Skiing the Swiss Alps

By Jennifer Milano, traveled December 2016 and December 2018

I've been dreaming of two winter Alpine experiences for decades.  Dream #1:  ski the majestic Alps.  Dream #2:  stay in a Swiss village at Christmastime.  One summer a few years ago, I looked into combining these two dreams into one family vacation, and I learned of two impediments to reaching my Alpine dreams.  Impediment #1:  the Europeans plan their Christmastime ski trips many months, and even up to a year, in advance, meaning I couldn't find a good place to stay.  Impediment #2:  cost.  Wow, is Switzerland expensive.  Not the skiing so much - lift tickets are roughly half of the cost of those at a U.S. ski resort.  And children ski free at many resorts even up to age nine or ten. But everything else - the food, the accommodations, the travel - brought us over budget.  

So I shelved my Alpine winter dreams for awhile, and then in March of 2016, I looked at the school vacation calendar and realized that we had a full week off from school before Christmas Eve.  While part of my dream involved renting a little wooden Swiss chalet (located right next to a fabulous bakery), and buying a Christmas tree in the village to decorate with little white lights on Christmas Eve, my daughter is adamant about being home for Christmas every year.  She loves our traditions at home, and seeing the family that flies in from all over the country to spend the holiday with us.  I was gleeful that the December 2016 school vacation schedule would allow me to realize 90% of my Alpine winter dreams, and leave my daughter's Christmas dreams intact. 

I was still a little bit worried about the cost, but knowing that the accommodations would soon be booked, I reserved a room in Zermatt for four nights (accommodations were booked after December 21st), with a liberal cancellation policy, and I waited and watched airfares.  A few months later, the Swiss fares dropped, and I bought four plane tickets to Zurich, sealing the deal.  We were going to Switzerland to ski at Christmastime!  We had two free nights between checking out of our Zermatt room and our flight home, so next on my research list was Christmas market towns.  

Based on location and reviews, I narrowed our choices down to two:  Montreux and Basel. Montreux has the unique feature of a "North Pole" located a train ride up into the mountains, complete with Santa and live reindeer, which sounded magical.  If my children were younger, we probably would have chosen Montreux.  But they would be ten and thirteen at the time of travel, and Montreux was a bit out of the way, so we settled on Basel, which features two outdoor Christmas markets.  I booked two nights at Hotel Basel, right in the heart of the old town and within walking distance of the markets.  By skiing and staying in Zermatt only four days instead of six or seven, this itinerary also allowed us to realize our Alpine winter dreams while also reducing the overall cost of the trip.

A couple of months before our trip, I booked the final details - lunch reservations at the most recommended restaurants on the mountain, train tickets for our three journeys, and ski equipment rental (see below for details on these three important features of the trip). Then before we knew it, the December mad rush at home began.  At the time, it seemed like finishing all shopping, wrapping, and meal planning (did I mention that we were arriving home on the night of the 23rd and hosting Christmas Eve dinner for ten people on the 24th?), while completing year-end tasks at work, was too much to cram into two weeks.  But, we were wrong.  As with all trips, once the plane took off, we exhaled and all of the rushing around felt worth it.

While the Swiss plane was no roomier or more comfortable than a normal plane, we loved the friendly service that most U.S. airlines have abandoned.  We appreciated the on-time departure and arrival, the captain's efficient relay of information to the passengers, and the civility of our fellow passengers (no one bared their stinky feet, clipped their fingernails or talked loudly in the aisles).  As red-eye flights in coach class go, it was a relatively pleasant experience, and we arrived in Zurich ready for our train ride to Zermatt.  As you can imagine, the Swiss rail experience was seamless.  Our train whisked us directly from the Zurich airport to Visp, the town where everyone disembarks to catch the mountain train to Zermatt.  As the Matterhorn came into view in the distance, we all smiled excitedly.  We had never skied outside North America before, and could not wait to hit the slopes.

