Over the last 20 years, prime residential property in key ski markets has undergone a complex evolution, shaped by regulatory environments, shifting buyer demographics and broader macroeconomic cycles. Against this backdrop, Gstaad is a market that truly stands apart in the Alps. Its prestige, carefully ...

Do not miss the Mario Testino expo at Patricia Low Contemporary - only until tomorrow, 14th February!

As part of the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the young pianist Mao Fujita enthralled a full church in Rougemont with a demanding programme drawn from the Romantic repertoire. It was one of those rare evenings that resonate long after the final note has faded. The programme brought together works by Beethoven, ...

THENCE BY DIRECT ROYAL DESCENT TO THE PRESENT DAY

FOR SALE AT AUCTION IN GENEVA AT PIGUET

The moment is fleeting: a drop of water touches a still surface, light fractures, movement pauses. Graff’s latest high jewellery campaign captures that instant, not as metaphor, but as form.

Manuel Blanco, Head of Gstaad and Greater Berne Area at EFG Private Banking, has been working in the region for over 20 years. He explains what makes Gstaad so compelling and how he and his team aim to exceed their clients' high expectations on-site.

A new book by Charles Alexandre de la Tour et Taxis, a descendant of some of Europe’s most storied nobility, offers a portrait of a family entangled in the drama of twentieth-century Europe. C’était une autre Europe: Souvenirs de ma famille (It Was Another Europe: Memories of My Family) ...

A new generation on the move

In a region known for beauty and exclusivity, the Alpenblick Gstaad Foundation is pursuing a different ambition. Its president, Nathanael Perreten, speaks about affordable housing, accessible holidays and why social responsibility is becoming one of the most decisive issues for the future of Saanen ...

Supporting Switzerland’s first full-size outdoor Lawn Bowls Green

For the 13th consecutive year, Institut Le Rosey and Gymnasium Gstaad met for the Alpina Cup, a sporting tradition featuring giant slalom racing and an ice hockey showdown, followed by a joint dinner at The Alpina Gstaad, the event's sponsor.

Dr Thomas Holzknecht, Integrative and Holistic Medicine, Saanen/Gstaad

Houses often outlive their inhabitants, especially the exquisitely constructed chalets of this region. Over time, a home may change hands or undergo transformations, yet it retains its original beams and preserves the stories of those who lived within its walls, sometimes across centuries. Between 1850 ...

Legendary fashion designer and master couturier founded his eponymous fashion house in Rome in the late 1950s with his long-time business partner Giancarlo Giammetti. And established an illustrious career often associated with his signature colour, Valentino Red. In 1998, they sold the company, though ...

A conversation with James Otigbah, Excel Security Solutions

Ceramicist Christine Baumgartner creates functional crockery and sculptural objects for sale in her shop alongside bespoke commissions for chalets and private clients. Her work follows a traditional, hands-on approach, with each piece made carefully from start to finish. Her ceramics offer a counterpoint ...

The Gstaad Yacht Club opened 2026 with a commitment to passing on values, knowledge and excellence across generations, linking education and youth sport with cultural heritage and international dialogue. This focus was evident in a talk by Swiss ski legend Dominique Perret. Perret drew on nearly three ...

If you have noticed more visitors taking selfies on the Saanen bridge lately, you are not imagining it. There has been a steady uptick in Indian tourists drawn to the area because scenes in the classic 1995 Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (“DDLJ”) were shot here.

At Patricia Low Contemporary, Mario Testino presented a Swiss selection, curated by Simon de Pury, from his ongoing project "A Beautiful World" – a series shaped by his desire for creative freedom after decades in fashion photography.

CONSTRUCTION SAANENLAND

January arrives quietly, carrying both ambition and vulnerability. We make resolutions, to sleep better, move more, eat differently, slow down, while already knowing how fragile these promises can be. The real question is no longer what we want to change, but whether we are willing, and able, to sustain ...

When the Saanenland resonates with violins

Why Switzerland’s most influential longevity voice returns to Gstaad each autumn

After nearly three decades of hands-on leadership, Brigitte and Thomas Frei are passing on the majority ownership of Hotel Bernerhof Gstaad. Few hotels in the Saanenland are as closely associated with the people who have shaped them, and the Frei era leaves behind a house that has grown steadily in ...

Meticulously copied by scribes and illuminated by gifted artists, manuscripts preserve the intellectual and artistic heritage of our past.

Traffic, peak days and the challenge of success

The Luxury of Slowing Down Gstaad, Saanen, and the Quiet Case for Longevity

For a brief moment in February, the Promenade takes on an unmistakably Italian accent. From 8 to 25 February, a refined pop-up brings together three expressions of Made in Italy excellence – leather craftsmanship, contemporary jewellery, and 20th-century fine art – united by a shared language ...

