Best Mountain Town for Christmas

Posted by mmsthree on 11/02/24 10:16 PM

Hi There! My husband and I are planning a few days to spend Christmas eve/day + before and after in an alpine mountain town as we were told they don't shut down for the holidays. First and foremost, I will be 5 months pregnant so unfortunately not looking for "adventure" and we tend to avoid commercialized places. Looking for a smaller town that is geared towards Christmas spirit... walkable if possible... the option to take a ski lift up and have lunch at a restaurant... a little snow if possible... and really just enjoy some great food and views! Any suggestions? I saw online that Zermatt came highly recommended, but when we watched some videos on it, it seemed like a bigger town than we were looking for and a lot more built up... are we wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by travel4fun

Bend, Oregon

11/03/24 01:37 AM

2544 posts

Wengen. No option to take a ski lift up, since you will already be “up” the mountain. But you can take the train up to Jungfraujoch “The Top of Europe” and have lunch up there. Guaranteed snow up there.

Posted by Lola

Seattle, WA

11/03/24 05:02 AM

17417 posts

Zermatt is a large ski resort/town. It would be very festive at Christmas, but if you are looking for something smaller and less “commercialized”, I would suggest the small car-free village of Bettmeralp, in the Valais, not far from Zermatt (on any clear day you can see the Matterhorn from here). The town is reached by a cablecar up from the train station at Betten, on the main east-west train line running through the Rhine valley (the Glacier Express route.

https://packedagain.com/winter-bettmeralp-family-aletsch-arena/

https://lifejourney4two.com/bettmeralp-skiing/

https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/christmas

The main road through Bettmeralp is level, so comfortable for walking, even if snowy. There will be snow in the village, but should you wish to ride a lift up higher higher for l;lunch, there is the Bettmerhorn lift, or others in the next village of Riederalp. The views are great wherever you go.

Posted by SwissNomad

Switzerland

11/03/24 12:58 PM

158 posts

Wengen. No option to take a ski lift up, since you will already be “up” the mountain.

From Wengen you can go up to Männlichen, their winter season starts December 7. You can also go up to Kleine Scheidegg. Winter activities are happening, restaurants open.