Although Zermatt is a car-free town, electric buses, taxis and hotel shuttles are permitted. The Suitenhotel Zurbriggen's cute little electric car was waiting for us at the train station, and five minutes later, we arrived at the nine-room hotel located just across the street from the gondola and with views of the Matterhorn.  The hotel combines traditional Swiss wooden chalet style with modern design.  While checking in, we sat in chairs made from metal machine parts on honey-colored wood floors.  Our room was gorgeous.  Expensive, but gorgeous.  We had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a combined kitchen, dining and living area.  We had a balcony overlooking the Matterhorn in the distance, and the hot tub below.  Before the woman who checked us in left our room, she handed us a checklist of menu items such as local cheese, sausages, homemade breads and jams. "Please check off all of the items you'd like for breakfast tomorrow and note what time you would like us to deliver them," she told us crisply.  This ingenious feature was not even part of my Alpine winter dreams!

Over our four days and nights in Zermatt, we skied.  We skied long, gorgeous runs winding through the majestic mountains. We stopped at wooden restaurants perched on the edges of cliffs for amazing lunches, detecting the scent of melting Gruyere every time we entered one. When the lifts closed at 4:00 pm, we returned to the Suitenhotel Zurbriggen where we had the spa and pool level ALL TO OURSELVES EVERYDAY!  Did I mention the hotel provides complimentary cakes and tea that we enjoyed in the winter garden overlooking the Matterhorn, in between relaxing swims, jacuzzi soaks and steam showers?  On two evenings, we walked to town for dinner.  On the other two evenings, we got take-out crepes and had cozy nights in with Christmas movies borrowed from the hotel.  On our last day, we skied into Italy, enjoying pasta with seafood for lunch, a welcome break from delicious, yet a bit tiresome, potatoes and cheese.

Honestly, it was the most relaxing ski trip I've ever had.  All of the things I dread on ski trips - lift lines, biting cold, unappealing fried food in crowded, dirty base lodges, overrun pool areas at 4:30 pm - were blissfully absent in Zermatt.  And despite the historically low levels of snow, the slopes were groomed to near-perfection, and icy runs were minimal.  After we grudgingly left Zermatt, we had two perfect days in Basel.  We strolled the Christmas markets drinking gluhwein (a warm, sweet spiced wine) and hot chocolate from warm mugs. We discovered one of the best bakeries I have frequented worldwide, no exaggeration, and a gorgeous chocolate shop.  (My husband gets credit for the last two - I asked him to research these while I took a break, and it turns out I'm not the only Type A person in the family.  He scored home runs on both assignments!).

Now, we just need to go back.  The first Alpine winter dream is fulfilled, but has generated a new one.  New dream:  return to Zermatt in February or March when there is so much snow that we can ski off-piste and try heli-skiing, and eat every lunch outside in the sun. Stay at Suitenhotel Zurbriggen again.  Sit in the winter garden at 4:30 everyday sipping a cup of tea and gazing at the Matterhorn.  I can see this dream so clearly, it feels like it is just a few winters away.

2018 Update: It took only two winters - we returned to Zermatt and the Suitenhotel Zurbriggen in December 2018, and our stay was just as flawless as the first. We followed up our four days of skiing with three nights in Montreux, using a free night at the Fairmont. See below for details on our Montreux stay!

Zermatt

When and Where to Go:

If you are planning a ski trip to the Alps, your choices are virtually endless.  There are amazing resorts all over Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy and Germany.  We narrowed it down to Switzerland and Austria from that list, because we heard from friends that the villages there have the most charm.  From there, we looked for mountains that consistently offer early season skiing, and settled on Zermatt.  The villages of Grindelwald in Switzerland and Megeve in France are adorable in summer time, although I haven't skied there.  A friend skied Grindelwald years ago and still swoons over the experience. Friends have also recommended Lech and St. Anton in Austria, which are now linked with each other and three other towns for a total of 88 ski lifts all accessible on one lift pass! Someday, in the heart of winter, I'd like to try a smaller town with a smaller mountain, to get a more local vibe, but haven't stumbled upon a particular, recommended village yet.