How Gstaad Palace’s nightclub continues to unite generations – without chasing trends

There’s a particular calm that sets in the moment you step through the doors of the Bellevue spa. The pace drops, voices soften, and the outside world stays firmly on the other side. I was invited for a 10-minute Brain Boost session, curious rather than convinced, and with just enough time to ...

MAZE / ART GSTAAD 2026 A curated constellation of art, design and exceptional objects

This winter, Hindergässli presents “Selected Maquettes”, a showcase of works by the renowned British sculptor Henry Moore. His maquettes, often serving as studies for his monumental sculptures, reveal his masterful exploration of form, material, and space.

"WEALTH MANAGEMENT ISN'T JUST SOMETHING WE DO, IT'S WHO WE ARE"

Discover Peekaboo by Tatiana Ojjeh

Step through the heavy front door of the Grand Chalet in Rossinière and you enter not just a grand old building, but a living storybook – one filled with laughter, eccentricities, and the gentle hum of daily life. Every room, every creaking floorboard, seems to hold a secret of its own ...

It is easy to assume that skiing has always been at the heart of winter in Gstaad. With dozens of ski lifts, a wide network of runs for all abilities and excellent mountain dining that people can reach directly from the slopes, you would be forgiven for thinking this is where it all started. But the ...

In the days following the tragedy in Crans-Montana, the mood in the Saanenland shifted perceptibly. Fireworks were cancelled, flags lowered, and messages of help circulated quietly in community chat groups. Alongside the sympathy came a more uncomfortable reflection, one that many destinations reliant ...

Artisan Nathalie Hall Rosat is best known for her trompe l’oeil work, transforming flat, modern surfaces into convincing illusions of wood, structure and depth. Trained at the Van der Kelen school in Belgium, she has worked internationally on interiors, decorative objects and architectural elements. ...

The Gstaad Yacht Club has begun the year with momentum and clarity, reaffirming its position as a place where sport, culture, and community intersect. The opening weeks have been marked by decisive moments: a successful Annual General Meeting, international sporting recognition, and a cultural programme ...

What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me.

In the packed church of Saanen, audiences of the Gstaad New Year Music Festival were treated to a phenomenal concert just three days before the end of the year. World star Plácido Domingo appeared alongside coloratura soprano Christina Poulitsi and pianist James Vaughan.

With works by Ludwig van Beethoven, the traditional year-end concerts in the Church of Saanen offered moments of strength and contemplation.

There’s a particular alchemy to winter evenings in Gstaad: fresh snowfall softening the landscape, the warm glow of chalet windows and the distinctive pulse of world-class restaurants coming to life. This season, that rhythm is led by Zuma, bringing its signature blend of Japanese culinary theatre ...

Dream logic at Gagosian

For decades, Swiss homeowners have been taxed on the so-called imputed rental value (Eigenmietwert) – a theoretical income that owner-occupiers are deemed to earn by living in their own property. Even though no rent is actually received, this notional amount has had to be declared as taxable income, ...

Next summer, escape the digital overload and join Unpluggo’s Digital Detox Camps – a transformative experience amidst the stunning limestone peaks of the Gastlosen. A charming chalet at Oberer Rudersberg in Abländschen (Saanen) – without electricity, Wi-Fi, or push notifications ...

At the Grand Chalet in Rossinière, no one ever checked the guest list too closely – because some of the best guests had four legs, fur, or feathers. Pets and people alike found a home away from home at the Grand Chalet, where eccentricity was not merely tolerated but positively encoura ...

The turn of the year has a habit of sharpening our attention. Between what has already taken shape and what still exists only as an idea, there is a brief, productive pause. It is a moment when ambition, imagination and resolve coexist. If there is a thread running quietly through this New Year edition, ...

Throughout the Saanenland and the Pays-d’Enhaut, the Gstaad New Year Music Festival has delighted audiences for two decades with world-class artists, often surprising them with names rarely heard elsewhere, and has secured its place in the history of music and festivals with pride and boldnes ...

David Maude-Roxby-Montalto Di Fragnito is a multi-talented British artist living in Château-d’Oex and the very definition of master craftsman. An accomplished glass sculptor, diamond-point stipple engraver and painter, he also designs unique and exquisite jewellery. Montalto’s work ...

In the hotel industry, staff often come and go as quickly as guests at the breakfast buffet. At Hotel Spitzhorn in Saanen, things are different: six senior team members have shaped the house for years, three of them since it opened in 2013.

