Gstaad

Gstaad sits at 1,050 metres in the Saanenland, a broad green valley of wooden chalets where building regulations have kept everything low and traditional. The skiing spreads across several linked areas rather than one mountain, which makes it forgiving terrain and a good place to learn.

Summer is the quiet secret: high pastures, long valley walks, and one of the best road cycling networks in the Bernese Oberland. The village is expensive and the coaching is not — the mountain does not charge extra.