If you are skiing early in the season, like in December or January, choose a mountain that is at higher elevation and/or has vast snow-making capabilities.  While Zermatt is on a glacier and technically open year-round for skiing, the best conditions are from December to April.  Heli-skiing is normally offered from February through April.  We had lower than average snowfall during our mid-December trip, but nearly all runs were open and the Italian side had good snow.  Off-piste skiing, though, was limited.  Temperatures were warm enough to sit outside to eat lunch on one or two of our ski days, but cloudy skies sent us indoors on the other days.

How to Get to and Around Zermatt:

Zermatt is car-free, so you will not be permitted to drive into the town.  You can leave your car in Tasch, about a ten-minute train ride from Zermatt.  Trains to Zermatt depart directly from Zurich and Geneva airports, with a change in Visp, and are convenient. Train tickets can be purchased on www.sbb.ch, and be sure to check out the special fares and passes designed for travelers, skiers and families.  Children under sixteen traveling with an adult generally ride free, but you need to request a Swiss Family Card with your adult passes or fares.  While we did reserve seats on specific trains, it ended up being unnecessary, even the week before Christmas (perhaps the week in between Christmas and New Year's, though, warrants reserving seats).  We ended up catching earlier trains than we booked on all three routes, so didn't even use our seat reservations.  With the Swiss flex rail pass we purchased, we could catch any train and sit in any unreserved second class seat.  We never had trouble finding an open seat, so on our second trip in 2018, we did not bother reserving seats at all and easily found spots.

Also, if you are bringing your skis, sbb will transport your gear to your destination. Even better, if you are flying Swiss, you can check your skis and luggage from your U.S. departure city to Switzerland, all the way through to Zermatt or your final destination.  No need to hawl your bags from the luggage carousels in Zurich onto the train and into Zermatt!  We did not use this service, though, because we planned to ski the day after we arrived.  Unless your flight lands in Zurich before 9:00 am, your skis and luggage are not guaranteed to arrive at your hotel on the same day.  If you want to check your skis onto the airplane and bring them yourself to Zermatt, note that Swiss allows you to check one set of skis, boots and a helmet per passenger free of charge!  

Since we were continuing onto Basel after Zermatt on our first trip, and onto Montreux on our second trip, we decided to rent our skis and boots in Zermatt, packing only our helmets, ski attire and normal travel items.  This plan worked out very well.  We reserved our skis online in advance at Dorsaz Sport, and picking up, storing and returning the skis was quick and painless.  However, if you are bringing your skis and not planning to ski the day after you arrive, look into delivery service on Swiss's website by clicking here, and on sbb's website by clicking here.  You can also check your bags at the train station in Switzerland, or even have Swiss pick them up from your hotel, for your flight home.  We thought we would take advantage of this nifty service, but ended up packing light and carrying our bags on board the plane.

From the U.S., you can likely find a lower airplane fare to Milan, and you can take a train from Milan to Zermatt, but you'll need to change trains at least twice as there is no train from the Milan Malapensa Airport except to Milan Central Station.  Also, you cannot take full advantage of the Swiss rail passes if you are departing from Milan, nor can you send your skis and luggage through Swiss or the Swiss rail system.

Recommendation:  Buy several bottles of water at the Zurich or Geneva airport before you board your train.  Drink a lot of water on your journey to help with the altitude change in Zermatt.

