Winter Sports in Saanen

S

aanen is the municipal capital of the Obersimmental-Saanen district, the area that includes Gstaad and most of the slopes of Sector 1 of Gstaad Mountain Rides. It is twinned with Cannes in France. From Rüebeldorf on the edge of the town, there is a fast chairlift that gets you into a large sprawling area of mainly pleasant blues and easy red and black runs - although the blue-designated valley run off La Videmanette may be daunting for aspiring intermediates. The views from Eggli at the top are spectacular. As well as valley runs down to Saanen, there are also valley runs into Gstaad and the La Videmanette run into French-speaking Rougemont.

Best of the Slopes

The beautiful long series of blue runs off Vorderes Eggli to Saanen (Rüebeldorf) are amongst the best intermediate runs throughout the Gstaad region.

Where to Eat and Party

The bar at Schopfen is nicely chilled on a sunny day, and is next to a tiny funpark. Saanenland is renowned for its cuisine and there are some good places to eat in Saanen, notably the Sonnenhof (+41 33 744 10 23).

Getting There

By Public Transport

The best destination to access the downhill slopes by public transport in this ski area is Saanen. Note that the lift pass is good for all lifts in Gstaad Mountain Rides and on all local buses and the railway as far as Rossinière. Stations at Zweisimmen, Saanenmöser, Schönried, Rougement and Château-d'Oex are all a few minutes walk from valley stations. The bottom stations in Gstaad itself are a longer walk or you can take a courtesy bus.

• From Zurich the least travel time is 2 hrs 59 mins with as few as 2 changes going via Bern / Zweisimmen.
• From Basel the least travel time is 3 hrs 1 min with as few as 2 changes going via Bern / Zweisimmen.
• From Berne the least travel time is 1 hr 57 mins with as few as 1 changes going via Zweisimmen.

By Road

Please refer to a map and check local conditions for accurate routing information.

• The road distance from Zurich is around 203 km and the journey time is roughly 2 hrs 29 mins.
• The road distance from Basel is around 176 km and the journey time is roughly 2 hrs 11 mins.
• The road distance from Berne is around 83 km and the journey time is roughly 1 hr 15 mins.

Get road directions at Google Maps

Nearby Resorts

Other resorts in the ski area include GstaadGlacier3000, Rougemont, Château-d'Oex, Saanenmöser, Schönried, St. Stephan and Zweisimmen.

Weather Outlook

No local weather available - Zermatt used.

View detailed snow forecast for at: snow-forecast.com

Piste Map for Saanen