Mountain railways and roadways provide access to jet set–popular Gstaad in the southwest region of the Swiss Alps. Three ski areas, heli-skiing, 10 winter sports schools and more than 30 miles of cross-country skiing trails are within reach of this traffic-free resort town, which is also known for its fine dining. A promenade lined with luxury boutiques runs through the town center. Activities are also plentiful in summer, like tennis, golf, hiking and mountaineering.
With its top hotels, gourmet restaurants, luxury chalets and nearby Saanen airport, the car-free resort of Gstaad is a popular destination for international celebrities.
In winter, 200km of pistes at altitudes of up to 3000 metres above sea level await skiers and snowboard riders. Several snowparks and numerous toboggan runs as well as 42km of trails for classic- and skating-style cross-country skiing are at the disposal of visitors. For walkers there are about 185km of winter walking trails. Among the rather more unusal activities on offer there is Bavarian curling in the centre of Gstaad and glacier- and heli-skiing.
The wide-open countryside of the Saanenland offers a versatile and and diverse sports programme: hiking (trail network of over 300 km), mountain biking, paragliding and golf. On the River Saane there are opportunities for mountain torrent and canoo adventures. Summer cross-country skiing is possible in the «Glacier 3000» ski region. The summer toboggan run in Schönried, a via ferrata and the Lake Lauenen nature paradise are ideal excursion destinations for families.
Switzerland is known for its mountains (the Alps in the south, Jura in the northwest) but it also has a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. It is intrinsically more culturally diverse than perhaps any other European country. It has four national languages that have historically been dominant in various regions or cantons. German, French and Italian are spoken in the regions bordering the respective country, and Romansch - a language of Swiss origin - is spoken in the mountainous area of Graubün
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