winter. Although there’s no local ski area, it has superb train access to the Jungfrau ski region, which covers the ski areas of Wengen, Grindelwald and Murren and totals 213km of slopes (trains and buses around the region are usually free with the ski pass). Apartments are the canny choice here and wallet-friendly Coop, Migros and Aldi will save you a pretty penny when it comes to nosh - pick up a sandwich at one of the delis for a mountain packed lunch. Being off the mountains keeps meal prices lower than you find higher up – at Anker, soup of the day tends to cost around 5.50CHF, with good old spag bol for 15.50CHF.
Nendaz lets you ski Verbier’s terrain without all the razzmatazz. Both resorts share the same cracking 4 Valleys ski area (Switzerland’s biggest), but when it comes to prices, this one tends to be cheaper. Beginners can usually get free access to Park Tracouet for learning the basics, and in the lift pass department there are some canny ways to save. Start off with the Printze pass: It covers 220km of corduroy, usually for over 60CHF cheaper than the full 412km area. Then upgrade for a day if you want to experience the mighty Mont Fort – you’ll often find sweeteners included like a free trip to the Nendaz 4 Valleys 5* Spa. Thrifty lodgings include a gaggle of self-catered chalets and apartments, with supermarkets like Coop and Migros on hand for stocking up on supplies. That said, catered chalets are a pretty savvy option, where food and wine is included in the overall price. But eating out’s not always pricey - Cactus Saloon has fuss free Mexican food, pizzas and burgers and Classic Kebab does what it says on the tin for frugal late-night feasting.
The great thing about Crans-Montana is that the resort is huge – so while it has some rather dashing spa hotels, there’s also plenty of room for cheaper lodgings. The lowest prices can be found in the self-catered apartments on the outskirts, which often come with perks like swimming pools and wellness facilities so you’re not completely roughing it... Cooking your own meals and bringing packed lunches to the slopes keeps prices low - supermarkets like Migros in Crans and Denner in Montana are worth popping into for provisions. That’s not to say all the restaurants are Michelin-starred budget blowers - you can pick up a simple, hearty burger at the Burger Lounge for around 12CHF, a price tag you don’t see often in Switzerland. On the Plaine Morte glacier, the snow’s known to build up sooner than other ski areas, with the plateau still getting lots of sunshine - meaning you can often nab an early season deal without having to compromise conditions.
Under an hour and a half’s drive from Geneva airport, and easy to reach by train, you can weigh up the different travel options to find the savviest route to Villars. You get plenty of piste for your pennies here – the slopes are linked with Gryon and Les Diabrelets and total 220km – especially if you have sprogs in tow (in recent years under 9’s have been able to ski for free). Skiing out of high season’s always a great money saver with Glacier 3000 keeping its 25km of slopes snowy from autumn to late spring. If you’re planning to book lessons, hotels like Club Med can be a canny option: As well as being all-inclusive when it comes to food and drink (no having to fork out on food in resort), they often throw in ski school and lift passes with the overall cost, which works out a lot less than if you were paying for everything separately.
Sure it’s one of the most luxurious resorts around, but there are ways of skiing St Moritz without the bells and whistles. Club Med’s a super savvy option if you’re planning to book ski school: All-inclusive when it comes to food and drink (no having to contend with restaurant prices on or off the slopes), they often throw in lessons AND lift passes into the overall price too. Alternatively there’s a huge range of apartments, and if you’re happy with DIY catering, the two Coop supermarkets (the bigger one’s in the ‘Bad’ sector) help keep cooking costs low. Despite the area’s sparkling gourmet reputation, you’ll still find some less pricey places to grab some nosh out and about. Bobby’s Pub serves up no-frills burgers for around a fiver and pizzas start at 15CHF at Pizzeria Caruso (or cheaper if you take away…). Last time we checked the Stüva buffet had all the international favourites (and all courses) at just 35CHF a head- the price you’d pay for a lone main elsewhere.
