As high season wraps up and the crowds clear out, the whole region can start to feel a bit quiet. Locals  know the drill. You get used to figuring out what’s open and finding somewhere you can actually go. But not everything shuts down.

Over the summer, the region comes alive. You notice it in the bustle on the Promenade, the mix of languages, and even in the number plates, with cars from all over including the UK, Poland, Monaco, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and of course from Swiss cantons like Zurich and Geneva. With all that ...

For wildlife photographer and conservationist Griet van Malderen, the camera is not only an artistic tool but a way to give endangered animals a voice. Speaking to Griet, it quickly becomes evident that every frame she captures focuses more on urgency than on aesthetics.

Even in the wake of a recent incident, life in the Saanenland continues to be marked more by trust than by tension. To better understand how this sense of security is sustained, Jeanette Wichmann sat down with James Otibah, owner of Excel Security, to hear his perspective on what “feeling safe” ...

The Gstaad Yacht Club (GYC) has had much to toast this summer – from winding Alpine roads at its signature Rally & Yachting to podium finishes on international waters. Whether behind the wheel or at the helm, the club continues to showcase its blend of elegance, competition, and camarader ...

Some places just feel safe. Not in a “safety rating” kind of way, but deep in your bones. That’s how it feels here in the Saanenland. I grew up in a village where we never locked the door, so to find that same quiet trust–decades later and halfway across Europe–feels quietly ...

On Saturday, the 6th, the “Gstaad Züglete” will take place, featuring the traditional descent of cattle herds through Gstaad’s Promenade.

Friday, 19 September 2025, 8.00 pm in the Church of Saanen – doors open at 7.30 pm

Château-d’Oex rolled out a Bavarian-style welcome for the 24th International VW Meeting on 22–24 August, drawing 10,000 fans, 1,220 vehicles and plenty of Oktoberfest cheer.

Last weekend, the Hublot Polo Gold Cup once again brought high drama and sporting elegance to the Saanen airfield. In the final, Team Gstaad Palace defeated Albinati Aeronautics 7:4.

Alpine flora and fauna in Saanenland and Pays d’Enhaut

One of the things I’ve learned in editing GstaadLife is that new paths don’t always announce themselves. They’re not necessarily bold decisions or dramatic departures. Often, they appear quietly—hidden in plain sight, waiting for us to notice them.

SAANEN’S CHARMING MARKET DREW  CROWDS AND SUNSHINE Saanen’s historic centre came alive with colour, conversation, and the scent of grilled specialities, as the annual Brocante and Market once again transformed the village into a treasure-hunter’s paradise. With a record ...

CF Immobilier Compagnie Foncière SA and the BARNES Signature

Strength in Numbers

Dooly’s: Rougemont’s new local favourite

Nowadays, it is rare to be able to boast nearly a quarter of a century in the same job. But in Gstaad, we like to give time, time... Portrait of Christoph Müller, the undisputed boss of the Menuhin Festival, who is stepping down after 24 editions (one edition being  cancelled because ...

We asked Christoph Müller to share some of his funniest memories, and he was generous with his anecdotes. Here are the most memorable ones:

Botanical painter Katharine Amies and her father, world-renowned wildflower expert Charles Flower, recently visited the Saanenland. GstaadLife caught up with them to talk magical meadows, the importance of grazing animals, and why protecting the delicate balance between people, plants, and wildlife ...

DISCOVERING THE ENCHANTMENTS OF PORTUGAL' S GENTLE ANSWER TO THE G&T.

For over five decades, artist David Montalto has worked with the most delicate of tools, a diamond-tipped stylus, to create glass engravings of remarkable finesse and spiritual depth. Now, the Musée du Pays-d’Enhaut in Château-d’Oex presents a major retrospective of his life’s ...

At Studio Naegeli, Trix and Robert Haussmann’s private universe opens to the public for the first time. Tucked behind the clean lines and conceptual clarity that defined Swiss post-war architecture, the Haussmanns cultivated a world of playful irreverence, poetic disruption, and sculptural imagination. ...

