St. MoritzStory N° 59
St. Moritz Winter — Engadine Prestige
Three days at the oldest luxury winter resort on Earth — Badrutt's Palace overlooking a frozen lake the locals turn into a polo field, the Cresta Run that opened in 1885 and still bans women, the Bernina Express climbing through the highest railway pass in Europe, and Engadine sunlight strong enough to ski in cashmere.
The itinerary.
3 days · 15 stops
Friday
Day One
Fly into Zürich, take the four-hour Rhaetian Railway climb through Chur and Filisur (UNESCO Albula railway since 2008), check into Badrutt's Palace as the lake-side town turns to gold, ski the late-afternoon lifts at Corviglia.
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ZRH → St. Moritz by train
Direct ZRH airport-station departures every hour — SBB to Chur (1h15), then Rhaetian Railway (RhB) panoramic carriage to St. Moritz (2h05) through the UNESCO Albula line: 55 tunnels, 196 bridges, 1,000 m of vertical climb on rack-and-pinion. Bahnhof St. Moritz drops you 400 m from Badrutt's lobby. rhb.ch
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Badrutt's Palace Hotel
1896 grand hotel built by the family that invented Alpine winter tourism — Johannes Badrutt bet four English summer guests in 1864 that they'd enjoy a winter visit, lost the bet (they loved it), and started the season that now drives the whole Engadine valley. The lobby, Grand Hall, La Coupole-Matsuhisa, and Le Restaurant are all original Belle Époque, restored. Rooms and lake-view suites available. badruttspalace.com
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Corviglia — late afternoon ski
Funicular straight from St. Moritz village (St. Moritz Dorf station) up to Corviglia (2,486 m) — 12 min ride, no traffic. The Trais Fluors black is the resort's most photographed run; the Standard piste is the easy red back to town. Day and three-day lift passes available (the Engadin Snow Card covers Corviglia + Corvatsch + Diavolezza). engadin.ch
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El Paradiso mountain restaurant
Slope-side at 2,181 m on the Corviglia side — sundeck with reclining alpine sun-loungers, jazz on Saturdays, the Engadine valley spread below. Light lunch (vitello tonnato, truffle pasta) or a glass of champagne mid-afternoon. Reservations Saturdays. el-paradiso.ch
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Le Restaurant, Badrutt's Palace — dinner
The hotel's main dining room, jacket-required since 1896 — Engadine specialities reframed (capuns, pizzoccheri, plin agnolotti) alongside a wine list of 1,400 references heavy with Swiss and Piedmontese. Two Michelin stars at the smaller IGNIV branch downstairs (Andreas Caminada) if you want the experimental tasting menu instead.
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Hotel
Badrutt's Palace Hotel badruttspalace.com
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Getting around
- ZRH → St. Moritz: 3h20 by train (SBB + Rhaetian Railway).
- St. Moritz Bahnhof → village + ski lifts: 5–10 min by free hotel shuttle; village is steep, walking takes effort.
Saturday
Day Two
Full Engadine ski day on Corvatsch — the 3,303 m peak that drops 1,400 m of vertical down to Lake Sils — and an evening that depends on the calendar: Snow Polo if it's the last weekend of January, White Turf horse race if it's a Sunday in February, opera at the Mountain Sound if neither.
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Corvatsch + Hahnensee descent
Cable car from Surlej (10 min hotel shuttle from St. Moritz) to Corvatsch top (3,303 m) — the highest-elevation cable car in Eastern Switzerland. The Hahnensee descent is the run: 8 km, 1,400 m vertical, ending on the frozen Lake Silvaplana. End-of-piste taxi back from Sils or shuttle. corvatsch.ch
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Lunch at Fuorcla Surlej hut
Slope-side stone hut at 2,755 m, halfway down Corvatsch — Bündner Gerstensuppe (barley soup), capuns (cabbage-wrapped dumplings), Engadiner Nusstorte for dessert. The terrace looks straight up at the Piz Bernina range, 4,049 m.
