A person in a red hoodie standing on a snowy mountain
Patrician Life

The Alps.

Eight countries share the range, and 6 of them hold its famous names. The villages, valleys and lakes, country by country, each with what made it.

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  1. The Alps run about 1,200 km across 8 countries, with 82 peaks above 4,000 m.
  2. Winter tourism began in St. Moritz in 1864, with Caspar Badrutt's wager with 4 British summer guests.
  3. Chamonix held the first Winter Olympics, in 1924. Cortina d'Ampezzo held them in 1956 and again in 2026.
The range

Eight countries, one range.

The Alps run about 1,200 km through Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland. Mont Blanc is the highest of them, and 82 peaks pass 4,000 m. The Dolomites, in Italy, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 26, 2009, and the Marmolada is their highest peak, at 3,343 m.

Winter tourism began in St. Moritz in 1864, when the hotelier Caspar Badrutt wagered 4 British summer guests that they would come back for the winter. The houses to stay in are in Hotels, and the pistes in Skiing.

The jagged peaks of the Dolomites under clouds
The Dolomites.
Switzerland

The Swiss Alps.

From the Engadine to the Valais.

St. Moritz and its lake below the mountains
1,800 m · GraubündenSt. MoritzWhere winter tourism began, with Caspar Badrutt's wager of 1864. Two Winter Olympics, in 1928 and 1948.
Chalets on the promenade of Gstaad
1,050 m · Bernese OberlandGstaadA car-free promenade, the Gstaad Palace since 1913, and the Swiss Open on clay every summer.
The Matterhorn above the village of Zermatt
1,620 m · ValaisZermattA village closed to combustion engines below the Matterhorn, 4,478 m, first climbed in 1865.
A Swiss village under the snow
1,500 m · ValaisVerbierThe heart of the Four Valleys, and the final of the Freeride World Tour, the Xtreme Verbier.
The lake of Crans-Montana and the Alps beyond
1,500 m · ValaisCrans-MontanaA plateau above Sierre, the Omega European Masters every September, and the 1987 World Championships.
Davos in winter, from the air
1,560 m · GraubündenDavosThe World Economic Forum's town, the Spengler Cup since 1923, and the sanatorium behind The Magic Mountain.
A ski area in the snow, from above
1,205 m · GraubündenKlostersThe British royal family's winter resort for more than 30 years. Its Gotschna cable car was renamed King Charles in 2023.
The Jungfrau region under the clouds
1,034 m · Bernese OberlandGrindelwaldBelow the north face of the Eiger, first climbed in 1938. The railway reached the Jungfraujoch in 1912.
Andermatt under snow, from the air
1,437 m · UriAndermattOn the Gotthard route since about 1200, remade by Samih Sawiris's Andermatt Swiss Alps.
The glaciers above Saas-Fee from the air
1,800 m · ValaisSaas-FeeThe Pearl of the Alps: a car-free village ringed by 13 peaks above 4,000 m.
Italy

The Dolomites and the Aosta Valley.

From Cortina to Courmayeur.

Cortina d'Ampezzo in winter in the Dolomites
1,224 m · VenetoCortina d'AmpezzoIn the heart of the Dolomites. Winter Olympics in 1956, and again in 2026 with Milan.
Selva in Val Gardena below the Dolomites
Dolomites · South TyrolVal GardenaUrtijëi, Santa Cristina and Sëlva: a Ladin valley of woodcarvers, and the Saslong World Cup downhill.
Snow on the peaks of the Dolomites
Dolomites · South TyrolAlta BadiaCorvara and its Ladin villages, and the Gran Risa, among the hardest giant slaloms on the circuit.
The peaks of the Brenta Dolomites
1,522 m · TrentinoMadonna di CampiglioThe gateway to the Brenta Dolomites, and the 3-Tre night slalom.
Mountains in the Aosta Valley
1,224 m · Aosta ValleyCourmayeurAt the foot of Mont Blanc's south side. The tunnel to Chamonix opened in 1965, the Skyway climbs to 3,466 m.
Snow-capped Alps at Breuil-Cervinia
2,050 m · Aosta ValleyBreuil-CerviniaAt the foot of the Monte Cervino, the Matterhorn, sharing its ski area with Zermatt over the Plateau Rosa glacier.
The Jungfrau massif above a green meadow
The Bernese Oberland.
France

Savoie and Mont Blanc.

From Courchevel to Chamonix.

The mountains above Courchevel in winter
Savoie · Les 3 ValléesCourchevelIn Les 3 Vallées, among the largest linked ski areas in the world, with 7 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Pine forest and a cable car in the snow
1,113 m · Haute-SavoieMegèveConceived by the Rothschilds in the 1920s as France's answer to St. Moritz. Noémie de Rothschild opened the Mont d'Arbois in 1921.
The Vanoise mountains reflected in a lake, in Savoie
Savoie · Espace KillyVal d'IsèreJean-Claude Killy's home village. The Face de Bellevarde held the men's downhill of 1992.
The Aiguille du Midi cable car above Chamonix
Haute-Savoie · Mont BlancChamonixHost of the first Winter Olympics, in 1924, below Mont Blanc. A cable car climbs to the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842 m.
The snow at Les Menuires in the Three Valleys
Savoie · Les 3 ValléesMéribel and Val ThorensMéribel, founded by the Scotsman Major Peter Lindsay, its first lift in 1938. Val Thorens, at 2,300 m.
Austria

The Arlberg and Tyrol.