As the only Jungfrau mountain resort with car access, you can save on flights and transfers by driving into glorious Grindelwald – even better when your hotel or apartment has free parking. For home-cooked suppers you’ll find Coop and Migros supermarkets in town – though self-drivers can shop on a shoestring by stopping off at Carrefour in Heimberg to avoid resort prices. Eating out won’t cost a bomb: We like the pastas and risottos at Alpenblick, where mains cost around 20CHF and tapas is 12CHF. As for the skiing - the whole Jungfrau pass covers 206km of seriously scenic slopes, and in previous years there have been offers like 20% late season discounts and free day passes for under 15’s on Saturdays. It’s also possible to get a pass just for the Grindelwald-Wengen area for about 50CHF less.
You can save with simpler food and less flashy lodgings in Saas-Fee, but there’s no having to scrimp on the skiing. The local slopes alone have some of the best conditions in the Alps, all thanks to the giant Allalin glacier. Sticking to these costs less than the whole area, which spans Saas-Fee, Saas-Grund, Saas-Almagell AND Saas-Balen with 145km of piste. Though even the full pass comes with deals and discounts - last time we checked, under nines could ski for free when you bought an adult 6 day pass, and groups of ten got a lift pass thrown in for free. There’s a legion of self-catered apartments here and thanks to the pint-sized nature of the resort, they’re rarely far from the centre or the ski lifts. But eating out isn’t a total no go: Bar No 1 at the bottom of the lifts do a different dish daily - a hearty portion at around 10CHF. You can make the most of the salad buffet at Don Ciccio Pizzeria, who have a reputation for dolling out Grappa and Limonello at the end of the meal… After a cracking day on the hill, schuss to Gletcher Grotte for the cheapest beer and Glühwein around.
Arosa’s a legendary spa resort - but paying for thermal masks and body wraps isn’t mandatory. Most of the self-catered apartments here cost less for a whole week than you’d spend on one night in the luxurious 5* hotels here. If you’re cooking your own suppers, pick up provisions en route or pop to the supermarket in nearby Lenzerheide. Though food doesn’t always cost mountains out and about: Up on the hill a hearty Rosti from Carmennahutte will re-energise you for around 13 CHF, and back in town pizzas and pastas at Grottino start from the 15CHF mark. The skiing here’s phenomenal, with 225km of groomers shared with Lenzerheide and the ticket office often do discounts for students, seniors, beginners and children.
In the world of cheap skiing, the Swiss resorts don't often crop up as budget ski resorts - nor do they appear on our list of the cheapest ski resorts in the world. But if you're looking for a way to ski Switzerland on a tight budget, it's certainly not impossible - in fact the nation has a lot more to offer than you might think.
This is the definitive list of the cheapest ski resorts in Switzerland, where you can enjoy one of the world's greatest skiing nations without having to break the bank.
The Swiss ski resorts might not pump out the crazily cheap ski deals that you find in eastern Europe... But if you want a high standard of on-slope and in-town facilities, while they may not be quite so cheap, they're are a cut above the rest. Actually you'll find that many of Switzerland's cheapest ski resorts also double up as its best ski resorts, because they're big enough to include both exclusive and budget accommodation in different parts of the same mountain town.
Switzerland - best summer & glacier ski resorts
| Resort | Ski area size | Rough prices in resort |
|---|---|---|
| Davos | 320km | Coffee 4CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 20CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| Les Diablerets | 125km | Coffee 4CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 22CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| Interlaken | 206km | Coffee 4CHF, beer 4CHF, pizza 20CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| Nendaz | 410km | Coffee 4CHF, beer 4CHF, pizza 20CHF, burger & fries 25CHF |
| Crans Montana | 140km | Coffee 5CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 18CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| Villars | 125km | Coffee 4CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 22CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| St Moritz | 350km | Coffee 4.50CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 17CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| Grindelwald | 206km | Coffee 4CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 15CHF, burger & fries 15CHF |
| Saas Fee | 145km | Coffee 5CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 18CHF, burger & fries 20CHF |
| Arosa | 155km | Coffee 5CHF, beer 5CHF, pizza 20CHF, burger & fries 25CHF |
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