TWO DECADES OF VISION - THE MAKING OF GSTAAD'S MOST INTIMATE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Soirée Jazz launches its first modern edition on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, from 8pm to 11pm, shaping an evening where live music, rhythm and atmosphere take centre stage.

Les Amis des Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad have long cultivated a more intimate side of classical music – one that privileges proximity, conversation, and shared experience over grand gestures.

“In an age of fragmented truths, smoothed images and a changing world, what is left to dream about?” GstaadLife made a stop in Nyon En route to Saanenland

Conceived as a discreet yet ambitious cultural hub, Gstaad House brings together art storage, exhibitions and private events in a purpose-built setting above Gstaad. Managing Director Siamak Siassi and the municipality of Saanen outline the project's rationale and its place within the Tomi site.

Since 1 October 2025, Christian Zach (46) has been heading the UBS Gstaad branch and its Wealth Management division. He succeeds Hans Baumgartner, who is retiring at the end of the year after more than three decades at UBS and Credit Suisse. Zach brings international experience and new energy to an ...

Edgard Bovier savours his work at the Café du Cerf in Rougemont. Here, he welcomes a clientele he knows well: holidaymakers from Gstaad and locals from the region. It is the perfect balance between a career spent in luxury hotels and his childhood at the Buffet de la Gare, his parents’ ...

Early in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, which turned a stately 100 years old this past April, narrator Nick Carraway meets wealthy socialite and flapper Jordan Baker at his first Gatsby extravaganza. Smitten, he relates that “a tray of cocktails floated at us through the twilight.” ...

Colin Karlen has worked with traditional tavillon shingles since 1994. His family business covers construction, carpentry, interior fittings, furniture making and renovation, yet one of its most distinctive specialities remains this centuries old roofing technique. GstaadLife spoke with him about the ...

At the mention of the iconic flappers of the 1920s, it's easy to bring to mind the image of a slender young girl with bobbed hair, dancing the Charleston in a short, dropped-waist dress, a cigarette holder in one hand and a cocktail glass in the other.

Rolf T. S chneider hands over to Pascal Zysset

A year of dialogue, culture, and sporting excellence and events …

There’s a line from a Joni Mitchell song that’s been looping in my head lately: “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

Experience Alpine charm without the Alpine price tag. Gstaad is famous for luxury, glittering chalets and ski lifts that might make your wallet tremble. But at Hotel Spitzhorn, winter magic comes without the haute couture price tag.

A little last-minute shopping before Christmas.

December arrives with its usual sparkle, yet the stories in this issue point to something quieter and far more enduring: the way this valley looks after its people, its history, and its future.

The run up to Christmas in the UK is heralded by the arrival of mince pies, delicious pastry cases filled with raisins, peel, suet and brandy. Boxes of them are piled high in shops, national newspapers hold blind taste tests and millions more bake them at home. They are as much a part of the season ...

How a fictional housewife became Switzerland’s most famous cook

Smoother access, better snow, bigger vision(s) BDG CEO Matthias In-Albon on 10 years of change — and what to expect this winter As he marks ten years at the helm of Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad (BDG), Matthias In-Albon reflects less on milestones and more on the region itself. “I’m ...

A return to Gstaad’s intimate grandeur

A conversation with David Schmid, Vice President of the Gemeinde Saanen

Culinary legend Martin Dalsass and rising star Sasha Spring dazzled at the UBS Four Hands Dinner in Gstaad. The 44 guests were delighted. 44 out of over 5,500 At the Bernerhof in Gstaad, two generations of top chefs came together as part of the UBS Four Hands Dinner series – where seasoned experts ...

The Palace reveals its winter flavours

Where Biel’s schoolchildren once lit their campfires, a new place for community and the future is taking shape. The Alpenblick Gstaad Foundation is transforming the site of the former holiday home into affordable housing and a modern, socially oriented holiday and education centre.

As winter approaches, Anna Högl from Studio Naegeli warmly invites you to a guided tour of Jonas Wyssen's exhibition at the Hotel Mansard, where you can fully immerse yourself in a dreamlike world titled “Mémoires Virtuelles.”

This winter, Rougemont Hotel & Spa begins its season with a lively new exhibition showcasing three emerging voices in contemporary art: Swiss artist Luca Harlacher and Chinese artists Haizhen Gao and Jialu Gao. Their works foster a dialogue between cultures, generations, and visual languages — ...

This winter, Galerie Im Stöckli in Schönried unveils “Peekaboo”, a poetic new exhibition by UAE-based multidisciplinary artist Tatiana Ojjeh. The opening is on 24 December.