Because it is the most discreetly glamorous resort in the Swiss Alps — a protected chalet village where royalty, financiers and film stars have wintered for decades, without a concrete tower in sight. Local law keeps it a cluster of dark-timber houses around a car-free promenade of boutiques and cafés, ringed by 200 kilometres of ski slopes and the glacier skiing of Glacier 3000. It suits those who want luxury, skiing, hiking and classical music in a setting that stays understated by design.

Gstaad or St Moritz — which should I choose?

Both are top-tier Swiss resorts, but their characters differ. St Moritz is the more overt and cosmopolitan — grand hotels, a famous lake, a see-and-be-seen winter scene; Gstaad is quieter and more old-money, a protected chalet village where the glamour is deliberately understated and the style is discretion. Both ski superbly. For glitz and scale, St Moritz; for a low-key, chalet-village version of the same luxury, Gstaad — and Gstaad has the stronger summer culture, led by the Menuhin Festival.

Is Gstaad good for skiing?

Yes — it is a large, varied area that suits everyone. Around 200 kilometres of pistes link sectors such as Eggli, Wispile and Rinderberg, with gentle runs for beginners and families and plenty for stronger skiers, plus the year-round glacier skiing and snow park of Glacier 3000 nearby. Snow is reliable at altitude, the village is car-free and walkable, and the Gstaad Card gives free local transport with an overnight stay. It is less about extreme terrain than broad, scenic, well-groomed skiing.

What is there to do in Gstaad in summer?

A great deal beyond the slopes. Summer brings hiking and biking across the Saanenland, with the lake walk at Lauenensee a particular gem, plus the Wispile Cheese Trail, an alpine coaster, paragliding, rafting on the Saane and golf. Glacier 3000 stays open for high-altitude views and the Peak Walk suspension bridge. The cultural highlight is the Gstaad Menuhin Festival of classical music in July and August, set in historic village churches — reason enough to visit in itself.

Boutique Hotels in Gstaad, Switzerland

Understated glamour, by law

What makes Gstaad unlike the flashier names in the Alps is written into its planning code: building is strictly controlled to preserve the traditional chalet village, so there are no high-rise hotels and no concrete sprawl, only dark-wood houses and a car-free heart. That single rule shapes the whole place. The famous Promenade is its stage — a pedestrian street where the windows of Hermès and Chopard sit between centuries-old timber façades and unpretentious cafés, and where the resort's old-money discretion is the prevailing style. It is glamorous, but quietly so, and it draws a crowd that rather likes not being seen. The protected side valleys of the Saanenland, dotted with churches and farms, keep that low-key spirit just beyond the village.

The mountains are the main event in both seasons. In winter, Gstaad spreads across some 200 kilometres of pistes over linked sectors — Eggli, Wispile, Rinderberg and beyond — rising to the year-round glacier skiing of Glacier 3000, where the Peak Walk by Tissot, the first suspension bridge to link two summits, crosses the sky at nearly 3,000 metres. In summer the same mountains turn green for walking and biking: the loveliest short outing is the loop around Lake Lauenen, a clear alpine lake in a protected reserve, while the Wispile Cheese Trail, the alpine coaster and a round at the Saanenland golf course fill the warmer days. Culture has its season too — the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, founded in 1957 by the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, brings world-class classical music to intimate village churches each summer, and the resort's art galleries and summer tennis add to the calendar.

For where to stay, the club's choice could not suit the place better. Ultima Hotel Gstaad is the resort's most private five-star address — three linked timber chalets holding just 11 suites and 6 residences, with a serious wellness spa and the discretion of a private chalet. In a village whose whole character is understated wealth, it is the quietest and most exclusive way to be here.