When the September issue of GstaadLife is printed and the newsroom goes slightly quieter, people occasionally ask what I do in the off-season. This year, the answer was simple: I went to Spain to rescue dogs.

Gstaad has closed another strong summer season, with hotels, mountain railways and major events reporting healthy visitor numbers.

Gstaad has closed another strong summer season, with hotels, mountain railways and major events reporting healthy visitor numbers.

The September issue of GstaadLife brings together some of the stories that matter in the Saanenland right now. From our profile with Homayra Sellier and a closer look at the Ebnitmatte housing project to art, culture, local history and the people shaping life in the region, there is plenty to discover ...

Guerino Paltenghi has never needed grand subjects. A flower in front of a window, bottles on a table, a snowy hillside, a sheep in a neighbouring field: in his paintings, familiar things are given a different weight.

For 27 years, the Saanen resident and founder of Innocence in Danger has fought to bring sexual violence against children out of the shadows. Is society finally ready to listen?

Affordable housing can sound like a local policy issue – until you need a plumber, a doctor, hotel or restaurant staff, or someone to renovate your chalet and discover that the people doing those jobs can no longer find anywhere to live. That is the argument behind Ebnitmatte, the planned cooperative ...

Growing up in the Pays-d’Enhaut is not the most obvious starting point for a career in fashion photography. But from teaching himself photography in his bedroom in Château-d’Œx during the pandemic to photographing a Hollywood star, Dylan Jason Rochat has built his career by trusting ...

Historic Houses of the Saanenland: A house built on land, power and  the written word

For the final recipe in our Sweet Summer Cooking series, Ralph makes a better kind of vitamin boost - Quinoa Granola

Pasque flowers are low, early spring plants with purple, bell shaped blooms and bright yellow centres, often appearing on dry, stony grassland as the snow retreats.

Letter from a reader: On 10 July, I was in Gstaad, walking along the main street with a lovely lady – all of which, I admit, may have contributed to my lack of attention. I stumbled over a very low obstacle and fell heavily on my hands, knees and face. There was quite a lot of bleeding.

Books are read, drawn, walked and set to music when Literarischer Herbst Gstaad, Gstaad’s autumn literature festival, returns from 22 to 25 October. Across four days in Saanen, Gstaad and Gruben, the festival brings together established names, new literary voices and a programme that takes literature ...

A true celebration of the timeless elegance and cultural significance of table setting as well as a practical guide, this book invites readers to rediscover the table as a place where hospitality, aesthetics, and human connection coalesce.

There is something particularly satisfying about setting off from Gstaad in the morning and ending up somewhere that feels completely different – without ever getting into a car. This autumn, we explore Les Pléiades above Lake Geneva, with a mountain brunch as a great reason to make the ...

Swiss pastry counters are not a modern invention. They come from a long tradition of baking shaped by the seasons and recipes passed down through generations. That legacy is still visible today. Outside a café in Gstaad this afternoon, a handwritten chalkboard advertised Nusstorte made with mountain ...

How New Orleans improved the classic Martini

Anja Brand is a painter and newly qualified project leader at Mösching Gipser & Maler AG at Gstaad. Trained in Solothurn, she returned to the Saanenland two and a half years ago. Anja spoke to GstaadLife about colour, precision and what women bring to the painting trade.

Classic cars on Bernese roads, golf on Alpine fairways and Optimists on the Arnensee: across three very different summer events, the Gstaad Yacht Club once again found ways to bring its nautical spirit to the mountains.

True or false: Nepal is the only country in the world with a non-rectangular flag? If you answered false because of Switzerland, you are wrong. And also right. And this is where it gets complicated.

A little Danish pride is entirely justified in Gstaad as the Royal Danish Orchestra made its Menuhin Festival debut, joined by violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and conducted by Marie Jacquot. After a delayed start, the evening unfolded into a confident showcase of Danish musical pedigree.

The railway that helped put Gstaad on the map

Four days of polo, sunshine and summer atmosphere brought the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad to the Saanen airfield from 20 to 23 August. Albinati Aeronautics finished the tournament on top. Here are some impressions from this year’s polo weekend in Gstaad.

Gstaad puts Spring4ever to the test – and you can take part!

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Maison Piguet invites you to the elegant surroundings of the Gstaad Palace, Salle Baccarat, on Thursday, 20 August, for a special day devoted to expertise, legacy and collecting. Over the past two decades, Maison Piguet has established itself as a trusted name in the ...