Zermatt is compact enough that you can walk everywhere.  However, if you have skis or are feeling lazy, there is a free shuttle bus that runs though the town and among the three spots from which you can access the ski mountain (see below).  There are also taxis that will take you and your skis around.  We used the shuttle bus when needed, and it was efficient. However, there is a lot of incidental walking - from the shuttle bus stop to the actual departure of the train or lift - or back to your hotel from the bus stop or train/lift.  The main downside to us of Zermatt was just this - there were many times we were up in the mountain and had lunch reservations on the other side.  The one run connecting the Gornergrat side of the mountain to the Sunnegga side where the restaurants are concentrated (in Findeln) was closed on two of our four days on our 2016 trip (but open on our 2018 trip - this made ALL of the difference).  And there are no runs connecting the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise side of the mountain to Sunnegga or Gornergrat.  So we had to ski back to the village, walk to the shuttle bus stop, take the shuttle bus, carry our skis to Sunnegga, wait, get on the funicular, and get off at the top, ski to the restaurant.  This took time and energy and our kids complained.  A lot.  Until we reminded them that they are in Switzerland.

Where to Stay in Zermatt:

I spent hours and hours researching where to stay in Zermatt.  I wanted a place that felt cozy and Swiss, with lots of wood on the interior.  It seemed that most places were modern, or lacked charm, or were just too expensive.  I looked at apartment/chalet rentals, and hotels, and read countless reviews.  I tried to get a sense of whether it was better to be in town, near Sunnegga and Gornergrat, or by the gondola about a ten-minute walk from the heart of Zermatt, or in the residential district Winkelmatten where most of the rentals were concentrated.  I emailed lots of places regarding availability and cost.  In the end, I decided on Suitenhotel Zurbriggen, across from the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Gondola, even though I could get only four nights.  A close second was an apartment through Zermatt Ski Chalets, a service highly recommended by our friends Melissa and Pete.  

We absolutely loved Suitenhotel Zurbriggen.  Staying four nights made it more affordable, as it is pricey (we paid about $800 per night).  But we had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, living and dining area, and a balcony offering a direct view of the Matterhorn.  The design is beautiful, and the amenities offered are fantastic.  We loved the complimentary fresh breakfast on demand delivered each morning to our room.  The spa level is gorgeous, offering an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, a steam shower, sauna, ice bucket room (in case you get too hot in the sauna?), a beautiful lounging room called "The Winter Garden", complimentary tea and cake, and a fireplace.  Oh, and there is even a water bed to lounge on - our kids thought that was awesome.  But the best part?  We had it all to ourselves every afternoon when the ski day ended.  I'm not sure where the other guests were at 4:30 pm, but they were missing out.  So we just loved this hotel.  We did find some of the staff to be a bit crisp - not unfriendly exactly, just not warm.  The exception was Eleonora, who was there most days. She is wonderful!  Note that you can buy your lift tickets directly from the hotel.

The hotel is well-located, across the road from the gondola and a great ski rental shop called Dorsaz Sport.  The hotel is about a ten-minute walk to town, which was fine.  If you are a beginner, though, I recommend staying in town closer to the other lifts, or taking the free shuttle bus to the other lifts in the morning so you can access the ski school and easier runs.  It also would have been nice to be closer to town in the evenings.  There is definitely a trade-off with location choice - decide if you want to be near the gondola or in town.  But remember that whatever you choose, you really can't go wrong as the shuttle system is efficient and the town is walkable.

The hotel offers a ski storage room, although we used the ski rental shop's storage room as it was more convenient.  At the end of the day, ski run 50 back until it ends, just below the hotel. (Note: this run was closed on our 2018 trip, so we had to take the gondola back down and walk across the street to the hotel.)  The hotel also offers free shuttle service to and from the train station.  If you are into Olympic history, the owner of the hotel's gold and bronze medals from the 1988 Olympics are displayed on the spa level.  

The only complaints I have is the lack of hair conditioner at the hotel, and the limited selection of DVDs to borrow (this did not change for our 2018 stay despite my 2016 TripAdvisor review). For the price we paid, we shouldn't have had to walk to town to buy a 10 CHF bottle of conditioner.  I also hate hair dryers that are attached to the wall and require the user to hold down a button to keep the dryer running.  I feel like those must have been designed and purchased by men with short hair.  But if these are the biggest three complaints about a hotel, life is sweet.

