St Moritz holidays

The shops here are more about splashing the cash than bagging a bargain, though there are a couple of supermarkets where you can buy those everyday essentials.

You’ll find plenty of gift shops dotted around where you can pick up a St Moritz memento. Pop into a patisserie to try the town’s signature Engadine nut tart – and this is Switzerland, so you can’t miss visiting a chocolatier or two either.

Whether we’re talking watches, jewellery or the latest fashions, big brands and St Moritz go hand in hand. Check out Via Serlas in the centre if you fancy treating yourself on your trip.

For an easy-going evening, try one of the hotel bars – with its stately-home looks and knockout lake views, the lobby bar at the Kulm Hotel always hits the spot.

St Moritz has plenty of stylish bars, and Hemingway’s Club is one of the biggest names in town with music and a big cocktail menu to get everyone in a party mood. And to add some live music to the evening, you can check out what’s on at the St Moritz Reithalle concert hall.

St Moritz serves up its fair share of Michelin-starred spots, and there are plenty of affordable places to eat too, so you should find a pick to fit your budget. Lots of hotels have fine-dining restaurants you can book for an extra-special evening out, and there’s nothing like tucking into a platter of classic Swiss specialties with a view of the peaks at a mountain hut.

Chesa al Parc is run by the 5-star Kulm Hotel, so you know the food is going to be good. Speaking of, the menu ticks off all the country’s best-known recipes, from fondue to stews. And you can’t miss trying the house favourite, the Chesa al Parc rösti, which is a crispy potato pancake topped with cheese, bacon and fried egg.

In the centre of town, award-winning Krone St Moritz mixes the best of French and Italian cooking to make gourmet dishes that look almost too good to eat. The service is spot on and, with a wine list as long as your arm, there’s a perfect tipple to go with every dish.

A short walk from the top of the St Moritz Bad-Signal cable car, the Bergrestaurant Trutz is the perfect mid-walk pit-stop. Sit back on the wooden terrace and take in views of the lake and mountains while you munch a slice of streusel cake, a local classic made from caramelised apples and chopped nuts.

The Engadin Bus Company runs seven different lines that link all the nearby villages – and with plenty of stops throughout St Moritz, you should have somewhere handy to catch one. There are services a few times an hour too, so don’t worry if you miss one. Plus, buses are free with your Engadin card, which you'll get when you check in at your hotel for a stay of two nights or more.

Walking trails and mountain views are easy to reach using the St Moritz Bad Signal and Corviglia cable cars, which are open from 9am to 5pm during the summer. Or for another way to head to the heights, you can hop aboard the Chantarella Funicular railway that clacks up to the Corviglia mountain from the centre of town. And the best bit? You can use them for free with the Engadin card that’s included with your stay.

Catch a train from St Moritz and take in next-level scenery on Europe’s highest railway route, the Bernina Express. The 1-hour trip ends in the Italian town of Tirano, and along the way you’ll cross deep gorges, pass peaks and glaciers, and trundle past the shore Lake Bianco. You can also take the Albula line for free with your Engadin card as your transfer to and from the resort – it covers the most scenic part of the famous Glacier Express train route.

St Moritz is a compact place, so getting about on foot is simple. Take a stroll along pedestrianised streets lined with high-end shops and grand hotels, or potter down to the shore of Lake St Moritz, where there’s a gentle walking path – just right for an easy-going amble. Using the escalators at Parkhaus Serletta would be your best bet to get from town to the lake.

There’s over 500km of walking routes to tempt you if you fancy stretching your legs while you’re here. And you can use your Engadin card to take lifts and mountain railways for free, so you can take a shortcut to the best bits. There are great trails looping the lakes in the valley bottom too, and with swim spots and picnic areas along the way, they’re just the ticket for a leisurely summer’s day.

This gentle route starts on the promenade and loops the two lakes closest to town. Watch rowing boats and dinghies bob on the water as you walk the path that hugs Lake St Moritz. Then at the far end, follow the trail into a shaded forest, before popping out by the shore of little Lake Staz. Halfway around its shoreline is a restaurant and shingle beach where you can stop for a drink and a paddle, before heading back to St Moritz.

Soak up the scents and sights of summer in the Swiss mountains as you follow this 1km trail from the top of the Chantarella Funicular railway. Along the way you’ll pass through glades of pine trees, as well as an alpine meadow dotted with over 200 kinds of colourful blooms. And at the end is the rustic log cabin that was used in the 1971 film, Heidi.