Lech or St. Moritz?

The short answer.

Choose Lech for the skiing: big terrain without big crowds, a season that usually runs from early December to late April, and a small village to come back to. Choose St. Moritz for the setting: classic grand hotels, sunny pistes and a winter calendar full of events on the frozen lake.

Lech: the skiing.

Lech is a village in Vorarlberg, on the Arlberg. It is part of Ski Arlberg, one of the largest connected ski areas in Austria: Lech, Zürs, Zug, Oberlech, St. Anton, Stuben and Warth-Schröcken share one lift pass. Off-piste days are best with a local guide.

Lech is also a place for long lunches and good hotels. The Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel in Zug is known for its cooking, and Hotel & Chalet Aurelio sits directly on the Schlegelkopf slope, at about 1,500 m.

St. Moritz: the setting.

St. Moritz lies at about 1,800 m in the Upper Engadin, with the slopes of Corviglia above the village and a lake below it that freezes in deep winter, when the season's events are held on the ice. The town hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948 and is known for its classic grand hotels.

Getting there.

Lech is about an hour and a half by car from Innsbruck Airport and two and a half hours from Zurich; by train, to Langen am Arlberg or St. Anton, then a short transfer. St. Moritz is about three hours from Zurich by car or train, and private flights land at Engadin Airport in Samedan, a few minutes away.

Still not sure?

Tell us who is travelling and what a good day looks like for you. We will say which of the two fits you, or suggest a third place that suits you more than either, from Zermatt to Cortina.