Davos is a small Swiss town with an international appeal that has always expanded beyond the slopes. In Victorian times, its worldwide reputation grew from the tuberculosis sanatoriums that were built here in the belief that the fresh, clean mountain air could provide a cure, or at least a reprieve from the ravages of the disease. Today it is the annual meeting place of the World Economic Forum.
Davos’ own slopes are linked to those of the much smaller Klosters, and in total the ski area has six separate ski sectors with 300km of pistes and good terrain parks. The resort is ideal for advanced skiers, and there are also challenging black runs and off-piste options for experts.
Keep up to date with the key facts about the resort below and scroll down for our insider’s guide to a day on the slopes, expert reviews and advice. For more Davos inspiration, check out our guides to the resort’s best accommodations, restaurants and après-ski.
In this guide:
Within the resort
The city of Davos is divided into two parts: Davos Platz and Davos Dorf. Platz is most convenient for most hotels and shops, while Dorf is the best base for accessing the slopes. However, there is an efficient ski bus service, so getting from one ski bus to the other during the day and early evening is no problem at all.
Davos wasn’t built as a ski resort, nor is it an architectural beauty, but skiers and snowboarders come here for the slopes, not to admire the solid and largely unenterprising hotel blocks.
In the 1880s, a local businessman purchased a pair of newfangled “Norwegian snowshoes,” as skis were known at the time. The sport fascinated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose wife was treated for tuberculosis in Davos. He shared his passion with the readers of Strand magazine and a whole new kind of winter tourism was born. Conan Doyle described in detail his crossing from the Maienfelder Furgga Pass to Arosa, and it is possible to follow his tracks with a guide.
By far the largest of the ski area’s six sectors is the Parsenn, but the others are all interesting and especially good to explore during busy peak season weeks.
In 1946, the development of the miracle drug Streptomycin heralded the demise of the sanatoriums, but by then the Swiss ski industry had already begun to emerge as a suitable replacement in the Davos economy. The World Economic Forum has been held here every winter since 1971, adding another financial boost to the resort’s bow.
Switzerland in general (and Davos in particular) is not a destination for a cheap snow sports trip. However, the resort does offer a program of additional activities to holders of the free Davos Klosters guest card, available at the tourist office.
After dark there is a wide choice of bars and entertainment until late in the evening. There is also a wide range of quality leisure facilities, particularly ice rinks and swimming pools.
On the slopes
The Davos ski area is linked to that of the much smaller Klosters, and together the two resorts offer six separate ski sectors ideal for advanced skiers – Parsenn, Jakobshorn, Pischa, Madrisa, Rinerhorn and Schatzalp-Strela – with 300 km of pistes and 56 hitchhike.
By far the largest of these is the Parsenn, but the others are all interesting. They can be especially good during peak season weeks when the Parsenn tends to become overcrowded. Pischa is a dedicated freeride zone and remote Rinerhorn is usually quiet, even during the busiest weekends of the season. Jakobshorn is a freestyle paradise, home to the large Jatzpark terrain park and superpipe, served by quick access to the cable car. Both this and the top station are being renovated and refurbished for 2022/23, with easier access for people with disabilities and new solar panels for more renewable energy.
New for 2023/24: There is a challenging 2 km piste that extends the existing descent from the top of the Jakobshorn, below the valley station of the Usser Isch chairlift, on a wooded path to the center of Davos Platz.
However, the Parsenn is the main course. The Parsennbahn cable car goes from Davos Dorf to the 2,662 meter high Weissfluhjoch, and is followed by a short cable car ride to the Weissfluhgipfel at 2,844 meters, the highest point in the ski area. From here a network of lifts extends over the mountains towards Klosters. Alternatively, there is a 12 km descent with a height difference of 2,000 meters to the farming hamlets of Küblis or Serneus via connected red slopes. There is a train back to Davos from Küblis; from Serneus there is a bus to Klosters and then a train to Davos.
Experts will enjoy challenging black runs through the Meierhofer Tälli to the hamlet of Wolfgang, as well as the more demanding trail routes to Klosters, and off-piste opportunities abound, including following Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by crossing the Maienfelder Furgga stiches. Go to Arosa with a guide.
For beginners, there are better resorts than Davos. The Madrisa sector of Klosters is beginner-friendly but too far away, and the diffuse layout of Davos itself makes it extremely difficult for a mixed-ability group to spend time together. The best choice for beginners is the Bolgen practice slope at the foot of the Jakobshorn and at Bünda Davos Dorf. The magic carpets at Bolgen and Bünda are recent additions.
Davos is big on terrain parks. Jakobshorn and the Jatzpark with various kickers and rails. Both Madrisa and Parsenn have boardercross courses. There is a small amusement park at Rinerhorn.
Who should go?
Davos has an extensive network of interconnected intermediate pistes in six separate piste sectors. The resort is also a great area for freeriders when the snow is good, with long descents from the top of the mountains to the valley, but the appeal to freestylers looking for terrain parks is just as appealing. Most accommodation in Davos consists of four and five star hotels and prices here are particularly high, even for Switzerland. But the service and quality are good and there is plenty of choice for nice places to eat and stay.
Know before you go
Essential information
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British Embassy/Consulate in Bern: +41 (0)31 359 77 00
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Ambulance: call 144
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Police: call 117
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Firework: call 118
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TOURIST OFFICE: See davos.ch, the website of the Davos Klosters tourist office, for weather reports, lift status, webcams, traffic information and local event listings. Collect maps, leaflets and other information from the offices in the center of Davos and Klosters.
The base
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Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
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Phone code: from abroad, call 00 41 and omit the zero at the beginning of the ten-digit number.
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Time difference: +1 hour