Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana is a high-altitude resort and tourism region in the French-speaking part of the Swiss canton of Valais, set on a sunny plateau in the heart of the Swiss Alps. The destination combines an urban resort character with abundant nature, offering panoramic views over peaks such as the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. It is a high-mountain region rather than a lake-dominated one, though its plateau is dotted with small lakes and ponds that invite swimming and water activities in summer. Crans-Montana is culturally vibrant, with museums, galleries, festivals and a lively events calendar, while its villages below the plateau preserve Valais traditions and a year-round community of around 10,000 inhabitants. The resort is a major hub for golf, cycling, hiking and winter sports, and serves as a gateway to the Pfyn-Finges Nature Park. It is easily reached by road and year-round public transport, including train, funicular and bus.
Summer activities
Summer in Crans-Montana is built around the outdoors, with a vast network of 320 km of signposted hiking and trail paths crossing vineyards, bisses (irrigation streams), forests and mountain lakes up to the Plaine Morte glacier. The region is a major cycling destination with over 139 km of certified enduro and cross-country routes, downhill tracks in the Bikepark, road and gravel routes, and a mountain pass. Golfers can play on the renowned Severiano Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus courses, while the plateau's many lakes and ponds offer swimming, pedalos, stand-up paddleboarding, wakeboarding and a Wake Park. Action sports such as paragliding, mountain go-karting, via ferrata and climbing round out the offer.
Winter activities
Crans-Montana is a major winter sports destination, with a ski area of 140 km of south-facing pistes stretching from 1,500 to 3,000 metres, from the Plaine Morte glacier down to the golf course on the Haut-Plateau, including a Snowpark. It hosts Alpine World Cup races and will stage the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2027. Beyond downhill skiing, the region offers 16 ski touring routes with over 40 km of marked paths, around 20 km of cross-country skiing trails (including on the glacier at 3,000 metres), snowshoeing, winter hiking, ice skating and family sledging and snowtubing at Snow Island.
Culture and entertainment
Crans-Montana has a lively cultural scene rooted in Valais traditions, with museums, galleries and art institutions such as the Fondation Opale, a casino, a 3D cinema and a congress centre. Music spans folk to classical and electro, with concerts and festivals throughout the year, while events like the Am Stram Gram family festival, the Omega European Masters golf tournament and the Wildstrubel by UTMB trail race bring the resort to life. The villages below the plateau preserve the region's heritage of transhumance, mayens and alpine pastures.
