A Winter Wonderland in the Swiss Alpine village of Andermatt
The Natural World
Christmas Markets
A Winter Wonderland in the Swiss Alpine village of Andermatt
High above in the Swiss Alps, nestled in the tranquil Ursen Valley, is the charming village of Andermatt.

Disembark from your Glacier Train journey and step into a captivating winter wonderland. Feel exhilarated by the fresh, crisp air and be amazed at the outstanding natural beauty. Andermatt sits 1447 meters above sea level, between the Oberalp, St Gotthard and Furka passes. The Gemsstock mountain soars majestically above the town, while nearby, famous for its beautiful wilderness, is the ruggedly beautiful Schöllenenschlucht gorge with its legendry Devil’s Bridge.

Andermatt is a village of charming narrow streets, lined with traditional alpine buildings. In the main street you will find bakeries offering home-made specialties, such as Ziger-Krapfen and Uri specialties, restaurants and cafes, as well as traditional, local shops, including Socken Fenster, or Sock Window, where hand-knitted socks are sold through a window display.

What we love

Experiences you will treasure
What people say
"To me, this is the loveliest and most fascinating of regions of Switzerland."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's national poet, on Andermatt.


What's included in your holiday

Itinerary - what you will do when
A Deeper Dive
The Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen in Andermatt is styled as a contemporary Swiss chalet and offers a warm and inviting atmosphere. Wake up from a restful slumber to the most stunning snow-capped peaks, then take in the scenery and breathe in the refined, fresh air on the hotel’s terrace, freshly-brewed coffee in hand. Conveniently located, the hotel is within easy walking distance of Andermatt’s main street.
The rooms are spacious, fashioned in natural tones and fabrics and fitted with modern amenities including free Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service and LED TVs.
Offering an on-site Spa & Wellness Centre, complete with fitness facilities, a sauna, steam room, and spectacular pool to pamper and restore you from your day of adventure and sightseeing.
Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen is newly built and one of the very hotels few in the village –and the only one with a pool!
Dine in the cosy and sophisticated Spun restaurant, ('Spun' means 'spoon' in Romansh, the language spoken predominantly in south-eastern Swiss cantons), which serves a modern take on regional specialties. Chef Gerd Rentz artfully fuses Andermatt’s cultural culinary diversity of Romansh, Italian, and French cultures, prepared with local and seasonal produce. Accompanying your dining experience are a selection of Swiss and international wines, craft beers, and fruit juices.
In Bärbar, a bar and lounge evoking the cosy intimacy of an Alpine lodge, enjoy sampling gourmet bites and sipping Alpine-inspired cocktails created by the in-house mixologist using local berries and herbs.
Andermatt’s most famous son is Bernhard Russi, a goliath of the downhill and giant slalom and former Olympic ski champion, winning the gold medal in Sapporo in 1972 at the age of 22 and a silver four years later in Innsbruck.
Ahead of his Olympic and World Championship wins, Bernard appeared as a stuntman in the Bond movie 'On Her Majesty’s Secret Service' . In the alpine chase scene, James Bond quips of his stunt ‘he has a lot of guts’.
Russi was born in Andermatt’s railway station, where his father worked, and like many locals he took to skis at a very early age, making his professional debut at the age of 19 at giant slalom in Adelboden. Following his career as a professional skier, Bernard carved an enviable reputation for designing elite downhill courses, including those at the Winter Olympics in Aberville, Lillehammer and Nagano. Russi has served as chairman of the FIS Alpine Committee and as a FIS technical advisor for downhill course design. He remains a resident of Andermatt and is a passionate advocate of his home town: “In Andermatt, you’re not looking for caviar and Champagne, Andermatt is more sausage and bread—an easy-going, red-sock crowd… We call it ‘alpine chic.’”
Ski fans may like to try the Bernhard Russi Run which runs from the summit of the Gemsstock, with its panoramic view, steeply down to the cable car station at Gurschen. Russi describes the runs as “one of the best free-ride mountains you can imagine anywhere—not only in Switzerland but worldwide”
As was fashionable in his day, the English painter Joseph Turner visited Andermatt, sketching and making notes of the dramatic landscape for future works.

This painting, 'Devil's Bridge' (pencil, watercolour and gouache on white wove paper prepared with grey wash) depicts the view looking up the Schöllenen Gorge and the Reuss Valley, with the Reuss Falls beyond. Turner also developed this drawing in landscape format as a plate for his collection of prints 'Liber Studiorum'. Wine merchant John Allnutt is said to have commissioned the paintings 'The Pass of St. Gothard' and 'The Devil's Bridge, St. Gothard' from Turner’s drawings.
The original Devil's Bridge was destroyed during fighting between the French and the Russians in 1799, and when Turner saw it in 1802, it was newly rebuilt. In the commissioned painting for Allnutt, he included pack-mules and soldiers in white uniforms on the tracks on either side of the bridge which indicates Russian infantry, while in the drawing only a few figures appear and these have a hint of red, the French military colour.
This drawing was accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest in 1856 and is part of the Tate
CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported) D04626 Turner Bequest LXXV 34, Pencil, watercolour and gouache with scratching out on white wove paper prepared with grey wash from his St Gothard and Mont Blanc Sketchbook image, Tate, London

It is said that over each hill in the Ursen valley is a different dialect. This makes Andermatt unique, a blended culture with influences coming from neighbouring countries. You will be surprised at the number of languages spoken: the local dialect of Romansh, the language of south-eastern Swiss cantons, alongside French, German, Austrian and Italian.
Andermatt is a fabulous place to visit all year-round. We love the winter landscape and special festive traditions but, because it offers so much throughout the year, we have decided to also offer Spring tour programmes, when the hilltops are covered in lush meadows and wildflowers. Activities include fishing in the many crystal clear lakes, golf on a magnificent course and walking on the endless mountain trails bursting with spring song and fragrant with the scent of pine.
Discover more about the charms of Adermatt on this video featuring our local guide and expert Bernhard Russi.

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