What is the travel time to St Moritz. Do you always have to reserve seats on the train for this? Any idea what the snow is like mid march?
thanks

About 37 minutes... or 5 days 3 hours... or a week... depends, really.

From Ulan Bator? Kuala Lumpur? Timbuctu?

No.

Unless you're on a train service which does require seat reservation in advance.


Cold and white.

Mid-March will be an excellent time to go skiing, especially with all the snow we're having this year

i would be really tempted if going mid-March to drive on over the mountains down to the Italian lakes and spend a day there. I did this late March or April. We went from the snow and an icy lake to daffodils and I think early blossom.

One of the most beautiful trips of my life.

Exactly

Last year we were in Sils beginning of March and then drove down to Lugano,
from a snow covered village to a beautiful sunny, spring like Lugano, eating on a terrace, splendid !!!

engadin.stmoritz.ch/en/region/sils/

I think that the OP's details already give a clue from where ... i.e. Basel, if I am not mistaken

The OP doesn't have an avatar. You mean "Location: Basel" is a clue? Good spot.

This is a cool thread...

Correct it is in her location details... Dont know what is on my mind with these avatars... maybe after having hard time uploading images and with no success today, I am completely crossed and call "an apple" -"a pear"!

If you mean St.Moritz as a skiing location and specifically ENGADIN St.Moritz, where there is a resort covering 350km of piste and with 56 skilifts, you should be able to get from Zurich HB there within about 4hours by train. Check details on www.sbb.ch from Basel. It is a large resort and it is planned to be open till 31.05 which is a long time span considering that most of others resorts close down around April.

You might also consider their special offers by "Snow'n'Rail" and it costs from Basel CHF118.60, from Zurich CHF106 for 1-day trip. For 2-day trip one needs to pay a surcharge of CHF49.60 in addition to 1-day fare, which obviously becomes cheaper. They also offer a 6 day pass but I havent got a price details.

I am also having in plans visit to St.Moritz as one of the great skiing/snowboarding destinations worth exploring but after the peak season is down a bit, just because there are school holidays right now.

http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisen.htm

http://www.stmoritz.ch/livecam-002-030101-en.htm

yes sorry I am currently living in Basel...and thanks to all for the comments and insights..

and i never knew snow was cold and white...which goes to prove you learn something new every day

Are you gonna be a sightseeing visitor, snowboarder/skier or both in St.Moritz?

I think this thread proves that we need more jokes and more funnies......

i am going to attempt to ski, being taken by a friend who has bravely said they will show me, though i am a bit fearful...are there any schools there..?? or is this place for pros only!!??

As I have been going to St Moritz for ski holidays for the last 25 years (though not this year) I'll try and give you a quick resumé:

St Moritz has a great image. The reality is usually a disappointment - it is on a high plateau, rather than a valley, thus the views, like the local architecture which seems to favour flat-roofed blocks, are not particularly attractive. The town is high at 1800m, but this does not always guarantee plentiful snowfall.

The Engadin has a special climate that means high amounts of sunshine, but often a lack of snow - and about every 10 years too much snow. This is a too much year.

There are of course ski schools and I would not attempt to ski without lessons. St Moritz is not ideal for beginners and the run down to the valley, whichever area you are on can be a challenge, but you can always come down by lift. There are beginners' slopes, but the area is generally for more advanced skiers. You cannot ski to your hotel door and a car woudl be useful to access some areas. Tip: best place to stay - Club Med...