A sentence in this issue has stayed with me. In our Profile interview, Rita Rovelli Caltagirone says she believes knowledge is the greatest richness. She talks about the pleasure of listening to someone who knows something you don't; of discovering an artist, an idea or an entirely different world – ...

Under the Menuhin Festival’s theme “Family Matters”, the Eggli brought together musical worlds that might not seem like obvious companions.

From 15 August onwards, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad moves into the symphonic heart of its 2026 season. Over the course of three weekends, the Festival Tent welcomes some of the world's finest orchestras, internationally acclaimed conductors and soloists.

There is an intriguing story behind Gagosian’s summer exhibition in Gstaad. The sixteen paintings on display were created by Simon Hantaï between 1982 and 1985 – but were never exhibited during his lifetime.

Gentians and other Alpine flowers are such a familiar part of summer in the Saanenland that we may hardly stop to look at them. Tarmak22’s new exhibition gives us a reason to do exactly that.

Three very different artistic practices meet around a shared question: what can happen when creativity is forced to work within limits? In Equilibrium, Soviet textile designer Anna Andreeva, Swiss architects Trix and Robert Haussmann, and artist Olga Tatarintsev each turn systems, rules and restrictions ...

Rossinière has a new gallery – and its opening exhibition brings the work of Vaud painter Émile-Pierre “Milous” Bonny (1913–1974) back into public view.

Guerino Paltenghi does not hurry. Perhaps he never has, but at 91 there seems even less reason to start now. He paints, quietly and continuously, and only every second year does he gather the work together for an exhibition.

What happens to a painting an artist decides not to keep? In Andreas Eriksson’s case, parts of it may survive.

Rita Rovelli Caltagirone has called Gstaad home for over forty years. Cindy Schönrich has spent the better part of two decades shaping life at the Gstaad Yacht Club. Together, they created the Gstaad Cultural Encounters – dedicating Mondays in August to spending time with expert guest sp ...

In a world where almost everything has a price, it is easy to assume that value and cost are the same thing. Yet some of life's greatest riches remain wonderfully immune to transaction. No one can buy an extra hour in the day or recreate the pleasure of choosing to walk instead of drive simply because ...

I went to the Saanen Brocante with my camera and a job to do. I certainly wasn't looking for anything to buy. A couple of hours later, I was heading home with two beautiful ceramic trays.

Some companies are measured by their growth. Others are remembered for the relationships they build. For more than three decades, CF Immobilier has embodied the values that define the Pays-d’Enhaut: trust, commitment and a profound respect for the region and its people.

A red spruce cone looks simple, but it’s a clever structure made of overlapping scales that protect the seeds inside from cold, wind and harsh weather.

Christian Zach and Lukas Häberli explain why personal advice, local expertise and a global network remain the foundation of modern banking.

Jaggi Architects on collaborating with Snøhetta, designing for the local community, and why two of Gstaad's most significant construction projects couldn't be more different.

Alpine Odyssey: Bond, Saanenland, and the Heart of Passion

Daniela Addor co-owns and co-manages Addor AG Tiefbau und Transporte, one of the region's leading construction and haulage businesses, with her brother Patrick. Daniela spoke to GstaadLife about leadership, pragmatism and breaking ground for women in the trades.

I love lemons, but I can't stand lemon sorbet – at least not the overly sweet, aggressively sour industrial version that is so often served with cheap vodka as a Coupe Colonel. So, back to the beginning: I love lemons. And lemon sorbet can be made differently. A little yeast and three days of ...

In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye opens with one word: tradition. He says it holds everything together. Without it, life would be as shaky as a fiddler on a roof. I think about that a lot with regard to the Saanenland.

Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino was awarded the 2026 Olivier Berggruen Prize during his recital at Saanen Church on Monday evening, becoming the fifth recipient of the award for outstanding young musical talent.

For Saanen sketch artist Theres Rütschi, drawing is a way of seeing. Whether in a café, on a train or out in nature, her sketchbook captures the moments that often go unnoticed.

Quo vadis, culture? That was the question behind the Menuhin Festival's new three-day forum, where artists, festival directors, technologists and business leaders came together in Rossinière to discuss the future of the arts.

You might not immediately think of Camping Saanen when a craving for French food strikes. But perhaps you should.