Resort information for Davos

Davos is set in a high, broad, flat-bottomed valley, with its lifts and slopes either side. Arguably it was the very first place in the Alps to develop its slopes, and they are now shared with the famously royal resort of Klosters.

The slopes have something for everyone, though experts and nervous intermediates need to choose their territory with care. You could hit a different mountain around Davos nearly every day for a week, but the out-of-town areas tend to be much quieter than the ones directly accessible from the resort. It is high by Swiss standards. Not many of the slopes face directly south, but not many face directly north either. Snow reliability is generally good higher up but can be poor lower down. Once the scene of some of the longest queues in the Alps. Davos has improved key lifts and now generates relatively few complaints, at least midweek, but there can be queues at peak times.

The main high altitude mountain restaurants are dreary self-service affairs – but there are exceptions. Davos is a huge, city-like place with dreary, block-style buildings, plagued by traffic, lacking alpine atmosphere and après-ski animation. There is a wide choice for eating out and the more ambitious restaurants are mostly in hotels. There are plenty of bars, discos and nightclubs, and a large casino. But we’re not sure how some of them make a living – Davos guests tend to want the quiet life.