A week in Switzerland What families, couples and students pay for their ski vacation
A week's skiing during the upcoming sports vacations will once again be more expensive than last year. The average prices for fun on the slopes in the first week of March 2025 have risen by 6 percent.
19.12.2024, 07:49
19.12.2024, 08:53
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- Falling prices: Instead of 5823 francs as last year, a family of four will pay 5604 francs for a week's ski vacation in 2024.
- Couples pay more in Switzerland: instead of 4764 francs as in 2023, this year it will be 5400 francs.
- Across all destinations, prices for accommodation have risen by an average of 11 percent.
- The most expensive destinations for families are Zermatt, St. Moritz and Verbier.
- The cheapest destinations are Airolo, Engelberg-Titlis and Adelboden-Lenk.
- Prices for 8-day ski passes have fallen by an average of 3 percent.
According to a study published today by Bank Cler and the economic research institute BAK Economics, the cost of a week's ski vacation remains "pleasingly stable" this winter after the significant price increases of recent years.
Moreover, not everyone has to spend more money. Total expenditure for families has fallen by 4 percent. This means that a family of four pays 5604 francs compared to 5832 a year earlier.
With the exception of ski school costs, all expenditure items - accommodation, ski pass and ski equipment hire - have become slightly cheaper for this group. Food, entertainment and travel costs were not included in the study.
Couples and students pay more
Couples, on the other hand, have to pay 13 percent more for a week's ski vacation in the period from March 1 to 8. Specifically, the average total costs for a couple have risen to CHF 5,400 from CHF 4,764 in the previous year. Students staying three to an apartment also have to pay an increase of 5 percent.
This is mainly due to the rise in accommodation prices, it was said. While the family with their two children rent a more upmarket apartment via Airbnb, the students would also book a cheaper apartment on Airbnb. In contrast, the sample couple in the study stayed in a four-star hotel.
Across all destinations, prices for accommodation have risen by an average of 11 percent, but not equally for all comparison groups. While the costs for families have fallen by 5 percent, couples pay 20 percent more and students 10 percent more for a week's accommodation.
According to the study, there are large price differences between the various ski resorts, but prices can also vary greatly within the individual regions. "To save costs, it is advisable to look for accommodation early in the year," the study said.
Zermatt at the top
The most expensive destinations for families are Zermatt with an average weekly price of 7697 francs, St. Moritz (6707 francs) and Verbier (6648). The cheapest ski resorts are Airolo (3364 francs), Engelberg-Titlis (4206 francs) and Adelboden-Lenk (4310 francs).
A couple with high expectations has to pay the most in Zermatt (8019 francs), Verbier (7889 francs) and Gstaad (6267 francs). Airolo (2382 francs), Adelboden-Lenk (4141 francs) and Andermatt-Sedrun (4419 francs) charge the least.
St. Moritz is the most expensive for a student in a three-person apartment at 2096 francs. It is followed by the Jungfrau region (1976 francs) and Zermatt (1965 francs). The cheapest destination is undisputedly Airolo with an average weekly price of 835 francs, ahead of Engelberg-Titlis (1143 francs) and Adelboden-Lenk (1240 francs).
Ski passes slightly cheaper on average
The good news is: "The prices for 8-day ski passes have fallen by 3 percent on average. This could be due to the flexible price models that are becoming increasingly popular, especially in larger resorts," the study said. It is almost common for prices to be adjusted according to the time of booking, the season, the day of the week or the expected demand.
"If you are sure you want to ski the whole week, you have an advantage if you book your ski passes early. However, the dynamic price models create a lack of transparency and meet with little approval from many customers," says the study. The first destinations such as Andermatt-Sedrun have therefore returned to fixed prices.
Price changes for ski rental and ski schools were minimal. While prices for the rental of ski equipment have fallen by an average of 1 percent, the costs for ski schools are 1 percent higher than in the previous year.
The study analyzed 14 different ski regions: St. Moritz, Davos-Klosters, Flims-Laax-Falera and Arosa-Lenzerheide in Graubünden; Andermatt-Sedrun and Engelberg-Titlis in central Switzerland; Gstaad, the Jungfrau region and Adelboden-Lenk in the Bernese Oberland; Zermatt, the Aletsch Arena, Verbier and Saas-Fee in Valais and Airolo in Ticino.
