Chesa il Rifugio
St Moritz, Switzerland
Sleeps 6 · 3 bedrooms · 3 bathrooms
- Ski-in/ski-out
On the snow
Price on the partner’s site
Check Christmas availability →Christmas in St Moritz
Switzerland · Christmas week 19 Dec – 26 Dec 2026
The original winter resort: a high, cold Engadine town above a frozen lake, with sunny skiing and plenty of glamour.
Quick answers about Christmas in St Moritz
- Is there usually snow in St Moritz at Christmas?
- Almost always. At the Valetta weather station on the slopes (2,512 m, 4.6 km from St Moritz), there was at least 30cm of snow on the ground on Christmas morning in 27 of the 29 years measured since 1996; the thinnest was 5cm in 2015. At village height, at St.Moritz (1,850 m, in the resort), snow was lying on 28 of 30 Christmas mornings. St Moritz scores 72 out of 100 on our Christmas Snow Score. That is how often there has been snow, not a forecast: conditions vary every season and nobody can promise them.
- What is Christmas actually like in St Moritz?
- Glamorous rather than traditional. The grand hotels take Christmas seriously, and the tourist office's Christmas market fills the Plazza Mauritius with stalls and music for an evening in early December (2 December in the 2026 season), with more village markets around the valley through Advent.
- When is Christmas week in St Moritz this season?
- For Christmas 2026, Christmas Day is a Friday, so the Christmas week runs from Saturday 19 to Saturday 26 December. Most chalets in St Moritz are let by the week, so that is the week to search for.
St Moritz is where Alpine winter tourism began, with a hotelier's wager to a party of British summer guests in the nineteenth century, and it has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. It is a town rather than a village, set above a lake in the high, wide Upper Engadine, with grand hotels, designer shops and a year-round population. In winter the frozen lake hosts polo and horse racing, and the Cresta Run toboggan course drops down towards Celerina.
The home mountain is Corviglia, sunny and broad, with the cable car to Piz Nair for the top; Corvatsch across the valley and the other Engadine areas belong to the same ski region but are not linked by piste. The case for St Moritz at Christmas is altitude: the valley itself is high and cold, so snow in the streets and on the lower runs is far more likely than in most resorts. The trade-off is cost and character. It is one of the most expensive places to spend Christmas in the Alps, and its glamour is that of a town, not a chalet village.
Christmas in St Moritz
Glamorous rather than traditional. The grand hotels take Christmas seriously, and the tourist office's Christmas market fills the Plazza Mauritius with stalls and music for an evening in early December (2 December in the 2026 season), with more village markets around the valley through Advent.
Our Christmas atmosphere rating: 4 out of 5
If you are not skiing
Excellent. Walks on and around the frozen lake, the Cresta Run and bob run to watch, the shops of the town and the grand hotels make St Moritz one of the best resorts for non-skiers.
Christmas Snow Score
72/ 100
Very snow-sure
72 out of 100 — usually skiing well by Christmas week. The strongest factor here is the measured Christmas snow record. At least 30cm of snow on the ground on 27 of the last 29 Christmas mornings at the Valetta station (2512 m). Scored on 88% of our inputs; the rest are still being verified. Snow in the Alps varies from one December to the next, and no resort can promise cover on a given week.
What went into it
- Measured Christmas snowAt least 30cm of snow on the ground on 27 of the last 29 Christmas mornings at the Valetta station (2512 m)
- 45% weight93
- Village altitudeThe village sits at 1822 m and loses its snow first
- 20% weight68
- Top of the ski areaThe skiing reaches 3030 m, and high ground holds cover in a thin December
- 15% weight54
- Glacier accessNo glacier
- 8% weight0
Still to verify: snowmaking coverage. These carry no weight until they are sourced, so the score is calculated across the 88% we hold.
The Christmas Snow Score compares resorts on how often there has been snow on the ground on Christmas morning, measured at weather stations over the last thirty years, with altitude, snowmaking and glacier access. It describes how reliable a resort tends to be, not what the snow will do this year — Alpine conditions vary every season and nobody can guarantee them. How the Snow Score works and how every resort compares
Resort figures from the source we checked on 21 September 2026.
Snow on Christmas morning in St Moritz
How much snow was on the ground on 25 December, every year since 1996, measured at the nearest weather stations. This is what the resort’s Christmas Snow Score is built on.
On the slopes: Valetta, 2,512 m
4.6 km from St Moritz. At least 30cm on the ground on 27 of 29 Christmas mornings measured since 1996. Typical depth 62cm; least 5cm in 2015; most 173cm in 2002.
