Winter around Gstaad without skiing

The Gstaad holiday region keeps 162 km of winter walking trails open. Good ones include the walk from Wispile down to Gsteig (8.9 km, about 2.5 hours), the loop from Lauenen to the frozen Lauenensee and back (8.5 km, about 2.5 hours) and the circuit from Schönried over the Rellerli (10 km, about 3 hours 40). The Lauenensee bus only runs in summer, so in winter you walk from Lauenen village.

For deeper snow there are eight signposted snowshoe trails, marked in pink and not groomed, such as the 7.6 km route from Wispile over the Chrine pass to Lauenen. On the Vaud side, Lac Retaud above Col du Pillon can be reached on foot or on snowshoes.

There are about 30 km of sledging runs on nine routes around Gstaad. The Eggli run is the classic: 6.4 km and 517 m of descent from the Eggli top station down to Grund, about an hour and a half, easy enough for families. The Eggli gondola runs from 19 December 2026 to 14 March 2027. Above Saanenmöser, the Hornberg run is 2.6 km, and from 23 January to 20 February 2027 there is full-moon sledging at Saanersloch. Sledges can be hired at the cable cars, apart from the Rinderberg valley station, and in most sports shops.

Over the pass, Les Diablerets has a 7.2 km sledging run, separate from the ski pistes, with 568 m of descent and floodlit sledging on Thursday evenings.

The region has 20 cross-country trails totalling about 130 km in seven areas: Gsteig and Reusch, Schönried and Saanenmöser, Lauenen, Turbach, Zweisimmen and Sparenmoos, Rougemont and Glacier 3000. Between Schönried and Saanenmöser a 2.9 km trail is floodlit at night. You need a track pass, sold by the day, week or season; children under 16 ski free.

Glacier 3000 has two loops on the glacier itself, and Les Diablerets has a 7 km circuit to Vers-l'Église and a floodlit trail.

The 47th International Balloon Festival fills the sky over Château-d'Oex from 23 to 31 January 2027. Balloons take off from the field by the village on every day the weather allows; in 2026 there were flights on seven of the nine days. From 2027 the festival is fully cashless, so bring a card or TWINT. The 2027 programme and entry prices had not been published by mid-October 2026.

Château-d'Oex is about 17 minutes by car from Gstaad, or a short ride on the MOB train. Note that the Gstaad Card covers the train only as far as Rougemont; hotels in the Pays-d'Enhaut give the Pass d'Enhaut, which covers the line through Château-d'Oex. Outside festival week, Espace Ballon in the village explains the history of ballooning, and Ballons Château-d'Oex flies passengers through the year. On 29 December 2026, 7 January, 11 February and 18 February 2027, families can take free tethered balloon rides on the take-off field from 10:00 to 12:00.

The Gstaad Sports Centre runs an ice rink in the village from October to March, open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, with an evening session on Thursdays. From November 2026 entry is CHF 8.50 for adults and CHF 6 for children aged 6 to 15, and skates can be hired. The centre also has an indoor curling hall where you can book a sheet by the hour, with an instructor if you want one.

Saanenmöser has a natural ice rink, and Les Diablerets has indoor and outdoor rinks at its sports centre in winter.

The public indoor pool at the Gstaad Sports Centre has a 25 m pool, a learner pool, a slide and an outdoor pool kept at 34 °C all year, plus saunas and a steam bath. From November 2026 a swim costs CHF 13.50 for adults and CHF 8.50 for children; pool and wellness together cost CHF 33.

Several hotels open their spas to non-residents. The Gstaad tourism office names the Six Senses Spa at The Alpina Gstaad and the Ermitage in Schönried, and Le Grand Bellevue sells single spa entries. Staying in, the big hotel spas are free for guests.

You do not need to ski to go up Glacier 3000. The pedestrian ticket (CHF 95 for adults, CHF 48 with a Half Fare card, GA or Swiss Travel Pass) covers the cable car, the Peak Walk suspension bridge, the Ice Express chairlift down to the glacier and the hour-long Glacier Walk to the Quille du Diable. From November, husky teams pull dog sleds across the glacier, from a 5-minute taster to a 6 km tour. The winter season runs from 7 November 2026 to 30 April 2027, and PostBus 180 from Gstaad is free with the Gstaad Card.

The Gstaad New Year Music Festival runs from 26 December 2026 to 10 January 2027. Les Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the classical festival, holds its 27th edition from 29 January to 6 February 2027.