Klosters

Klosters lies in the Prattigau below Davos, and its reputation rests on a long-running contradiction: it has been a favourite of the British royal family since the 1960s and drew Hollywood visitors from Greta Garbo to Gene Kelly, yet it never converted that into a showy resort - the village kept timber chalets, a modest main street and no serious nightlife, and the discretion is the point. It shares the Parsenn ski area with Davos, one of the largest in the country. The Vereina tunnel, opened in 1999, runs car-carrying trains from here to the Engadin, which turned a seasonal dead end into a year-round route. The name comes from a medieval monastery that stood here.

History

Klosters is first mentioned in 1222 as ecclesiam sancti Iacobi, the church of St James, and in 1436 as zuo dem Closter. It belonged to the League of the Ten Jurisdictions, one of the Three Leagues, and in 2021 the municipality of Klosters-Serneus shortened its name to Klosters (Wikipedia, Klosters).

What you'll find

• A deliberately quiet resort - decades of famous visitors and no showiness.
• The Parsenn area - shared with Davos, among Switzerland's largest.
• The Vereina car train - through the tunnel to the Engadin since 1999.
• Timber chalets on a valley floor - the village scale never rebuilt.

When to go

December to April, or June to September. Two days.

What to expect

Prices are high without the visible glamour that would explain them. Nightlife is minimal by design. Between seasons the village is very quiet. The Parsenn is shared, so peak-day crowds come over from Davos.

Nearby

Davos is up the valley; the Vereina tunnel leads to the Engadin.

Key facts