Christmas morning snow depth at Valetta, year by year
| Christmas | Snow on the ground |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 48cm |
| 2024 | 36cm |
| 2023 | 94cm |
| 2022 | 56cm |
| 2021 | 61cm |
| 2020 | 92cm |
| 2019 | 110cm |
| 2018 | 130cm |
| 2017 | 72cm |
| 2016 | 34cm |
| 2015 | 5cm |
| 2014 | 90cm |
| 2013 | 55cm |
| 2012 | 107cm |
| 2011 | 62cm |
| 2010 | 114cm |
| 2009 | 133cm |
| 2008 | 131cm |
| 2007 | 59cm |
| 2006 | 44cm |
| 2005 | 56cm |
| 2004 | 31cm |
| 2003 | 84cm |
| 2002 | 173cm |
| 2001 | 16cm |
| 2000 | 146cm |
| 1999 | 42cm |
| 1998 | 39cm |
| 1997 | 100cm |
Measured on the morning of 25 December by WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF (CC BY 4.0).
In the village: St.Moritz, 1,850 m
0.1 km from St Moritz. At least 30cm on the ground on 19 of 30 Christmas mornings measured since 1996. Typical depth 35cm; least 0cm in 2015; most 83cm in 2000.
Christmas morning snow depth at St.Moritz, year by year
| Christmas | Snow on the ground |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 17cm |
| 2024 | 21cm |
| 2023 | 44cm |
| 2022 | 13cm |
| 2021 | 23cm |
| 2020 | 48cm |
| 2019 | 50cm |
| 2018 | 30cm |
| 2017 | 30cm |
| 2016 | 0cm |
| 2015 | 0cm |
| 2014 | 6cm |
| 2013 | 27cm |
| 2012 | 53cm |
| 2011 | 47cm |
| 2010 | 65cm |
| 2009 | 70cm |
| 2008 | 83cm |
| 2007 | 35cm |
| 2006 | 23cm |
| 2005 | 39cm |
| 2004 | 32cm |
| 2003 | 39cm |
| 2002 | 54cm |
| 2001 | 5cm |
| 2000 | 83cm |
| 1999 | 31cm |
| 1998 | 14cm |
| 1997 | 62cm |
| 1996 | 78cm |
Measured on the morning of 25 December by WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF (CC BY 4.0).
Chalets in St Moritz you can book now
These links open our partners’ own Christmas availability for St Moritz, with Christmas week already selected.
- Check Christmas availability
Skiworld's Christmas ski holidays
Skiworld
- Check Christmas availability
Every place to stay in St Moritz
Booking.com · Christmas week 19 Dec – 26 Dec 2026 already applied
These are commercial links: we may earn a commission if you book, and it never changes your price. How this works.
Chalets in St Moritz
On 21 September 2026 we checked 2 chalets here for Christmas week (19 Dec – 26 Dec 2026): 0 were still available on Booking.com.
Some links below are commercial. If you book through one we may earn a commission, and what you pay is unchanged. How this works.
Crystal Lodge St Moritz
St Moritz, Switzerland
Sleeps 10 · 5 bedrooms · 5 bathrooms
Price on the partner’s site
Check Christmas availability →
Compare St Moritz for Christmas
Common questions about Christmas in St Moritz
How high is St Moritz?
The village sits at 1,822m, and the lift-served ski area reaches 3,030m. Top figure is the Piz Nair cable car top station on Corviglia; the Piz Nair summit is 3,057 m. Piste kilometres are the tourist office's figure for Corviglia. Corvatsch (a separate area on the Engadin pass) reaches higher. Altitude matters at Christmas because high ground holds snow in a thin December; the measured Christmas record on this page shows how that has played out year by year. Figures checked on 21 September 2026 against the source listed on this page.
Is St Moritz good for families at Christmas?
St Moritz works for families, with some compromises. It also does Christmas itself well, which children notice. This is our editorial judgement rather than a measurement, and the resort page explains the reasoning.
Can a beginner learn to ski in St Moritz at Christmas?
St Moritz is workable for beginners without being a standout. One thing to weigh at Christmas specifically: nursery slopes are the lowest terrain in any resort and therefore the first to be thin in December. Here, altitude is on your side.
Which airport do you fly into for St Moritz?
The usual arrival airports are Zurich (ZRH), Milan Malpensa (MXP). We do not publish transfer times, because they swing widely with traffic and road conditions on a Saturday in Christmas week — ask your transfer company for a figure they will stand behind.
Can I book a chalet in St Moritz through this site?
We list 2 chalets in St Moritz, but we do not take bookings ourselves: we are not a travel agent and we take no bookings or payments. We link to partners who do, and the links on this page go to their live Christmas availability. If you book through one we may earn a commission, which never changes your price.
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