Davos is a popular winter destination in the Swiss Alps, filled with gorgeous mountains from every direction.
We visited Davos on our way to Lichtenstein and had a great time.
There are a ton of things to do in Davos, but this post will mostly focus on the mountains and getting all the best mountain views.
About Davos, Switzerland
Davos is a longtime winter destination for Europeans. It has one of the largest ski resorts in the Swiss Alps. It also hosts the World Economic Forum annually. People have been living in this area over 800 years.
The part of Switzerland that Davos is in speaks German, but most people understand English too.
How to get to Davos, Switzerland
The way to get to Davos all depends on where you’re coming from.
Regardless of where you are coming from, driving is your best option. Even if there is public transportation available to get there, driving there will allow you to see many more things. I recommend using Google Maps to help plan your driving trip because roads are constantly closing and opening depending on the snow levels.
If you’re coming from Italy, there is one road that I recommend taking. If the road is open and you have a car with 4-wheel drive, I recommend taking the mountain road that crosses Fluelapass because it arrives straight into Davos and has stunning views along the way.
Another note, if you are driving into Switzerland from another country, you will need to stop and purchase a pass for your car to drive in Switzerland. It is essentially a 40 Euro sticker that goes on the windshield and shows that you’ve paid to drive in Switzerland. You can purchase it near the border and at most service stations. If you are using a rental car, it may already have this toll sticker, just ask your rental agency.
More information about the Swiss Driving Sticker can be found on Switzerland’s Tourism website.
Getting to the top of the mountains at Davos
Davos, Switzerland has an extensive ski area with multiple lifts across multiple mountains. To see how truly extensive the skiing is around here, check out their interactive mountain map.
The tallest point reachable by cable car in Davos is Weissfluhgipfel (the mountain is called Weissfluh, and “gipfel” means summit in German). We chose to visit Weissfluhgipfel versus some of the other summits reachable from Davos because there are extraordinary views and a delicious restaurant.
To get to Weissfluhgipfel, you have to take two trams and a cable car from the Davos Dorf area.
To Park in Davos Dorf
There are multiple parking lots with kiosks to prepay for your spot and place the receipt on your car’s dash. The kiosk in the lot we paid for took both Francs and Euros, but there was not a card reader, so make sure you have change to pay for parking.
Purchasing Tickets for Weissfluhgipfel
Make sure when you purchase your tickets, make sure that you tell them that you want to go to the summit, Weissfluhgipfel, so that you can purchase all three roundtrip tickets (loaded onto one pass). You will need to scan your tickets for each of the trams and cable car in both directions.
Getting to the Top of Weissfluhgipfel
After purchasing your tickets, you will see where to scan your ticket and wait to board the first tram. You will see that the tram is on a slope—if you want the best views, I recommend boarding at the bottom of the tram (and not the top) and you will see the mountain views as you go up.
When the first tram arrives at the end, walk directly across the platform to board the second tram. Take the second tram until the end point. When you get off the second tram, you will have to walk a little bit inside to get to the cable car, but just follow the signs for Weissfluhgipfel, or ask someone if you get lost.
***Some people decide to make the end of the second tram, Weissfluhjoch, their final destination. There is a restaurant, store, and great views. While it doesn’t look like it is much further to Weissfluhgipfel, trust me when I say that the views are a million times better and totally worth the few extra dollars to go to the summit via cable car.
At the Summit of Weissfluhgipfel
Immediately to the left of the exit of the cable car, there is a spectacular viewing platform with benches. The views from here are so amazing. Spend is much time here as you want (or as your face can tolerate with the cold winds haha).
There is a great restaurant located about 100 meters from the exit of the cable car. You will see it as it is the only building around. At the restaurant, called Berghaus, you can eat inside with mountain views through the glass walls, or you can have a sandwich and drinks outside (with more mountain views) in lounge chairs.
I recommend making a reservation if you plan on visiting here on a specific day. If you make a reservation in advance, you can sit at the tables along the glass walls with the incredible views. We didn’t have a reservation, so we sat more inside and not along the glass walls which would’ve been cool. You can make a reservation by calling or emailing, both of which are explained on their website.
The food at the restaurant was delicious. We had a giant plate of meats as an appetizer and warm potato soup and bread for lunch.
Returning to Davos Dorf from Weissfluhgipfel
When you’re finished at the summit, you can return to the cable car and return to the bottom of the mountain via the cable car and trams. If you are visiting in the late afternoon, make sure that you allot enough time to get to the bottom of the mountain before the cable cars and trams close. Even if you make it on the last cable car, you may miss the trams lower down. Be sure to check when you purchase your tickets so that you know what time you should leave the summit.
Tips for visiting Weissfluhgipfel and Davos
Dress Warm
The top of the Weissfluhgipfel will be windy and cold! Even if it is warm at the bottom, plan on it being quite cold at the top. It was a beautiful winter day when we visited, but I was surprised at how much colder it was at the top. At the bottom there was no snow, but at the top I couldn’t have my hands out of gloves for more than a minute without being in pain. Make sure you bring gloves and hat!
Make a reservation at the summit restaurant
One thing I wish we did differently was make a reservation at the Berghaus Restaurant at the top so that we could have sat by the windows to see the mountains during lunch. Reservations are free and can be made by phone or email (probably the better option if you can’t make international phone calls with your phone plan).
Don’t miss your ride down
When taking cable cars or trams to the top of a mountain, always check what time the last car or tram will be going down. You don’t want to be stuck at the top of the mountain overnight! Since it takes 2 trams and a cable car to get to the top, make sure you a lot enough time for all three before they close on the way down.
Overall, this is my guide to visiting Weissfluhgipfel and having an amazing lunch on top of a mountain! Do you have any questions or comments? Let me know down below in the comments section!
Thanks for reading 🙂
-Liz
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