Why You Should Gstay in Gstaad, Even When You Can’t Gski

Gstaad, Switzerland , may conjure images of ski slopes and ritzy après-ski lounges for knowledgeable US skiers. But as the snowy allure of winter gives way to wildflower-covered hillsides, the town shifts into a quieter, more introspective mode. In April and May, the surrounding Bernese Alps, dominated by Gorsuch-and-Moncler-clad skiers in the winter, reveal a spider web of trails and footpaths that draw serious hikers and casual walkers alike — no designer duds required.

Though Gstaad may be best known for skiing, outdoor enthusiasts keen to escape the usual tourist track may want to book their flights for July, not January.

How Gstaad became the playground of the rich and famous

Gstaad’s reputation as a haven for the rich and famous goes back much further than the age of travel influencers and celebrity ski paparazzi. Since 1880, it’s been home to the winter campus Le Rosey Institute , one of the world's most prestigious and elite boarding schools. It counts numerous royals among its alumni, and for decades, the families of those royals — along with their fellow billionaire watchmaking families and heirs to historic fortunes — have come to visit their progeny on the slopes each winter.

In the 1960s, celebrities began flocking to Gstaad, including Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Andrews, who called it “the last paradise in a crazy world.” Eternal A-listers like Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald played at the few chic hotels in the town. But otherwise, Gstaad was still a sleepy mountain village, and locals didn’t pay any particular interest to celebrities who likely would have been trailed by camera-toting reporters elsewhere in the world.

This blasé attitude from locals toward Hollywood’s elite continues today. According to Amélie Guénard, hotel marketing manager at the money-is-no-object Alpine Hotel, that’s why celebrities continue to visit — it’s one of the few places they can feel like normal people, at least for a few days. Of course, Gstaad’s locals aren’t exactly your average hoi polloi who know nothing of wealth, as the average home price in Gstaad falls around 7 million Swiss Francs (CHF).

But in summer, outdoor adventure is free (or at least pretty cheap)

Gstaad’s reputation for old-money revelry is perhaps well-earned throughout Europe, but compared to ski resort prices in the US, it seems like a steal. Even in winter, lift tickets cost less than $80 USD daily.

On my recent August trip, I spent most of every day outdoors. Events like the annual and colorful Züglate cow festival are free, as are activities like hiking or swimming around bucolic Lake Lauenen . Anyone who stays at a hotel in Gstaad gets an electronic Gstaad Card , which includes free transportation on the relatively thorough bus system. This makes it easy to do point-to-point hikes between the towns in and around Gstaad’s Saanen Valley. Some train transportation is included, too.

While Gstaad is known for opulence, skiers accustomed to steep prices in the US may be surprised to find that Gstaad is more affordable. And those lower rates transfer to summer operations, too. Single rides on Gstaad's summer chairlifts start around 20 CGF (approximately $22 USD), offering a gateway to one-way alpine hikes that sweep across the highlands, offering panoramic views of the valleys below. The region's trails vary in difficulty, from gentle ridgeline paths to more rugged routes with classic Swiss scenes of grazing cows and bright green fir trees. Start early enough, and you may be able to see the native chamois (a downright adorable mountain goat indigenous to the Alps).

Even pricier sightseeing gondolas akin to those at major US resorts are relatively on par in cost. The region’s famous Glacier 3000 gondola , rising to the summit of Scex Rouge at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, is 80 CHF, or half price if you have a Swiss rail pass. It includes glacier walking, chairlift access, and the high-elevation suspension bridge linking to a summit with Matterhorn and Mont Blanc views. If you want to add a ride on the surprisingly steep alpine coaster, it’s an extra 9 CHF. When compared to U.S. resorts like Heavenly, California, where the gondola alone costs $75 and the coaster adds $42, or Snowbird, Utah, where the combined cost of the gondola and coaster exceeds $75, the option of trekking across a glacier in the Swiss Alps seems a bit more within reach.

Food and adventure are a natural pairing in Gstaad

Realistically, if you’re going to make an effort to reach the quintessential mountain village in the Alps (you’ll need to fly into Zurich, then take a 3-hour train ride to Gstaad Station), you need to add at least a bit of Swiss culture to justify the effort. Fortunately, in Gstaad, culture is woven tightly with its mountainous landscape — and with its cheese. If you’re used to ski towns offering no more than overpriced, soggy hamburgers, think again.

Summer visitors can rent a “fondue backpack” for the day from local cheese shops, packed with supplies and ingredients for an outdoor fondue session anywhere they’d like, including in alpine huts. Of course, huts in Switzerland aren’t like the average no-electricity, lean-to huts most backcountry skiers in the US are familiar with, and even the most basic “hut” near a Gstaad hiking trail is likely to offer in-house fondue pastries and a menu of Swiss wines and beers.

Gstaad is renowned for its high-altitude cheese production. In the summer, many area cheesemakers open their centuries-old wooden doors to visitors who want to look in on the cheesemaking process. During my visit, I took a summer chairlift up Alp Gfall, then took a steep 2-mile hike to reach a traditional cheesemaking hut. The cheesemaker showed us the process of making cheese, from meeting the cows to storing the giant wheels. As we watched, he continued his work; there are no breaks for tourists when crafting the prized summer cheese, beloved for its rich flavor.

Anyone can do the same for about 20 CHF, easily arranged through local hotels or the Gstaad Card. This provides a window into a centuries-old craft while supporting local farmers. Similar tours also offer insights into other traditional Swiss arts, from intricate paper-cutting to wooden sled-making.

Overtourism isn’t a problem in a Gstaad summer

On one of the last nights of my trip, I had dinner at the Posthotel Rössli . Opened in 1845, it’s the oldest restaurant in Gstaad. While chatting with our server — Pedro, a man who had no time to waste and made wine recommendations based on whether you want “the tasty wine” or not — I learned that he’d moved away from other mountain towns because tourism changed the landscape. But it wasn’t that way in Gstaad, he said. “Other places are too busy,” he told me. “You may have to wait for a table for dinner. It doesn’t get like this in Gstaad.”

For an American living in a mountain town where I often can’t even order takeout because restaurants are too busy, that was music to my ears. In a Gstaad summer, the frantic pow-day energy of winter gives way to a slower, more meditative rhythm, seemingly dictated by the long daylight hours and the natural beauty of the surrounding Alps. Gstaad seems still mercifully free from the tourist crush elsewhere in Europe and feels unhurried. And the huge swath of accessible summer terrain in the Bernese Alps means there’s ample room to wander and enjoy the landscape without distractions (or throngs of tourists hurting you along).

On my various hikes in the mountains around Gstaad, I saw far more cows than people — and as far as I’m concerned, coming from an overcrowded mountain town where traffic and crowds have become the daily norm — that’s reason enough to book a flight.

Related: 8 Summer Adventures in the Swiss Alps