One of my favorite winter memories happened one night on the snowy slopes of the Berner Oberland in Switzerland. My friend Walter and I, warmed by hot chocolate laced with schnapps, decided to go sledding between mountain-high villages. We strapped flashlights to our heads, miner-style, and zoomed through the crisp, moonlit night.
When people think of winter in Europe, many picture the Swiss Alps — swooshing down dramatic slopes, tramping through quaint, cobbled villages with snow blanketing chalet rooftops, or snuggling around a pot of fondue.
These images are why Switzerland’s ski resorts are so popular. They also offer an astounding variety of terrain, relatively mild temperatures, a lively après-ski scene — and activities for nonskiers.
My favorite destination in Switzerland — winter or summer — is the Berner Oberland, with the grand old resort town of Interlaken as its gateway. This area in central Switzerland offers the ultimate diversity of terrain, good snow on its higher runs, reasonable prices and character that’s missing in many swankier resort areas.
The cliff-hanging town of Murren is relatively uncrowded and a good home base for expert skiers, with the 10,000-foot Schilthorn peak as its backbone. Across the valley, Wengen has skiing for all skill levels and a rental shop run by the family of Olympic skier Karl Molitor. Grindelwald, a little closer to Interlaken, has more than 100 miles of downhill trails, including the area’s best range of beginners runs. You can even swish with the Swiss down a 9-mile-long sledding run — the world’s longest.
At 11,300 feet, the Jungfraujoch in the Berner Oberland is Europe’s highest train station. The hour-long train ride takes you from Kleine Scheidegg, up the notorious North Face of the Eiger Mountain, then through a tunnel inside the Eiger. At the top, you can visit a cavern of ice statues or ride an elevator up to the Sphinx observatory to view the Aletsch Glacier — Europe’s longest, at nearly 11 miles.
The town of Zermatt in southern Switzerland lies in the shadow of the Matterhorn. Zermatt’s elevation and variety of runs — and the chance to ski or snowboard from Switzerland to Italy — make it popular.
In southeast Switzerland, ritzy St. Moritz is a high- end shopper’s paradise — and overly glamorous for my taste. It’s also home to a museum displaying the works of Giovanni Segantini, the ultimate painter of alpine life, whose pieces are reminiscent of the French impressionists.
The perfect end to the day is a fondue dinner, featuring a communal pot of melted cheese. For the Swiss, fondue is a purely winter specialty (only tourists eat it in summer). It’s served with a wonderful Swiss white wine called Fendant.
Though Switzerland may be the most well- known winter destination, the scene can be just as good elsewhere.
The Dolomites in northern Italy are popular for the Sella Ronda, in which intrepid skiers circle the Sella massif using a system of lifts and 28 miles of ski runs.
The Savoie region of France, centered on 15,771-foot Mont Blanc, feels more Swiss than French, with wood chalets overflowing with geraniums and fondue in every restaurant. Chamonix, the largest of five villages at the base of Mont Blanc, offers some of the best expert-level skiing in the world, jaw-dropping views and a good balance between true mountaineer culture and touristy glitz.
Innsbruck, in Austria’s western panhandle, is surrounded by 150 mountain lifts. Host of the ’64 and ’76 Winter Olympics, it offers a chance to careen down an Olympic bobsled course.
While most travelers visit Europe in warmer months, a trip in winter can be just as memorable.
Whether your sport is skiing, snowboarding or simply enjoying the good life, Europe’s cozy mountain villages may just have the cure for the winter blues.
Rick Steves () writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. E-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.
