Sils Maria or St. Moritz: where to stay in the Upper Engadin

Sils Maria or St. Moritz is the first decision for a stay in the Upper Engadin. The two villages lie at 1,802 m and 1,822 m, about 12 km apart by road and linked by the Engadin Bus. What differs is what you find outside the door. Sils has about 700 residents and one cable car at the village edge. St. Moritz has about 5,000 residents, a funicular in the middle of town, shops, bars and the winter event calendar on its frozen lake. This guide gives the numbers for both, ski areas, bus times, lakes, events, parking and prices, so you can choose the base that fits.

The short answer by traveller type

• Biggest single ski area: St. Moritz. Corviglia has 155 km of pistes and starts in town. From Sils you ski Corvatsch-Furtschellas (120 km) from the door and reach Corviglia by bus in about 25 minutes.
• Quiet evenings, walking, cross-country and lakes: Sils Maria. Val Fex, the Chastè peninsula and Lake Sils begin at the village edge.
• Nightlife, shopping and the February events: St. Moritz. White Turf, Snow Polo and The I.C.E. run on its lake.
• Families: either, with Sils the calmer option. Both ski areas have beginner zones at the valley station.
• Budget: Sils Maria. Hotels and restaurants in Sils cost less than in St. Moritz, while the shared ski pass and the guest bus ticket cost the same wherever you sleep.

Distance, altitude and the bus between them

Sils lies at 1,802 m on the plain between Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana. St. Moritz sits at 1,822 m at the far end of the lakes, Dorf at 1,830 m on the hillside, Bad at 1,775 m on the shore. The road between them is about 12 km, 11 to 15 minutes by car. Engadin Bus lines 601 and 605 link Sils Maria Posta with St. Moritz station in about 20 to 25 minutes; line 601 runs every 30 minutes and stops at St. Moritz Bad, Silvaplana and both the Corvatsch and Furtschellas valley stations on the way. St. Moritz is the nearest railway station to Sils, so every train arrival ends with this bus.

Village character in plain numbers

Sils is two villages, Sils Maria and Sils Baselgia, with about 700 residents. Most of the village is practically traffic-free, and many houses were built in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Nietzsche-Haus stands 170 m from the Schweizerhof.

St. Moritz has 4,945 residents. It hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948, has held 21 bobsleigh and skeleton world championships, and still runs the Cresta Run and the natural-ice Olympic bob run. Shops, galleries and bars cluster in Dorf.

Skiing: Furtschellas from Sils, Corviglia from St. Moritz

From Sils you ski Corvatsch-Furtschellas: 120 km of pistes, 14 lifts, 1,797 to 3,303 m, the highest lift station in Graubünden. The Furtschellas cable car is 2 to 3 minutes from the Schweizerhof by the free ski bus, and the Curtinella chairlift links it to Corvatsch, where the 9 km Hahnensee run drops to St. Moritz Bad and the 4.2 km Snow Night piste opens on Fridays at 19:00. The 2026/27 season runs from 21 November 2026 to 25 April 2027.

From St. Moritz you ski Corviglia: 155 km, 23 lifts, 1,772 to 3,057 m, by the Chantarella funicular from Dorf or the Signal cable car from Bad, season 28 November 2026 to 4 April 2027.

The pass is shared. The Sleep+Ski pass through the hotel costs CHF 55 per person per day for all 58 lifts in the region, Corviglia included, and must cover every night of the stay. All prices and times here are approximate and given as a guide. The lift companies set their own fares and opening times and adjust them from season to season, so check the current details on corvatsch-diavolezza.ch before you go.

Public transport is free for guests in both villages

Participating hotels in both villages give their guests the ÖV-Inklusive ticket from the second night. The Schweizerhof is one of them and includes the full service: Engadin Bus, the St. Moritz town bus, PostAuto and the Rhaetian Railway inside the engadin mobil zone from Maloja to Cinuos-chel and from Spinas to Alp Grüm, with arrival and departure from the zone border included. The ride from Sils to Corviglia or to White Turf costs nothing. Cable cars are not part of the ticket; for those you need the ski pass. The bus stop is the Dorfplatz in front of the Schweizerhof.

Winter walking on the lakes and in Val Fex

Around 150 km of prepared winter walking trails run through the Upper Engadin, and the flattest of them cross the frozen lakes next to Sils. The lake trails open only once Engadin Tourismus has prepared the path, marked it with pink posts and listed it as open in its snow sports report; until then you walk the shore paths. From the Schweizerhof the Chastè peninsula is 800 m away, and from there the trail crosses Lake Sils past Isola to Maloja: 5.7 km and about 1 hour 20 minutes from the lake entry. Across Lake Silvaplana, Sils to the Surlej bridge is 5.1 km and about 1 hour 15 minutes. From both ends the Engadin Bus brings you back to Sils on the guest ticket.

Val Fex, closed to private cars, begins behind the Dorfplatz. The prepared winter trail climbs through the gorge to Fex Platta, 30 to 40 minutes on foot or 20 minutes by horse-drawn carriage, and continues to Alp Muot Selvas at 2,073 m: 6.8 km one way, about 265 m of ascent, 2 hours 5 minutes. In St. Moritz the loop around Lake Staz starts at the railway station, 7.1 km and about 1 hour 50 minutes. Our guide to winter walking from Sils Maria lists 7 trails and 2 snowshoe routes with distance, ascent and the way back.

Winter on the frozen lakes and the event calendar

In winter the Engadin Skimarathon trail runs 42 km from Maloja to S-chanf across the frozen Silsersee, Silvaplanersee and Champfèrersee, straight past Sils; the 2027 race is on 14 March, with the Night Run from Sils on 11 March. The rest of the calendar sits on the St. Moritz lake, 15 to 25 minutes from Sils by the included bus: Snow Polo World Cup 22 to 24 January 2027, The I.C.E. classic car show 29 to 30 January 2027, and White Turf horse racing on the weekends from 6 to 21 February 2027. From Sils each event is one bus ride away; from St. Moritz the lake is within walking distance. Our Ski Escape package bundles lift pass and half board for either kind of week.

Arrival and parking

By train, Zurich to St. Moritz takes about 3 hours via Chur, then Engadin Bus continues to Sils. By car Sils is 200 km from Zurich over the Julier Pass, open all year, or via the Vereina car train, 18 minutes from Klosters to Sagliains. From Italy the Maloja Pass climbs directly to Sils. The Schweizerhof has underground parking at CHF 25 per day, basement level only in winter 2026/27. Our post on how to get to Sils Maria has the connections step by step.

Where the Schweizerhof sits

The Schweizerhof in Sils Maria has 122 rooms at 1,800 m on the Dorfplatz. The ski bus stops directly in front of the hotel, guests board at the door, and the Furtschellas valley station is 2 to 3 minutes away; the Nietzsche-Haus is 170 m away. The wellness area is closed for rebuilding until summer 2027; massages continue and guests have free entry to the OVAVERVA pool in St. Moritz meanwhile. Come and stay with us in Sils Maria; practical details are in our Sils Maria FAQ.

Questions guests ask

How far is Sils Maria from St. Moritz?

About 12 km by road, 11 to 15 minutes by car and 20 to 25 minutes by Engadin Bus, which is free for hotel guests from the second night.

Do I need a car in Sils Maria?

No. The bus from St. Moritz station is covered by the guest ticket and the ski bus stops outside the hotel.

Schweizerhof, Sils Maria, a Faern Collection Hotel.