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Voykit pocket guide · Switzerland
St. Moritz
San Murezzan
Two nights is enough: one day for the lake and the leaning tower, one for a cable car up Corviglia or Muottas Muragl. Skip if you want cheap.
St. Moritz sits at 1,856 m in the Upper Engadin, a valley of lakes and larch woods reached by the Albula and Bernina railways. It is a resort town first: the skiing, the spa and the hotel bars carry it, and the village core is small. Two nights covers the walks, one mountain and the train rides; a third only pays if you ski or hike hard.
- Country
- Switzerland
- Local name
- San Murezzan
- Best months
- Jul–Sep for hiking and lake walks; late Dec–Mar for skiing
- Avoid
- Nov (between seasons, lifts and many hotels shut); Easter week if you dislike crowds
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CHF
- Money
- Currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere; euros are sometimes taken with change in francs.
- Daily spend
- Budget CHF 90–140 excl. bed · Mid CHF 150–260 excl. bed · High CHF 300+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt sell prepaid SIMs (ID needed); Swisscom covers the most mountain terrain.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Ambulance 144 · Rega air rescue 1414 · European emergency 112
- Plugs
- Types J, C · 230 V · 50 Hz · Swiss three-pin sockets are recessed: thin two-pin (type C) plugs fit, but thick German Schuko plugs do not — bring a Swiss adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Service included; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.; Café or bar: Round up.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel: Optional; CHF 2–5 for porters.; Mountain guide: CHF 20–50 for a day, optional.
- Water
- Tap and fountain water is excellent. Restaurants usually charge for bottled water; ask for 'Hahnenwasser' / 'eau du robinet'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost CHF 1–2; restaurants and department stores are free for customers.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a village café | CHF 4–6 |
| Plate of Engadin nusstorte or a pastry | CHF 5–8 |
| Lunch, one course, village restaurant | CHF 20–35 |
| Beer: village bar / hotel bar | CHF 6–9 / CHF 12–18 |
| Single ride, local bus | CHF 3–5 |
| Cable car, single ascent | CHF 25–50 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | CHF 15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SMV · Engadin Airport, Samedan
- About 5 km and 20 min from St. Moritz; small field, seasonal and weather-dependent, check the operator.About 3.1 mi and 20 min from St. Moritz; small field, seasonal and weather-dependent, check the operator.
- ZRH · Zurich Airport
- Train via Chur to St. Moritz, roughly 3.5–4 h; hourly from Chur.
- MXP · Milan Malpensa
- Bus or train via Tirano and the Bernina line, about 4 h; check connections.
Typical fares
- Train Chur → St. Moritz
- about CHF 50 one way, 2 h
- Local bus, single ride
- CHF 3–5
- Funicular St. Moritz Dorf → Corviglia
- about CHF 30–50 return
Get around
The village is walkable: Dorf to Bad is 15–20 min on foot. Local buses and the Rhaetian Railway link Dorf, Bad, Celerina and Samedan; a guest card from your hotel covers local buses, check the current terms. Cable cars run from Dorf (Corviglia) and Bad (Signal); Muottas Muragl and Corvatsch are reached by bus or train. Parking is scarce and expensive in winter: arrive by train.
See and do
Known for
- Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza ski areas
- The Cresta Run and the 1928/1948 Winter Olympic sites
- The Bernina and Glacier Express railways
- Via Serlas luxury shopping and the Big 5 hotels
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Muottas Muragl | Bus or train to Punt Muragl, then the funicular | About 45 min |
| Pontresina | Train or bus, 10–15 min | About 30 min |
| Bernina Pass and Tirano | Rhaetian Railway Bernina line, hourly | 2–2.5 h to Tirano |
| Samedan | Train, about 8 min | About 20 min |
| Scuol | Train via Samedan and Sagliains, about 1.5 h | About 2 h |
| Samnaun | Train to Scuol, then PostBus over the pass | 3 h+ |
Sleep
- Dorf (village centre)
- Leaning tower, Via Serlas, Badrutt's Palace and the funicular to Corviglia; walk to everything, highest prices.
- St. Moritz-Bad
- Lake side, spa and the Signal cable car; 15–20 min walk or a short bus ride from Dorf, calmer and slightly cheaper.
- Celerina and Samedan
- One or two train stops down the valley; cheaper beds, own station, 10–15 min by train to St. Moritz.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Allegraallegra |
| Thank you | Grazia fitggrat-zia fit |
| Please | Per plaschairper pla-schair |
| How much is it? | Quant costa quai?quant cos-ta kwai |
| Can I pay by card? | Poss jau pajar cun la carta?poss yow pa-yar kun la car-ta |
| Where is the station? | Nua è la staziun?noo-a e la sta-tsiun |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; three cheek kisses among friends; avoid: Skipping the greeting in shops
- Punctuality: Be exactly on time; avoid: Running for the train expecting it to wait
- Language: Greet in the local language, then ask for English; avoid: Speaking German in Geneva as a default
- Quiet: Low voices in trains; quiet carriages are marked; avoid: Speakerphone calls
- Money: Keep financial talk discreet; avoid: Asking people's salaries
- Recycling: Separate PET, glass and cans; avoid: Leaving rubbish in hotel or flat bins unsorted
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude: 1,856 m in the village and over 3,000 m on the lifts. Take the first day easy, drink water, and know the signs of altitude sickness.
- Winter cold and ice: pavements freeze; boots with grip matter more than a coat.
- Seasonal closures: many hotels, restaurants and lifts shut in November and again in late spring. Check dates before booking.
- Prices: this is one of Switzerland's most expensive resorts. A coffee or a beer in a hotel bar can cost several times a village café price.
- Cresta Run and the Olympia Bob Run are spectator or booked-session only; you cannot simply turn up and slide.
Very safe for tourists; the real risks are altitude, ice on pavements and the cost of an unplanned hotel-bar evening. Mountain weather turns fast above 2,500 m: check the forecast and lift status before you go up.
One and two days
No timed day plan for St. Moritz yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza ski areas
- The Cresta Run and the 1928/1948 Winter Olympic sites
- The Bernina and Glacier Express railways
- Via Serlas luxury shopping and the Big 5 hotels
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- St. Moritz official tourism site: www.stmoritz.ch
- Engadin tourism: www.engadin.ch
- Rhaetian Railway (RhB): www.rhb.ch
- Swiss Federal Railways (SBB): www.sbb.ch
- Engadin Airport, Samedan: www.engadin-airport.ch
- Wikivoyage: St. Moritz, revision 5243604 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5243604
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
St. MoritzSan Murezzan
A quest'adressa, per plaschair
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in St. Moritz; embassies are in Bern and consulates-general in Zurich and Geneva. US citizens: register with the embassy in Bern.
Romansh is the local language; German and English work everywhere in tourism.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/st-moritz). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.