What’s New in Switzerland This Winter
Basel’s new Christmas village, a lantern trail in Crans-Montana, Stoos’s bathtub race and a skating path in the Engadin: Switzerland’s new winter, with dates.
Switzerland Tourism’s winter briefing is mostly small, specific things: a new Christmas village in Basel, a bathtub race on a mountain, a lantern trail and a skating path along a frozen river. Here’s what’s new for 2026–27, with dates, and what’s worth building a trip around.
Christmas
Basel’s new Wienachtsdorf opens at Theaterplatz from 26 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Switzerland Tourism lists around 40 huts, with local designers, crafts, food and drink and a cultural program, spread from Theaterplatz towards Elisabethenkirche and the Kunsthalle. It sits alongside Basel’s long-running Christmas markets at Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz.
Montreux Noël adds a Christmas cruise on Lake Geneva aboard a Belle Époque paddle steamer, passing Château de Chillon, with Santa “flying” over the lake and a gourmet snack on board.
Dated events
- Crans-Montana Lantern Path, 4 December 2026 to 7 March 2027: more than 160 lanterns along a trail of about 2 km (1.2 miles). An easy evening walk for families and non-skiers.
- Stöösler Bathtub Race, Saturday 23 January 2027, in Stoos: teams of three or more race bathtubs down a purpose-built track to the Balmberg Inn. Tickets and entries went on sale on 23 October.
On snow, not skis
- Engadin ice trail: a skating path of about 2.6 km (1.6 miles) along the River Inn between Madulain and Zuoz, conditions permitting.
- Sardona snowshoe trail: a new route across the Upper Segnesboden plain, at about 2,300 m in the UNESCO-listed Sardona Tectonic Arena, reached by the FlemXpress gondola from Flims.
- Leysin Tobogganing Park: snow-tubing runs for different levels, above Lake Geneva.
- OrgiRide, in the Orgevaux valley above Montreux: a volunteer-run snowpark open Wednesday and Friday evenings, with a free 500 m cross-country loop.
For skiers
In Nendaz, part of the 4 Vallées, a new six-seat chairlift links Les Chottes, La Meina and Greppon Blanc, replacing three older lifts and adding a mid-station for easier access.
New places to stay
- The Ski Lodge, Verbier: opens in early December 2026.
- Guernerés Resort, Grimentz: opened in December 2025 in the Val d’Anniviers, with apartments and chalets, a spa of about 700 m², pools and restaurants, and direct access to the Grimentz–Zinal ski area.
Sources
- Switzerland Tourism, “Winter News from Switzerland”, emailed 27 Oct 2026
- Switzerland Tourism, Basler Wienachtsdorf am Theaterplatz, accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Stoosbahnen, Stöösler Bathtub Race, accessed 27 Oct 2026
Where to stay near Stoos
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