Where to Eat in Zermatt:

One of the reasons we wanted to ski Zermatt was for its well-reputed restaurants located on the slopes.  The best restaurants are concentrated in Findeln, and I suggest you ask your hotel or apartment manager to make reservations for you at an outside table (the restaurant will move you indoors if the weather doesn't cooperate) at both Findlerhof (our favorite - get the Rosti and convince your partner to get the quiche so you can share) and Chez Vrony (our second favorite - make sure to order a salad and dessert, which were more memorable than our mains).  (Note: on our 2018 trip, we swap rankings - Chez Vrony first, Findlerhof second - so in other words, eat at both!) We also liked the Adler Hitta, where we at outside and enjoyed an unparalleled view of the Matterhorn on a gorgeous day.  The food was not as amazing as at Findlerhof or Chez Vrony, but was very good and we liked the vibe.

To reach these restaurants, take the Sunnegga funicular and follow the signs (you likely will ski run 7 down from the ski school area), or ski run 29 from the Gornergrat area to the Blauherd lift and take run 7 down to Sunnegga/ski school area and look for signs.  The Adler Hitta is the one you can see from the top of run 7 from Sunnegga, down a short ways and sort of to the right.  Just beyond that are Findlerhof and Chez Vrony, but look for the signs.  As long as the Eja lift is open, you can always take that back up to Sunnegga and try again.  Being Type A, I worried we would be late for our lunch reservations, but, as usual when I worry over something silly, everything was fine.  

I also suggest you research or ask your hotel/apartment manager for restaurant recommendations on other parts of the mountain, so you are not stuck always going back to Findeln from wherever you are skiing that morning.  I read good reviews of Bergrestaurant Blatten, but we did not have a chance to try it in 2016, and although we were booked to eat there in 2018, the ski run to access it was closed. Instead, we ate at Les Marmottes in Furi, and it was good - not amazing, but good. On our last ski day in 2016, we ate lunch in Italy.  At the hotel's suggestion, we had reserved Foyer des Guides, but ended up changing it that morning to Chalet Etoile because of location and timing.  Since we had a train to catch that afternoon to Basel, we were concerned we wouldn't have time to ski all the way to the opposite side of Cervinia to Valtournenche, where Foyer des Guides is located.  Although we did not see a sign for Chalet Etoile, luckily my husband spotted the restaurant only seconds after we passed it, and we had to climb uphill for only about ten minutes to reach our spaghetti with mussels and pizza slices.  We saw others doing the same, so take run 6 above Plan Maison, but keep your eyes open to the right to see if you can cut over to the restaurant and avoid the climb.  The food was very good, the atmosphere lively, and the cost was about a third of the price of Zermatt lunches.  In 2018, we did get to try Foyer des Guides and we highly recommend it! You can ski the longest run in Europe from the top down to the restaurant, which is spectacularly gorgeous. The food and atmosphere and the restaurant were perfect. Getting back up and over to Switzerland via the Italian lift system took a long time, but was worth it (see below about ski lifts and wind closures).

In Zermatt, we had two nice, but not amazing dinners at Schaferstube and Swiss Chalet. The service was friendly and the food was good, but didn't blow us away.  We preferred our dinner at The Post restaurant, where we at one night on our 2018 trip, and woudl recommend. Honestly, though, overall we preferred the two dinners that were take-out crepes from Creperie Stefanie and sandwiches from Fuchs Bakery, getting in our pjs and watching Christmas movies in our room.

Skiing in Zermatt:

Despite extensive, Type A-style research, I could not get a good handle on the layout of Zermatt's ski area and lift access prior to our trip.  To save you hours of time and headache, I'm going to do my best to describe for you how to access Zermatt's skiing, and what we learned on our trip.