From Kitzbühel to Hallstatt.

Kitzbühel at twilight in winter
TyrolKitzbühelThe Streif on the Hahnenkamm, among the toughest downhills in the world.
Lech am Arlberg under snow
1,444 m · VorarlbergLechThe Arlberg, birthplace of modern Alpine skiing. Lech Zürs caps its beds at 10,000.
The Nasserein lift at St. Anton am Arlberg
1,304 m · TyrolSt. AntonHannes Schneider's Arlberg technique, and the World Championships of 2001.
A skier on a snowy slope in Tyrol
1,377 m · TyrolIschglA ski area that crosses the border into Samnaun, in Switzerland.
Zell am See and its lake at evening
750 m · SalzburgZell am SeeOn the shore of Lake Zell, 68 m deep, with the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above.
Hallstatt, its church and the lake
511 m · Upper AustriaHallstattA UNESCO site since 1997, with the oldest working salt mine in the world.
The Zugspitze at sunset
The Zugspitze, at dusk.
Germany and Liechtenstein

Bavaria and the principality.

From the Zugspitze to Vaduz.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen in its valley
708 m · BavariaGarmisch-PartenkirchenThe 1936 Winter Olympics, the first with Alpine skiing, below the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak at 2,962 m.
A boat on the Königssee in Bavaria
Berchtesgaden · BavariaThe KönigsseeOnly electric boats since 1909 on a lake 190 m deep, most of it inside the Berchtesgaden National Park.
Neuschwanstein castle under a blue sky
Schwangau · BavariaNeuschwansteinBegun for Ludwig II on September 5, 1869. It inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Oberstdorf from a mountain peak
813 m · BavariaOberstdorfThe southernmost settlement in Germany, where the Four Hills Tournament opens every December.
Vaduz and its castle below the Alps
LiechtensteinVaduz and MalbunLiechtenstein's capital below its Alps, and Malbun, its only ski resort, at 1,600 m.
The Olympic Alps

The Winter Games in the mountains.

The Winter Olympics began in the Alps, and keep coming back. Cortina d'Ampezzo held them twice, St. Moritz twice, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen brought Alpine skiing into the Games in 1936.

Winter OlympicsPlaceNote
1924ChamonixThe first Winter Olympics
1928St. MoritzThe first of 2
1936Garmisch-PartenkirchenThe first with Alpine skiing
1948St. MoritzThe second
1956Cortina d'AmpezzoThe first of 2
2026Cortina d'AmpezzoWith Milan

The Alps on the board.

St. Moritz, SwitzerlandSt. Moritz🇨🇭 SwitzerlandGstaad, SwitzerlandGstaad🇨🇭 SwitzerlandZermatt, SwitzerlandZermatt🇨🇭 SwitzerlandCourchevel, FranceCourchevel🇫🇷 FranceCortina d'Ampezzo, ItalyCortina d'Ampezzo🇮🇹 ItalyKitzbühel, AustriaKitzbühel🇦🇹 Austria

Sources. Alps · Dolomites · St. Moritz · Gstaad · Zermatt · Verbier · Crans-Montana · Davos · Klosters · Grindelwald · Andermatt · Saas-Fee · Cortina d'Ampezzo · Val Gardena · Alta Badia · Madonna di Campiglio · Courmayeur · Breuil-Cervinia · Courchevel · Megève · Val d'Isère · Chamonix · Méribel · Val Thorens · Kitzbühel · Lech am Arlberg · St. Anton am Arlberg · Ischgl · Zell am See · Hallstatt · Garmisch-Partenkirchen · Königssee · Neuschwanstein Castle · Oberstdorf · Malbun. Read October 2026. A record of places, houses and dates, published as research. Patrician.ch has no commercial relationship with any house named here. Photographs from Unsplash and Pexels, used under their licenses.

The Matterhorn under snow and cloud
The Matterhorn.
Questions

The short answers.

How long are the Alps?

About 1,200 km, across Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland, with 82 peaks above 4,000 m.

Where did winter tourism begin?

In St. Moritz, in 1864, when the hotelier Caspar Badrutt wagered 4 British summer guests that they would come back for the winter.

Where were the first Winter Olympics held?

In Chamonix, in 1924.

St. Moritz held them in 1928 and 1948, Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936, and Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and 2026.

Which Alpine villages are car-free?

Zermatt is closed to combustion engines, and Saas-Fee has a car-free centre.

Gstaad has a car-free promenade.

What is the highest peak in Germany?

The Zugspitze, at 2,962 m, above Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Does Liechtenstein have a ski resort?

One: Malbun, at 1,600 m.

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