First things first: the cold months of the year, from December to March, are some of my favorite times of the year! Although I wouldn’t want to miss summer with its long nights, warm rivers and lakes to swim in and the chance to have an aperitif outdoors on a terrace in the historic center of Zurich.
Why do I like winter? In my case, it has a lot to do with snow and sports. My parents say I was skiing almost before I could walk. And I still like to do this as often as possible in the Swiss mountains: in recent years and together with our daughters, who were still small at the time, often in small family ski resorts that are also suitable for beginners and also invite you to go hiking, snowshoeing and sledging. Some of these areas can be reached from Zurich and other Swiss cities such as Lucerne or Bern in less than an hour by car, train or bus. Now we also like to visit larger areas such as Lenzerheide, Davos and Klosters, Arosa, Laax in Graubünden, the Jungfrau region in the Bernese Oberland or Titlis in Central Switzerland, with impressive downhill slopes, spectacular cable car rides and – of no small importance to me – wonderful mountain restaurants with excellent cuisine. I particularly like to imagine the first turns in the snow right at the start of opening hours (there are even places where businesses open before sunrise for the early risers and offer breakfast after the first runs). However, there is one challenge in particular that I enjoy the most: equipped with snowshoes or skins, we climb mountains that have no infrastructure to lead us up them. The ascent amidst the silence of the freshly snow-covered forests, the view from the top of the mountain and the walk along the untouched slopes are probably comparable to the feeling of surfing a perfect wave on a lonely beach in Brazil.
Here you can directly find more information about the excursions offered by Destination Switzerland to visit typical winter destinations.
