A weekend in the Engadin valley would not be complete without walking around one of its many lakes. I have always wanted to visit St. Moritz, so this was a great opportunity to walk around a lake that I didn't even know existed before that weekend (I thought there were only mountains in St. Moritz).
It's called St. Moritz lake or St. Moritzersee, so there is not much creativity in its name but this is definitely compensated by its beauty.
St. Moritz lake is one of the smaller lakes in the valley and it took us about 1.5 hours to walk around, including a short visit of a local church. It's an easy walk suitable for everyone. About half of the trail will lead you through the forest. You can choose from various trails either connecting several lakes, or St. Moritz with another town.
We had a great weather which is not a surprise in this region. On average there are around 320 sunny days each year!
There we many small clouds which were adding to the charm of the place, and together with blue water and surrounding mountains made me feel like I was in a postcard. The view was perfect in all directions.
The lake offers many recreational activities, such as sailing in summer or ice skating in winter. Did you know that St. Moritz hosted Winter Olympics twice? It also holds Snow Polo World Cup every year. In summer, there is Swiss Sailing Championships organized here, and if you want to learn how to sail there are plenty of courses to choose from.
Imagine that the lake is frozen and the mountain peaks are covered in snow. How romantic does that sound? I hope to be able to check it out in the winter!
We seem to be very lucky with places that we visit as there are never many people around.
Truth to be told, there really were not many people walking around the lake as all of them were concentrated at one end of the lake with finishing line of the bicycle race 🙂
You can swim at your own risk but we didn't see anyone who would take the advantage even though it was a hot day.
St. Moritz is well known as a place of luxury but it's more than just a spa town or a magnet for high society. It's also a place where everyone can enjoy their holidays full of fascinating views, good food, fresh air and a lot of sun.
The history of St. Moritz as a holiday resorts started due to its healing mineral springs that created the spa and bathing traditions.
Today, the town is better known for winter sports holiday. Do you know how this all started?
In the summer of 1864, the hotelier Johannes Badrutt made a bet with his British guests. He told them that when the sun shines in the winter in St. Moritz, it becomes so pleasant that you can sit on a terrace without a jacket. He said that when they come and his statements turned to be wrong, he would pay for their travel costs and accommodation.
They accepted the challenge and visited St. Moritz in the following December covered from head to toe in the most expensive clothes. The skies were blue, the sun was shining and Mr. Badrutt greeted them without a jacked and with his sleeves rolled up. Not only did he win the bet, the winter tourism in the Alps was born.
Each region in the Swiss Alps has its own distinctive architectural style. In the Engadin it would be stone walls, ornaments on the facade and floor to ceiling windows. St. Moritz doesn't follow these traditions.
It became a place of different architectural styles and a symbol of the region's industrialization. It's where the first electric light in Switzerland was turned on!
There are many traditional guests houses as well as large luxurious hotel structures. It's very different to any other small towns in the Engadin valley.
There is The Church of St. Charles right next to the lake. The church was built at the end of the 19th century which surprised me as the structure looks much older to me.
Its architecture makes me think of churches in South Tirol that we visited a few years ago.
It was a hot day, so we went inside to cool down a bit. Its interior was rather simple but I liked the paper dove decorations hanging from the ceiling.
We sat on a bench quietly for about 15 minutes and then returned to our walk.
We were finally on the other side of the lake, and couldn't wait to reach the woods!
St. Moritz seems to be in perfect harmony with the surrounding mountains.
There are several cable cars which will bring you high up without breaking a sweat. It's an ideal place for families as well.
You could reach the closest mountain Corviglia by Chantarella funicular railway, or take a cable car to Piz Nair at 3,056 metres above sea level. There are many more other options too!
We go to the mountains to enjoy the nature but St. Moritz offers another paradise as well. It's a shopping paradise! I didn't know what to expect and I must honestly say that I was shocked when we walked on Via Serlas, the highest shopping avenue in the world.
You can reach Via Serlas easily by escalator from the train station. It will bring you up to the hill where you can find 74 shops featuring the most luxurious and exclusive brands in the world. This is the place where you can meet celebrities from all over the world.
We didn't meet any celebrities while walking around the lake, so I guess that they have another priorities 🙂
St. Moritz is one of the most traditional resorts in the world. Its name is protected as a quality brand and stands for style, elegance and class worldwide. And looking at its skyline I think it's well deserved.
There was all the luxury around us, 5 stars hotels, gourmet meals, expensive clothes, and then there was us. Two people enjoying light hiking, picturesque views and sandwiches from a bakery to top it all 🙂
Thank you for reading!
Cheers!
Martina