There are three ways to access the ski runs from Zermatt, and you can also use any of these in reverse to return to the village of Zermatt: 

(1) Mattherhorn Glacier Paradise Gondola - located across the road from the Suitenhotel Zurbriggen Hotel and about a ten-minute walk from town, the gondola stops several times on its way to the summit.  If you go all the way to the top, it takes about an hour, and it is from here that you can access the Italian side of the mountain.  Or, you can get off at any of the stops and ski the runs nearby, noted on the Zermatt trail map.  The first stop on your way up is at Furi.  You can get off here and take the gondola to Riffelberg, which takes you to the Gornergrat area. Or, continue to Schwarzee, where you can get off and take a traditional ski lift to ski some red (intermediate) runs, or continue up the gondola to Trockener Steg.  At Trockener Steg, you can get off and take a lift or t-bar to get to the Cervinia, the Italian side.  Or, take the gondola to the summit, where you can see the inside of the glacier, a Matterhorn viewing platform, and also access the Italian side from a higher point.  You don't need a passport, but you do need some stamina as you have to carry your skis down a long tunnel hallway to get to the Italian side.

There a couple of caveats:  first, the gondola closes at higher altitudes on windy days.  If you want to see the summit and ski over into Italy, go on the first day that the gondola is open.  Watch the weather - if the wind picks up and Italy closes the upper lifts on the Italian side of Zermatt (called Cervinia), you will be stuck.  Really stuck.  Not ski-to-the-Italian-base-and-hail-a-taxi stuck.  Like find-a-hotel-and-stay-in-Cervinia-until-the-lifts-re-open stuck.  Second, if you have lunch reservations on the Sunnegga-Rothorn side of the mountain, there are no runs that connect the two sides of the mountain.  You must ski back to Zermatt village (or take the gondola back down), and take a bus or taxi to Sunnegga-Rothorn to get up to the part of the mountain where your restaurant is located.  It's a pain.

My recommendation?  On the first non-windy day when the gondola is open all the way to the top, take it in the morning.  Ski over to Italy and eat lunch (see above for recommendations) and ski a bit more.  Then head back up on the weird, black Ferrari gondola to Plateau Rosa Testa Griglia or on the lifts to Theodulpass, and ski back to Switzerland (it's well-marked, but watch the signage carefully).  It's really fun to ski to another country for lunch.  And even though it's just two sides of the same mountain, you can sense the cultural difference immediately.  The Italian runs are not well-groomed. The lift operators are off having a cigarette instead of helping skiers on chairlifts.  The signage is absent or unclear.  The food is much less expensive.  But, at least on our trip, the snow was much better!

(2) Sunnegga-Rothorn Funicular - located closer to the heart of downtown, Sunnegga is an underground funicular railway that whisks you to its endpoint in about six minutes.  At the top, you can catch one of many traditional ski lifts that access various runs per the Zermatt trail map, or you can ski or hike directly to lunch at one of the many amazing restaurants in Findeln (see above for specific recommendations).  I recommend also taking the lift from Sunnegga to Blauherd, then, if it's open, the large gondola to Hohtalli.  Ski down on run 44 to 35 to 45 and stop at Iglu-Dorf, an outside bar in the snow next to an igloo.  On a sunny day, there will be chairs set up where you can sit and relax with a drink.  

(3) Gornergrat Train - this is an actual train that departs from the train station and takes you up into the ski mountain, stopping four times along its way to the final station.  The whole ride takes about 35 minutes, and is beautiful.  If you want to ski, I haven't identified a reason to get off before the last station, although I suppose it could be handy to catch the train back down from an intermediate station if you are tired of skiing.  When you reach the last station, there are several blue and red runs with a ski lift to continue accessing them.  This is a great area to start if you are not a strong skier or want to warm up.  Run 29, combined with a lift ride or a connecting run, takes you over toward Sunnegga and Findeln.  Check to make sure it is open before planning your day!  There is a great app for your phone called "Skiguide Zermatt" that will tell you which runs and lifts are open, the weather, directions to restaurants, and more.  

