Davos is rather a strange place, and I’m still not fully sure what to make of it. The town sits in a valley at 1500 metres above sea level.
The valley is quite narrow, with tall mountains towering over the town on all sides.
The location is rather spectacular.
However, if you’re expecting a quaint little mountain resort with cute little chalets and cow bells ringing in the background, you may be in for a bit of a surprise and possibly sorely disappointment. Because the town really is quite ugly.
Getting There
To get to Davos by public transport, there are frequent trains from Zürich HB to Landquart, operated by the SBB. At Landquart you need to change trains and catch a service going to Davos via Klosters. The journey from Zürich to Landquart takes fifty minutes, whereas the onward journey on the Rhb to Davos takes 75 minutes. There are two stops for Davos, namely Davos Dorf and Davos Platz.
The Hotel Edelweiss, Davos Dorf.
Despite its reputation as a prime Swiss Alpine ski resort, there are hardly any nice hotels in Davos. Most of them are in the mid-range segment and look as though they were last refurbished in 1980 or so. Finding a place to stay here was not easy.
The Hotel Edelweiss is about ten minutes on foot from Davos Dorf station, and about twenty from Davos Platz. However, if you’ve got luggage, busses 301, 303, and 304 all stop at Schiabach, from where it’s only another two minutes up the hill to the hotel.
Dining Room & Library
The Edelweiss is a family owned hotel and really quite cosy. The staff are all exceptionally friendly and very welcoming. They’re also very knowledgeable about the area.
The breakfast spread is very nice, especially if, like me, you love cheese. However, the dining room is closed for lunch.
In the evenings there is a set menu available, but the number of places is limited, as they only have a rather small kitchen.
There’s also a nice library with a sun room and fire place.
It doubles as the bar and drinks are available at reception.
There’s also a sun room.
The Edelweiss Suite
I’m staying in the Edelweiss Suite, which, strictly speaking, is not a suite. It is located on the fourth floor. It’s basically an extra room that was built up on the roof. As a result, it’s very quiet because there are no other guest rooms.
It also means the views are quite good.
There are also two sun beds, a small table and chairs out on the veranda.
It’s a nice cozy room.
Although the bench is rather narrow.
And so’s the desk.
The bed is good, but it could have been a bit firmer for my liking.
There is also a tea and coffee maker.
The Edelweiss Suite has two distinguishing features. The first is it’s very retro looking bathroom, that looks like something straight out of the 1970s.
Swiss retro chic at its finest.
It’s clearly not, because the fixtures are obviously new. But those orange tiles are…
The Suite’s other remarkable feature is the fire place, which is great.
There’s something very romantic about sitting on top of the hotel, watching the snow fall and hearing the crackle of fire in the background.
Conclusion
Davos is a bit of a mixed bag for me. While it’s easily accessible and the landscapes are spectacular, I found the town itself a bit drab. I’m glad I visited, but I wouldn’t say it’s high on the list of places in Switzerland I want to visit again. If I do, though, I think it’s very likely I’d stay at the Edelweiss again, which is a lovely hotel with great staff!
As you say William,Davos is Dullsville. Hotel fine,but why the visit?
Well, I guess I was just curious to see what the fuss is about. I mean, the town isn’t horrible. Just not as nice as other places like Kandersteg, Andermatt or Adelboden.
True——-i particularly like Andermatt——–although ive heard that there is a large building project in hand there, that will probably ruin[or at least have an effect] its ‘villagey’ look and feel. Everywhere gets a little worse[more urban] as time goes on.
Off topic but what are your thoughts about SAS leaving Star Alliance later this year and ending up in Sky Team’s orbit (if not joining outright)?
I think it makes sense for Air Frace KLM. If the Dutch governent continues like this, they are going to suffocate Schiphol with restrictions, and KLM has made no secret that their investment in SAS is their Plan B. Other than that, I think KLM and SAS complement each other very nicely. What remains to be seen is whether SAS’ alliance shift is a match for the unions in Scandinavia. There, I’m honestly not so sure. What do you think?
For me, it’s not so much as issue of unions as much as how it could shift airlines and routes.
I imagine SAS will discontinue some Star Alliance/United destinations in the US like EWR and IAD while maybe keeping some like ORD and even SFO, while adding some new Skyteam/Delta destinations like ATL and DTW and/or MSP.
Delta meanwhile will probably introduce year-round flights from JFK and ATL at least to CPH and maybe even ARN. United will probably do the same from EWR, ORD, and IAD. They may or may not keep their seasonal EWR-ARN flight.
It will be interesting to see how some Skyteam airlines outside of the US and Europe will react to the change. But as you said, it could be a good as another Skyteam hub to take some pressure off of CDG and AMS, so definitely will see more Delta and even say, Korean flights to CPH for sure and maybe even ARN to take some more pressure as well. But only time will tell.