Resorts Guide : Klosters

Situated in the canton of Graubunden on the east-side of the country, Klosters is one of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts with a superb range of skiing available on the slopes of the Davos-Klosters ski area.

Kloster's fame within Britain does not come solely from the excellent range of pistes that it shares with it's neighbour, Davos, but also through it's popularity with our royal family. Even people who've no interest in skiing or ski resorts have heard of Klosters, and here in lies one of it's problems - it's often viewed as an upper-class resort and therefore overlooked by some skiers. When they hear mention of the name 'Klosters', probably 90% of recreational British skiers would think of a super-exclusive, mega-expensive resort, hidden away in the Swiss Alps and to be used solely by royalty, A-list celebs, oligarchs and the cast of Made in Chelsea! But the truth is actually quite far removed from that image, as Klosters is a much more normal, traditional and accessible ski resort than the likes of neighbouring Davos or St Moritz.

A lot of this is down to the attitude of the locals, many of whom give the impression that they really don't care if you're famous or mega-wealthy, they just want you to enjoy their beautiful resort.

Ok, we're not saying that you wouldn't get a few open-mouthed stares if you wandered out for a bit of après in a pair of Crocs, shell-suit bottoms and a grubby "Always on the Piste" sweatshirt, but you'd get that in any self-respecting, half-decent Alpine resort. What we are saying is that people shouldn't immediately discount Klosters and assume it's only for the uber-rich just because they've heard that Prince Charles and his boys have been doing a few turns on the slopes.

So what's it like ? Klosters has a classic alpine feel to it, the complete opposite of Davos with the buildings all in traditional Swiss-chalet style, and a real chocolate-box feel to it. There are two distinct areas to Klosters, Klosters Platz and Klosters Dorf. Klosters Platz is the main area and is near to the train station whereas Klosters Dorf is a quieter area just down the valley heading towards Serneus. The centre of Klosters has improved dramatically in recent years thanks to a bypass that was built in 2004, this has resulted in lots of the problem traffic being taken away from the main street and given the centre a much more pleasant feel.