Pontresina, Switzerland In The Winter
It's no secret how much ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I enjoy Switzerland. Whether it's summer hiking, visiting the many picturesque towns or snowshoeing in the winter on crispy snow, there is no easier place to visit and travel around. Their train system has to be the world's best. (For detailed information on training around Europe, Sheila's Guide to European Train Travel is filled with money-saving tips.)
Last winter's destination was Pontresina. Originally, we'd planned on snowshoeing in St. Moritz but couldn't find a hotel whose prices suited us. Our solution - stay in Pontresina, only a few miles down the road from St. Moritz and connected by both trains and constantly running buses. It pays to be flexible. The Pontresina Tourist Bureau will send oodles of information including hotels, maps, etc. or just get whatever information you need off their website.
We selected the Hotel Bernina for a one-week stay and booked through the Pontresina website. Conveniently located (most of the hotels are) and a little closer to the Pontresina stop, Surovas, than the main Pontresina station.
Pontresina is in the Engadin Valley and has something for everyone.
Do you cross-country (or langlauf - cross-country in German)? There are over 140 MILES of prepared tracks in this valley. And the famous Engadine Marathon takes place every year on the second Sunday in March. Maloja to S-chanf, 42 km's/26 miles. This is one of the most important cross-country marathons in the world with around 13,000 entrants and if you are a die-hard langlaufer, you already know about this. If you just like to cross-country, you couldn't select a better place to do it. The valley is filled with train and bus transportation in every little village along the entire route. Jump off, ski for a while, and catch a bus or train back to your hotel.
Prefer Alpine Skiing (or downhill as it will always be known to me)? How about over 200 miles of ski runs and 56 gondolas, mountain railways and lifts? Not the mention the very big draw for American skiers...the price of lift tickets. You can buy a 6-day lift ticket and ski until your legs fall off for around $215. That is about $38 dollars a day at the current Swiss Franc exchange rate. No comparison to American Ski Resort lift ticket prices that are in the stratosphere of $60-$85 a day. And there are also packages galore that include air, hotel, transportation and lift tickets. Look into them for this winter season, 2007-2008. You may be pleasantly surprised.
