Skiing in Switzerland when you live in the North of France

Skiing in Switzerland ? Is it far? Further than the French Alps ? Not necessarily.

You will be able to discover new ski areas and another mountain culture in a country, Switzerland, which awaits you with open arms.

The areas of Vaud and Valais, south-east of Lake Geneva are accessible from everywhere in France, but when you live in the northern half of France, the gateway to the Switzerland This is Basel.

It is easily accessible from the northern and eastern regions of France, but also from the rest of the northern half.

It is therefore quite naturally the resorts of northern Switzerland (the north of the Alps, as they say) that you will discover in this article.

There are three major regions accessible from Basel, the gateway to Switzerland.

THEBernese Oberland, via Bern, the Central Switzerland south of Lucerne, via Zurich, and the north of Graubünden in the east of Switzerland.

When you arrive from Lille and its region, it's the same journey time as going to the Northern Alps. From the East and Alsace, it's even shorter!

For travellers coming from the Paris region, the Bernese Oberland resorts are barely further than the Savoie resorts.

Not to mention that in Switzerland, the train provides direct access to several of these resort villages!

Skiing in the Bernese Oberland

AlpAddict offers you the Bernese Oberland in Adelboden — adelboden

Heading south from Basel and Bern, you reach the banks of the Lake Thun (Thun in German) and finally Interlaken, gateway to many valleys, each more beautiful than the last, with villages that have retained the charm of traditional chalet construction and have integrated skiing into a sustainable activity throughout the four seasons.

Here, no ski factories, but authentic mountain landscapes.

The closest station is adelboden. Nestled at 1300 meters in a wide valley, this village enjoys very good sunshine and excellent snow cover. 200km of slopes that climb up to 2400m altitude await you. All levels of skiers will enjoy sliding on a large area divided into three zones, one of which allows a connection with Lenk in the neighboring valley.

Panorama of the Eiger with AlpAddict — Mürren, in winter, dominated by the Eiger.

If you no longer want to hear the noise of cars and enjoy one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Alps, the appointment is at Murren. A balcony at 1650m in front of the Eiger and Jungfrau mountain range (not forgetting the Monch) which peaks at more than 4000m altitude. We ski in silence on the slopes that descend from the Schilthorn, at 3000m altitude. Spectacular.

Discovering the Eiger with AlpAddict — Grindelwald, in the sun, at the foot of the Wetterhorn.

If you want to reach your ski resort by train, it is at the foot of the Eiger that you can do so in the villages of wengen (1200m) and Grindelwald (1000m). Sunny and immaculate slopes, beautiful villages, and once again the magnificent landscapes of theBernese Oberland in background.

It is certainly the most beautiful Alpine region in Switzerland and these valleys will welcome you with their multitude of hotels and rental solutions, as the Alpine tourist tradition around mountain sports is anchored here... and why not come back in summer to admire the glaciers?

Skiing in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne

Engelberg, a pretty resort discovered by AlpAddict — Snowy day in Engelberg

Le Lake Lucerne, in central Switzerland, is a wonder in itself. In winter, when its banks are covered in snow, you feel like you're on the edge of a fjord. Lucerne, a pretty medieval town less than an hour from Zurich, is a must-see if you want to go skiing in Engelberg.

Engelberg is a mountain town above all. You can take the train to reach this town which lies at the bottom of a valley at an altitude of 1000m, surrounded by peaks which reach or even exceed 3000m in altitude. It is also on the slopes of one of them, the Titlis (3200m) that part of the ski area of this very sporty ski resort has developed.

In total, you can descend over two thousand meters of altitude difference, along 80 km of perfectly snow-covered slopes. It is in fact one of the snowiest resorts in central Switzerland.

In central Switzerland with AlpAddict — Andermatt, a very snowy village

But, for you who are used to the big French resorts, and who want to practice skiing all day in the powder, then there is Andermatt, .

Andermatt, is an easily accessible village (there is obviously a train station!) while being isolated at the end of a valley. In fact, it is the Gotthard road axis that you will have to take to get to Andermatt, , which makes this resort very accessible from all over Switzerland. It will only take you 1h30 by car from Zurich, and 2h30 from Basel to reach Andermatt, and its 180 km of an area shared over several valleys with Disentis et sedrun.

Here is the reign of great skiing, powder snow and freeride!

Andermatt, is 8 hours from Lille, 3 hours from Strasbourg, and 30 hours from Paris! It is as easy to reach as the French Alps.

Skiing in Eastern Switzerland

Davos under the snow — Davos, in the same ski area as Klosters.

Switzerland is a country very well provided with motorways and railways, and deep valleys allow easy driving on flat ground right up to the mountains.

This is why theEastern Switzerland and Canton of Graubünden are also very accessible despite the distance on a geographic map.

From Basel it only takes 2 hours on an easy road to reach Klosters, in the far East, at an altitude of 1000m and its multiple ski areas, one of which is shared with the very upscale Davos and its area of almost 250 km of slopes!

Charming little village, Klosters spreads its large chalets on the sunny slopes that border the torrent that flows at the bottom of the valley. But right in the center of the village, a cable car will take you to the neighboring peaks, for unforgettable days of skiing.

If you don't want to go so far into the mountains, and enjoy the resorts around Chur, capital of Grisons, like Arosa, or Lenzerheide-Valbella, connected together, you can stop at Bad Ragaz, on the banks of the Rhine, not far from Zurich and Liechtenstein, only 500m above sea level, 2 hours by motorway from the French border.

In Eastern Switzerland with AlpAddict — The panorama from the summit of Pizol, Bad Ragaz ski resort

Certainly, at Bad Ragaz, which is primarily a spa resort, you won't come back on skis, and probably the low clouds will give you the impression of a gloomy landscape in winter, but a cable car at the exit of the town will take you to the very sunny ski area of pizol, located between 1600m and 2000m above sea level, and which will delight you with its 40km of very panoramic slopes. And in this case why not enjoy a well-being session in the thermal establishments at the end of the afternoon Tamina Therme?

The North of Swiss Alps remains very accessible from the northern half of France thanks to a dense and capillary road and rail network. The landscapes are magnificent, the change of scenery guaranteed by the language (here the main language is German) and a preserved and traditional architecture. The skiing is of excellent quality, and this destination will make your stay a memorable experience by the variety of landscapes and activities.