At Tarmak22 this summer, sculpture moves, breathes, and even speaks. Heavy Hitters brings together six leading Spanish women artists who are redefining the medium through the use of unexpected materials and bold conceptual thinking.

Graff ’s golden ode to light, love and timeless radiance

Raphael Faux on legacy, light, and the luxury of looking closer

Auctions in Valais — Art, Luxury, Design, Collections & Sustainability - a responsible vision of luxury.

Sandra Hirschi, the Gstaad Palace Hotel’s in-house upholsterer, gave GstaadLife a behind-the-scenes look at the practical skills her job requires. From repairing and re-covering furniture to restoring antique trunks, her work combines care, precision, and tradition, continuing the Palace’s ...

As the summer season draws to a close, Gstaad once again becomes a stage for some of the world’s most compelling cultural voices. The Gstaad Cultural Encounters, held every August at the Gstaad Yacht Club, continue to enrich the region’s intellectual landscape with a carefully curated series ...

From clubhouse to cockpit – virtual sailing comes to Gstaad Though Gstaad may be miles from the nearest coastline, the Gstaad Yacht Club continues to bridge the gap between mountain air and sea spray. This summer, the club has introduced a new venture into uncharted waters: virtual sailing. Developed ...

It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” the Queen remarked in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass. But as I recently learned, it’s a poor sort of vision that only sees what it expects to find.

It is impossible to speak of luxury leather goods without mentioning Hermès. Their handbags, now icons in their own right, are in high demand on the secondary market.

...and it reaches an unprecedented level

Optimism, despair, hope, and unease – the concert at Saanen Church on Sunday, 3 August, channelled the full spectrum of emotions that come with contemplating the state of our planet. “Unauffälliger Rebell – Music for the Planet”, part of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival ...

Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2025 approaches its Grand Finale

William Christie and Les Arts Florissants brought Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” to life in Saanen’s village church.

With Alexander Bublik claiming his first-ever clay-court title and top seeds Cabral and Miedler edging a thrilling doubles final, this year’s tournament closed on a high.

The tourist board’s old winter slogan – Id Ruhe vor Natur (meaning into the stillness of nature) – has stuck with me. It captures something essential about life here: the sense that nature isn’t just a backdrop, but a force that steadies us, calms us, draws us in.

Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy | 18 July – 6 September 2025

As of 1 July 2025, Tom Walter takes over as Head Chef at The Mansard in Gstaad. At just 25 years old, he is one of the youngest head chefs in Switzerland.

The 7th edition of CANWALK, supported by the CANSEARCH Foundation, will take place on 3 August in Schönried. Participants can choose between two walking routes, both culminating at the scenic Berghotel Hornfluh on Hornberg for a convivial lunch.

As of 1 July, Martin Bieri has left The Mansard and taken on a new role at the Posthotel Rössli Gstaad. He now serves as Executive Chef and Head of Food & Beverage in a full-time position.

Since the beginning of July, Hotel Sanetsch has resumed operations as a bed and breakfast, in collaboration with Restaurant Bären in Gsteig.

One of the most beloved summer traditions in Saanen returns on 9 August: the annual Brocante market. Now entering its 21st edition, this vibrant gathering draws exhibitors and visitors from near and far for a day of treasure hunting, culinary delights, and village charm.

The SarinaMed Group Practice successfully operated the pop-up general practitioner emergency service during the 2024/25 winter season. Thanks to financial support from the municipalities in the Obersimmental-Saanenland district and the canton, the continuation of the service is now secured.

From May to October 2025, Post Auto’s route 185 takes you off the beaten track, from Saanen to Jaun via Mittelberg Pass, crossing the enchanting Grischbach Valley and the Gastlosen peaks. This fully electric PostBus offers four daily rides in peak season and weekend services in early summer and ...

