St. Moritz is all about `chic’, elegance and exclusiveness, the place where you can literally feel the `dry, bubbly Champagne climate’ on your skin. St. Moritz is a guarantee for outstanding leisure and sports events, cultural highlights and a wide variety of shopping facilities.

Three different cultural regions converge in St. Moritz thanks to the Romansch language, the proximity to Italy and the fact that the majority of the local population are German speaking. The resort owes its original fame to its therapeutic springs, which have been known for over 3,000 years.

As well as its superb location above and on the lake shore, St. Moritz offers an attractive mixture of nature, cuture, sport, activity and tranquility.

International guests are attracted to the resort’s modern alpine lifestyle, which it owes, among other things, to its highly renowned first-class hotels and some of the best restaurants in Switzerland. It is one the best-known and most tradition-steeped holiday resorts in the world that arouses equal passion in summer and in winter.

The World Championships in Alpine skiing were held there for an amazing fourth time in 2003! Incidentally, St. Moritz (1,856 m) lies in the heart of the upper Engadin’s lake district, where the sun shines for 322 days a year on average. Which of course adds to the truly spectacular experience of taking a train ride on the Glacier or Bernina Expresses

The St. Moritz sun shines more intensely, the “champagne climate” is dryer and snow is more certain than anywhere else. These elements, combined with the Upper Engadin lake landscape and valley culture create an array of attractions that is unique in terms of quality and diversity. In winter; downhill and Nordic skiing, Cresta Run, bob run, horse racing on the frozen lake, polo, cricket, golf and curling tournaments, Olympic ski jump ramp, gourmet and music festivals. In summer; mountain biking, inline skating, hiking, windsurfing, ice skating, golf, tennis, sailing, opera, art and culture and the Swiss National Park – all within a radius of a few minutes.

The name “St. Moritz” is now so much in demand that it has been registered as an internationally protected trademark. As an international symbol of quality, the name “St. Moritz” epitomizes style, elegance and class.

Nowhere is more picturesque than chic Cortina, the most up market of Italian resorts. Dramatic pink-tinged peaks rise sheerly from the top of the slopes, giving picture-postcard views from wherever you are.

Magnificently situated in a sunny amphitheater, it is ringed by spectacular peaks which rise nearly 3000 meters above the village.

Cortina’s slopes are fine for its regular upmarket visitors from Rome and Milan, many of whom have second homes here and enjoy the strolling, shopping, people-watching and lunching as much as the odd leisurely excursion on to the slopes. For beginners and leisurely intermediates, the splendid beginner slopes and long, easy, well-groomed runs are ideal. For keen slope-bashers, Cortina’s fragmented areas can be frustrating, especially if snow is scarce and the area is fragmented even more; but the access to the Sella Ronda and other Dolomiti Super-ski resorts, though time-consuming, is some compensation – having a car is best for exploring. For experts, there are few tough runs, and the best of those are liable to poor snow conditions and closure because they face south.

Cortina has offered a complete range of winter sports facilities since hosting the Olympic Games in 1956.In Cortina, life centers around the Corso, a traffic-less, shop-lined street where the late afternoon passeggiata proceeds without fail.

You can browse and see the latest winter fashion, as well as purchase a gift from one of the many antique and craft shops.At the heart of the Corso is a central piazza, a church with towering campanile, and the interesting Regole Museum.

Excursions to Venice, Plan de Coranes/Brunico and Pieve di Cadare are available locally. Cortina also hosts World Cup events in mid-January, bobsled races and a horse show on snow. At night, enjoy one of Cortina’s exclusive nightclubs and discos.