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Snow Polo World Cup (last weekend January)
Three days of high-goal polo played on the frozen Lake St. Moritz — 30,000 spectators, four teams sponsored by Cartier, BMW, Maserati and Badrutt's. General tickets and a VIP marquee available. The hotel's polo brunch on Sunday is the local social event of winter. snowpolo-stmoritz.com
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White Turf horse races (three Sundays of February)
Flat-races, trot, and the famous skikjöring (jockey on skis pulled by a riderless horse at 50 km/h) on the frozen lake — running since 1907. Wear fur and Moncler; the locals do. Bring an empty stomach for the trackside oyster bar. Free entry to the public stand grandstand. whiteturf.ch
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Dracula Club (members only — ask the hotel concierge)
The Engadine's invitation-only winter night-club, founded 1974 by Gunter Sachs (Brigitte Bardot's third husband). Open three weekends a season — only door is via member sponsorship, which Badrutt's concierge can sometimes arrange. Black tie, no phones, no photos.
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Hotel
Badrutt's Palace Hotel badruttspalace.com
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Getting around
- Hotel → Corvatsch base (Surlej): 10 min by free Engadin Bus 1 or hotel shuttle.
- Surlej cable car → Corvatsch peak: 15 min (two-stage).
Sunday
Day Three
A final Engadine morning — either the Diavolezza glacier ski-down or the Bernina Express short loop to Alp Grüm — then a long Sunday lunch at Suvretta House before the late-afternoon train back to Zürich.
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Diavolezza glacier ski (10 km Morteratsch run)
20 min train from St. Moritz to Bernina Diavolezza station — cable car up to 2,978 m, then the 10 km off-piste-but-marked glacier ski down the Morteratsch glacier (the longest ski-down in the Eastern Alps). Guide-required Dec–early March (avalanche assessment, glacier crevasses); the hotel's ski concierge will arrange one. diavolezza.ch
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Bernina Express short loop (alternative)
If you don't want to ski day 3 — RhB's Bernina Express climbs from St. Moritz over the 2,253 m Bernina Pass (highest railway crossing in the Alps without a rack railway) to Alp Grüm, then back. 2.5 hours return, panoramic carriages, glaciers right outside the window. rhb.ch
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Suvretta House — Stüvetta lunch
St. Moritz's second grande dame (1912) — the Stüvetta is the wood-panelled chalet-style dining room, slope-side at the foot of Suvretta. Long Sunday lunch (capuns, brasato al Barolo, kirsch parfait) usually paired with a Veltliner red. The hotel's free funicular runs back down to its lake-side station. suvrettahouse.ch
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Hanselmann — afternoon tea
1894 Konditorei on Via Maistra, downtown St. Moritz — the original Engadiner Nusstorte (caramelised walnut tart) recipe. Hot chocolate with whipped cream, Linzer torte, a slice of the Nusstorte to take home. Royals queue here too. hanselmann.ch
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St. Moritz → ZRH airport
Rhaetian Railway St. Moritz → Chur (2h05, panoramic carriage) → SBB intercity Chur → ZRH airport (1h25). Total ~3h30. Trains hourly until 21:00.
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Hotel
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Getting around
- St. Moritz → Diavolezza Bahnhof: 20 min by RhB Bernina line.
- St. Moritz → Suvretta House: 15 min on foot or free hotel funicular from Champfèr.
- St. Moritz → ZRH: 3h30 by train, hourly departures.
Location.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need for St. Moritz Winter — Engadine Prestige?
3 days. The itinerary runs from Friday to Sunday and covers 15 curated stops across 3 days.
How much does St. Moritz Winter — Engadine Prestige cost?
Luxury — signature hotels and reserved access.
Where do you stay during St. Moritz Winter — Engadine Prestige?
Badrutt's Palace Hotel is the recommended base for the trip; the full hotel list per day is in the itinerary section.
What's included in the St. Moritz Winter — Engadine Prestige itinerary?
Day-by-day stops at 15 restaurants, museums, viewpoints and landmarks; transportation hints between each leg; and a hotel base in St. Moritz.
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