To say that Margherita de Pahlen is a discreet personality is an understatement, an euphemism … Encountering her in the Gstaad region is quite rare, as her character is marked by a natural, atavistic reserve that is deeply rooted in her. It is therefore quite an achievement that she agreed to ...

With fresh energy and a passionate heart. We are very happy to share the news that the story of FRAUTSCHI will continue.

Sterling Ruby returns to Gstaad with The Mountain, an ambitious new exhibition that extends from Gagosian’s gallery into the alpine landscape itself. Rooted in Ruby’s observations of the Eastern Sierras, the show merges myth, ecology, and autobiography through sculpture, ceramic, and mixed-media ...

This summer, Hindergässli presents PLONGER, a solo exhibition of new works by renowned Swiss artist John Armleder. A key figure in contemporary art since the 1970s, Armleder’s practice spans abstraction, conceptualism, and design, often dissolving the boundaries between painting, performance, ...

Polish-born Kasia Domanska brings her luminous oil paintings to Hôtel Rougemont & Spa, under the auspices of Greg Podgorski Contemporary Art. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Domanska has exhibited worldwide – from the National Museum in Warsaw to Art Basel and Miami contexts. ...

Returning this summer as a familiar face – and as the 2025 Artist in Residence – Fazıl Say once again graces the Gstaad Menuhin Festival with a series of original and deeply personal performances in solo, duo, trio, and quintet formats. He will give no fewer than three concerts that ...

When it comes to digital infrastructure, the words “secure,” “local,” and “Swiss” carry a lot of weight – especially for internationally minded homeowners in Gstaad who demand both convenience and control. Gstaad.Cloud is a local tech initiative offering a robust, ...

Le Rosey is not only one of the most renowned private schools in the world – its distinguished alumni have long secured its international standing – but it also shares deep-rooted ties with Gstaad. Since 1916, students have spent their winter term here, from January through March. This longstanding ...

 

Lukas Wittermann, Managing Director of Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy, gave GstaadLife a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring the Gstaad Menuhin Festival to life. From leading the team to managing the budget and overseeing the complex logistics, his role keeps the operation moving ...

“I see myself less as an artist and more as a craftsman,” says Sebastian Devenish, adjusting his chair in the quiet light of his home studio. With decades of photographic experience behind him, from sleek London studios to the depths of the Amazon rainforest, Devenish has witnessed firsthand ...

The second edition of the Cyclades Cup wrapped up on 15 June 2025 after three thrilling days of superyacht racing through the Greek islands. With the Aegean Sea as a dramatic backdrop, the regatta delivered excitement, elegance – and a tribute to GYC co-founder and patron, the late King Constantine ...

You know that moment in The Sound of Music when Maria whips up matching outfits for the von Trapp children out of old curtains? It’s charming, inspiring and completely misleading, as I was soon to find out the hard way.

PREVIEW Gstaad Menuhin Festival: Starting Friday, 18 July, the third and final chapter of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival’s “Wandel” (Transformation) cycle unfolds. This year’s theme, “Migration”, also marks the final edition under the artistic leadership of Christoph ...

Playing today! Alexander Bublik may be best known for his explosive game and eccentric flair. Still, when we met him for a brief conversation after arriving in Gstaad, the Kazakh player appeared calm, focused, and grounded, more interested in rhythm than headlines.

After a few frustrating weeks sidelined by a knee injury, Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud is back on tour and eager to compete again. His first match is today at 15.00 against Dominic Stricker

Swiss hopeful Dominic Stricker kicked off his EFG Swiss Open Gstaad campaign with a hard-fought win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert this Monday evening, rallying from a set down to take the match 4–6, 6–4, 6–2. Playing in front of a supportive home crowd.

The 2025 EFG Swiss Open kicked off with a spectacular weekend of qualifying matches. While Casper Ruud and Alexander Bublik led a reshuffled main draw, it was young Swiss talent Henry Bernet who captured the crowd’s hearts, narrowly missing out on causing a major upset.

After a turbulent chapter, the International Menuhin Music Academy looks toward a possible revival—and even reconciliation.