Note that blue runs are like U.S. green runs, and red runs are like U.S. blue runs.  Black is still black.  We found that our family could ski the whole mountain - we are a mix of high intermediates to experts - but the runs are so nicely groomed that we found the mountain easier to ski than Sun Valley, Idaho (click here to read about our Sun Valley ski trip).  For more challenging runs, head off-piste or go heli-skiing.  Friends of ours who are intense skiers on a lifetime quest for the best give Zermatt top marks, so the mountain caters to all abilities.  Click here for a ski map of Zermatt.

Also note that you can either buy a lift ticket that covers both the Swiss (Zermatt) and Italian (Cervinia) sides of the mountain, or just Zermatt.  The lift tickets are significantly less expensive overall than in the U.S., which is a nice reprieve from the Swiss price tags. You'll also save on multi-day tickets.  If you stay at Suitenhotel Zurbriggen, you can buy your lift passes directly from the hotel.

Basel's Christmas Markets

When and Where to Go:

Christmas markets run for different time periods, so check before you book.  Basel's markets run for about a month from around November 24th to December 23rd.  The two main markets are connected by a pedestrian street lined with stalls, so it feels like one big, magical market.

How to Get to and Around Basel:

Basel, located on the Rhine River, is easily reached by train.  Our hotel, Hotel Basel, included free use of the city's trams.  The tram system is easy to navigate and efficiently run, just like all Swiss transportation.  We used the tram to and from the train station, but walked for the rest of our stay.

Where to Stay, Eat and Shop in Basel:

We loved our stay at Hotel Basel, centrally-located, clean, friendly and affordable.  We had a "family room", which was a huge suite that felt very "corporate", but we were comfortable and the room was well-appointed.  My kids loved finding mini Santa hats filled with chocolate truffles on their pillows.  The included breakfast buffet was good, not great, but the service was friendly.  The hotel does not have a lot of charm on the interior, but was perfect for our purposes.  

Most importantly, Hotel Basel is located across the street from what may be the world's best bakery (and I come from a long line of bakers on both sides of my family), called Gilgen.  Visit often and try lots of different items.  Every morsel from every loaf of bread, pastry, doughnut and cookie was pure heaven.  I am not a huge fan of gingerbread, and I still close my eyes from time to time, imagining the perfectly chewy bite of the star-shaped gingerbread cookie I had from Gilgen.  

Hotel Basel is also located just steps from the picture-perfect Marktplatz, where we strolled a farmer's market in the morning before indulging at an amazing chocolate shop called Laderach.  The shop is beautiful, and its creations are both gorgeous and delicious. Laderach claims it does not export, so we did the job for them and filled nearly a suitcase with chocolates to bring home as gifts.  Well, most of them were gifts!

We spent nearly all of our time in Basel visiting the Christmas markets.  We ate spaetzle and sausages from temporary restaurants built in the marketplace.  We bought mugs filled with gluhwein (a sweet, spiced warm red wine), hot chocolate and kinderpunsch (basically, warm fruit punch - the "kinder" part means child, the targeted population for the sweet beverage).  We bought glass ornaments and snow globes and wooden Santas.  We took in the scene - little wooden chalet shops strung with tiny white lights glowing in the crisp evening air.  We felt warm and cozy and Christmas-y, and we loved it.

One feature of the Christmas market at Munsterplatz is the Christmas Fairy Tale Forest, an area especially for children.  While most children's areas at festivals in the U.S. involve computer-generated coloring sheets and maybe a craft with pipe cleaners, the Fairy Tale Forest had amazingly cool projects.  My daughter dipped a candle while my son did wood burning.  A child who visited the blacksmith could forge a metal candle holder.  A child who wants to use real woodworking tools can carve a wooden candle holder.  At the bakery, children made pretzels.  My son minted a coin and my daughter decorated a cookie.  Among all of the adorable little chalets with the children's activities are outdoor fires, surrounded by seats for the parents to warm their hands.  Sound magical?  It is.  A true Alpine winter dream!