St. Moritz in Switzerland: our tips for sleeping, traveling and sightseeing 

How to reach St. Moritz by train

St. Moritz is south-eastern Switzerland. It takes some time to get there from the major Swiss cities in the north and west.

St. Moritz can best be reached by train. The two most famous scenic routes are the famous Glacier Express from Zermatt/Chur, and the Bernina Express from either Chur in the north or Tirano in the south.

But there are many more connections. Examples of travel times from Swiss airports and towns:

• 3h30 from Zurich Airport, 3h10 from Zurich
• 4h50 from Basel EuroAirport, 4h10 from Basel
• 6h20 from Geneva Airport, 6h10 from Geneva
• 6h40 from Zermatt by regional trains, 7h45 by Glacier Express
• 2h10 from Tirano
• 2h10 from Chur
• 1h30 from Davos

Use the Swiss timetable to plan your trips to and from St. Moritz.

Travel passes to be used in and around St. Moritz

My Engadine travel guide lists all passes and local hotel offers that provide free and discounted traveling in the St. Moritz area.

How to travel to St. Moritz by car

St. Moritz can also be reached by car. There are no highways nearby. You'll need to cross one or more mountain passes to get there. Examples:

• The Albula Pass, Julier Pass or Flüela Pass if you drive from the north.
• The Bernina Pass if you arrive from Tirano or a nearby Italian town.
• The Oberalp Pass if you drive from Andermatt.
• The San Bernardino Pass if you enter from the Ticino.

In winter, most passes are closed and the car train from Selfranga (Klosters) to Sagliains can be used to reach the Engadine.

There are several paid parking options in St. Moritz, such as the Serletta garage close to the rail station. Up in the town center, there's the smaller parking garage Quadrellas.

How to reach St. Moritz by plane

If you fly into Switzerland, you'll probably land at the airports of Zurich, Geneva or Basel. From there, you can continue your journey to St. Moritz by train.

The larger Swiss airport closest to St. Moritz is Zurich Airport. From there, it's a 3h30-train ride to St. Moritz.

There's a also small airport in the nearby village Samedan, but this is only used for private charter flights.

The rail station

St. Moritz only has one rail station, which is down by the lake. This is where the Glacier Express and all local trains and buses depart.

From here, you can easily travel to all the attractions in the region. 

How to travel in St. Moritz

The town center is compact and can be explored on foot. But: St. Moritz is built on a hill. The actual town center is above the rail station. It takes a 5- to 10-minute uphill walk to get from the station to the town center.

Alternatives:

• Buses between the rail station and several districts of the town are available.

• You can use the long escalators from the station level to the town center. They're on the Via Serlas, just west of the train station. The escalators are also quickly accessible from the Serletta parking garage.

St. Moritz-Bad

The district St. Moritz-Bad is at a 20-minute walk from the rail station, and can be reached by bus too. It's south of the town and on the lake.

The best months for a trip to St. Moritz are early January to mid March, early June to mid October and mid December to late December.

St. Moritz in summer and autumn: June to mid-October

St. Moritz is in a high mountain valley, at nearly 1800 m altitude. Spring and summer set in later here than in lower areas of Switzerland. 

In most cases, mountain transportation is operational from June until mid-October. This is also the best time for a summer or autumn visit. You can enjoy most hiking trails, bus rides, train rides and mountain visits in these months.

Early- to mid-October is a great time for a visit. The many coniferous trees in the valley of St. Moritz take on splendid shades of yellow and orange by this time.

St. Moritz in winter

The best time for a snow holiday in the Upper Engadine is December to mid-March. That's when snow in and around the village is most likely.

Snow can set in earlier than December, and sometimes continues until March or even April.

Mountain visits near St. Moritz

You can enjoy the sweeping views over the valley's lakes and surrounding hills from several mountaintops close to the town. Examples are Piz Nair, the Signalbahn, Corvatsch, and Muottas Muragl.

Summer hiking

Hiking is one of the best ways to explore St. Moritz and surroundings. Some of my personal favorites are:

• The Via Engiadina ("Engadine trail"): a long-distance route crossing the Engadine. You can choose any section you want. I specifically like the gorgeous lake section between Maloja and Sils, a bit west of St. Moritz.
• The hike from Murtèl (half-way up to Corvatsch) to Pontresina through the Roseg Valley.
• The long descent from Piz Nair to Bever, through the wonderful valley "Val Bever".
• The panoramic trail from Muottas Muragl to Alp Languard.

Winter activities in St. Moritz

St. Moritz is a perfect winter destination. Most other towns in the Upper Engadine are great snow resorts as well. The valley is located at high altitude, so you’ll see white mountains and snowy villages.

St. Moritz is home to the Olympia bob run. Each year, several championships are held here. Tourists can make a guest ride with an experienced bobsleigh pilot.

In the coldest month, the entire lake of St. Moritz is usually frozen. You can enjoy ice skating, curling and more on the ice.

The large ski area of Corviglia-Piz Nair can be reached directly from town. Many other snow areas are close by. Examples are Corvatsch and Muottas Muragl.

Further winter activities near St. Moritz are sledding, winter hiking, snowshoe hiking and ice sports. You can also make a horse-drawn sleigh ride from Pontresina into the Val Roseg.

Train and bus trips from St. Moritz

St. Moritz is the perfect base for very scenic train and bus trips. My recommendations:

• Make the Glacier Express ride from or to St. Moritz.
• Make a day trip with the Bernina Express, either to Chur in the north or to Tirano in the south.
• Ride toward Zernez and the Swiss National Park in the Lower Engadine.
• Take the bus to Maloja in the west, or even further down into the Bergell Valley. This is part of the Palm Express bus ride between St. Moritz and Lugano.