Davos is a winter and summer ski resort village located in the heart of the Graubünden in the east of Switzerland. In the early 90's, Davos became famous for hosting the World Economic Forum, an annual winter gathering of international politicians and financiers who represented a transnational elite.
Davos is famous as the host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites, which is often referred to as simply Davos. It is also known as a winter sports area, including serving as the site of the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament, which is hosted by the HC Davos local hockey team.
Davos became a popular destination for the rich and ailing because the microclimate in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors and recommended for lung disease patients. For example Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 at the recommendation of his Edinburgh doctor, Dr. George Balfour. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. Davos is also the setting of Thomas Mann's novel Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain), which takes place at a sanatorium.
Subsequently, Davos became a famous ski resort, especially with tourists from the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. After a high peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the two-part city finally re-established itself as a leading, and less high-profile, tourist attraction.
PLACE TO VISIT
Kirchner Museum Davos, Open Tuesday through Sunday. Established in honor of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the German Expressionist painter. Opened in 1992, it is home to the world's largest collection of the artist's work. The museum building was designed by the Zürich architects Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer. It attracts great attention in architectural circles. Adults: CHF 10, Senior Citizen: CHF 8, Children and Students CHF 5, Groups (10+): CHF 8.
Winter Sports Museum, While in the winter wonderland of Davos, visit the Winter Sport Museum. This museum holds a large collection of winter sport equipment and documents donated by the Jürg Kaufmann family. The well-preserved exhibits (sleds, bobsleds, skis, skates, curling material, etc.) document the history of winter sports. Adults CHF 5, Children CHF 3.
Zügenschlucht— Gaze upon a romantic gorge that has a spectacular railway line and a mining museum at the Schmelzboden at 1340 m. While you're there, explore the Geology Trail between Davos-Monstein and Wiesen.
Lose yourself in the The Schatzalp (1861m), an alpine botanical garden that has such stunning scenery, it inspired German author Thomas Mann to write his novel “The Magic Mountain”, published in 1924. It contains around 800 different species of plants from all over the world and is truly impressive in June and July, when flowers are in bloom.
Sertigtal— It's unique natural beauty and mountain scenery make for an unforgettable alpine experience. Unleash your romantic side and go for a ride by horse-drawn carriage or sledge.
WHAT TO DO
Bier Vision Monstein Have a drink atop the highest brewery in Europe. Take a class and learn about the finer points of beer making. Guided tours are available and tastings are worthwhile. Every Friday from 4PM-7PM, you can purchase beer directly from the brewery.
O’Neill SB-JAM Davos— This freestyle snowboarding event takes place every year in Davos, with the qualifying rounds open to everyone (December/January).
Young Artists in Concert— Occuring in July and August, this concert is where young musicians from all over the world perform as soloists or in chamber groups at the Davos Conference Centre, in the Kirchner Museum and in various churches.
International Hiking Rally— Occuring annually in September, this hiking rally covers four routes in the mountains around Davos, with stamps for the number of kilometres walked and coveted medals.
Davos is internationally recognised as the largest resort in the Alps for mountain holidays and a top travel destination. Ski and snow activities are a must do in the winter, and at altitudes between 1124 and 2844 m, guests will find 54 ski lifts, 320 km of slopes, 75 km of cross-country ski tracks, two artificial ice-skating rinks and Europe’s largest natural ice rink for people to skate or to curl. And no fewer than five sledging runs to have fun on! For skiing fanatics, the mecca is the Parsenn and Weissfluhjoch area which connects up with the neighbouring resort of Klosters. The Jakobshorn, on the other hand, is the in place for snowboarders, with its half-pipe and monster pipe. For a quieter time, take a ride by horse-drawn sledge into the snowy side valleys, or experience the Davos mountains from 84 km of beautifully prepared winter footpaths and snow-shoe trails.
In the summer, the cable-cars on the Jakobshorn (2590 m), Parsenn including the Weissfluhjoch und -gipfel (2844 m), Pischa (2483 m), Rinerhorn (2490 m) and Schatzalp/Strela provide access to four hiking areas with a total of 450 km of marked footpaths. Anyone seeking rest and relaxation amid unspoilt nature should head off on foot, by bike or by horse-drawn carriage up the romantic side valleys of Sertig, Dischma or Flüela. For a change of scene, visit the Davos Lake with its swimming area and a sailing and surfing centre. In addition, there are opportunities for hang-gliding and paragliding and mountain bike and inline skating routes. Davos is also the starting point for excursions on the famous Glacier Express, and the Heidi and Bernina Express trains.
HOW TO REACH
Davos is accessible by train, bus or car. The nearest commercial airport with scheduled airline service is Zurich.
By train - It will take about 2 hours to reach Davos by train from Zurich. There are train connections from Zurich’s main station to Davos every hour between 6AM and 11PM. Please check the timetables and other information on the official Swiss Federal Railways website (www.rail.ch). Choose Zurich Flughafen (airport) or Zurich HB (city) as departure point and Davos Platz or Davos Dorf as destination. Many European cities can also be chosen as the departure point. Zurich-Kloten Airport has its own underground railway station with train connections throughout Switzerland. The round trip fare from Zurich Airport to Klosters and Davos is just over CHF 175.00 (First Class) and CHF 110.00 (Second Class). Reservations are not necessary.
Train Connections in Switzerland:
Zurich-Landquart-Davos: 2 hours 45 minutes. Geneva-Zurich-Landquart-Davos: 5 hours 15 minutes. Buchs-Landquart-Davos: 2 hours. St. Margrethen-Landquart-Davos: 2 hours 30 minutes.
Air travellers may also take advantage of the Fly & Rail baggage service where baggage may be deposited, after clearing customs in Zurich, at the railway counter in the station for direct transfer to Klosters and Davos. Using this service saves the passenger the trouble of carrying luggage when changing trains at Zurich’s Main Station and Landquart. The Fly & Rail rate for luggage is CHF 20.00 (US$ 15.00) per item.
By bus during ski season - Buses travel from Zurich airport to Davos Dorf or Davos Plat every Saturday and return from Davos Dorf or Platz to the airport every Saturday in December through April. The trip takes approximately 2 hours, with a pickup at the train station three times daily.
By car - It will take about 2 hours (160 kilometres/103 miles) to get to Davos by car from Zurich. From Zurich-Kloten Airport: take A51 to Zurich and look for the road signs to Chur (Expressway A), take Exit “Landquart-Davos” and follow road signs to Davos. For more details or for other starting points, browse on www.mappy.com (use “Kloten” as the starting point for the International Airport).
