Arosa Ski Resort Switzerland

Arosa ski resort is a sun-soaked beauty in canton Graubünden (a.k.a. Grisons or POWbünden), Switzerland. Arosa is lift-linked by the spectacular Urdenbahn to Lenzerheide ski resort to form one of the best ski holiday destinations in the world.

The town of Arosa is a spectacular train ride direct from the city of Chur. Ski lifts depart opposite the Arosa train station providing typically superb Swiss access, enviable the world over.

Pros & Cons for Arosa Ski Resort

Pros

• Sensational family-friendly snow holiday destination.
• Snow sure, with high average winter snowfall & most ski terrain over 1,900m elevation.
• Classic Swiss skiing amongst peaks, hay barns & churches.
• Excellent beginner & intermediate piste trails.
• Easy & fun rolling off-piste terrain.
• Modern & efficient ski lifts.
• Beautiful views across the entire region.
• Fabulous range & extent of non-ski activities.
• ’Ski-in’ accommodation available.
• Quality on-mountain hut dining, relaxation & après.
• The link with Lenzerheide covers Arosa’s advanced terrain limitations.
• The brilliant train trip from Chur is a wonderful way to start a ski trip to any resort, let alone Arosa.
• Even better is the train is FREE with any valid Arosa-Lenzerheide lift pass - yippee!

Cons

• Limited advanced & expert terrain (Weisshorn excepted).
• Not too many places on the slopes to hide in poor weather.
• Accommodation in the village books out quickly - this is a popular place.
• The bus crossing the piste trail between Innerarosa & Hörnli Talstation may be interesting, but utterly ridiculous at the same time.
• Lift pass is expensive if one doesn’t pre-purchase online.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Arosa village spends alot of time in the shade during winter & can be very cold.
• The village is not particularly pretty & is spread across a wide area.
• All the ski slopes are drenched in morning sun.
• Can be expensive to ski & stay but everything works perfectly (you are in Switzerland after all)!

Arosa Skiing & Snowboarding Terrain

Set in a south-east facing bowl dominated by the Weisshorn (2,653m - the highest point at Arosa), Plattenhorn and Hörnli, Arosa is an intermediate skier & snowboarder nirvana.

See the Arosa ski trail map.

Beginners have a range of suitable lifts & trails around the base areas of the resort and up to Tschuggen, plus longer trails from the tops of the Plattenhorn & Brüggerhorn chairs. Advanced riders have steep options on & off piste from the top of Weisshorn & Brueggerhorn, but the better decision is to head to Lenzerheide via the Urdenbahn where the real action is.

The ski lifts at Arosa are modern with the one exception. An old 2-person chairlift serving the resort's best off-piste terrain on the Brüggerhorn was finally replaced with a high speed 6-seater from season 2018/19, bringing all Arosa's lifts into the 21st century!

For more information on ski lifts & terrain, see our Arosa Skiing & Snowboarding page.

Interlinked with Lenzerheide

The linking of Arosa & Lenzerheide via the Urdenbahn cable cars has revolutionised the ski resorts. Whilst they are not piste trail connected, lift tickets are valid in both ski areas. Lenzerheide has a wider variety of terrain & a longer skiable vertical.

See the Arosa-Lenzerheide ski trail map.

Lift Pass

Like other Swiss ski resorts, Arosa Lenzerheide have introduced an online dynamically priced lift pass system. Savings can be up to 40% off the standard set daily price. The prices at the ticket office are amongst the most expensive in Europe.

Snow & Weather

Arosa is a high elevation, high average snowfall ski resort. Average annual snowfall is over 8m, putting it on a par with the world's best ski resorts.

On a sunny morning, while the town freezes below in the shade, the upper mountain of Arosa ski resort basks in glorious sunshine, allowing the early bird(s) to catch the worm(s). Those that wake first, take first*! (*Snowcreep, 2018)

Where is Arosa Switzerland?

Arosa is in the canton of Grisons (Graubünden) in southeast Switzerland. The gateway international airport is Zurich (ZRH), just two pleasant train rides away via the closest major city, Chur. The train is the recommended mode of travel to the resort.

The town of Arosa is the terminus for the fabulous scenic railway line from Chur. The train journey takes around 1hr. Trains travel to Chur direct from Zurich main station in 1¼hr. Search & book here for train tickets to Chur & Arosa.

By road, Arosa is 29km (45min) from Chur & 155km (2¼hr) from Zurich airport. But why drive when you take the train?

For more information on how to get there, see our Travel to Arosa page.

Arosa Accommodation

Arosa ski resort has mostly high-end accommodations, but with only limited amounts of ski-in ski-out options. Places to stay overnight at Arosa extend around the shore of the frozen Obersee lake. The train station is central to most lodgings in the town.

A wide range of top-class accommodation, including 5-star hotels, are further up the valley at Innerarosa and even higher still near the Hörnli valley station. Several great ski-in ski-out hotels are located up at Prätschli, however they are separated from the main town, its bars, restaurants & services.

Search & book all Arosa ski accommodation.

The direct train from Chur to Arosa unlocks lodging potential in the many towns along the route. The quaint villages of Litzirueti, Langwies, St Peter - Molinis all have traditional hotels & guesthouses, providing a delightful Swiss Alps experience.

If Arosa or the smaller villages are booked out, stay in the large city of Chur & take the train up to ski. Chur provides some of the best accommodation away from the ski resort. The old town centre is lively at night whilst retaining its historic charm. Chur also makes a great base to ski several local ski resorts including Laax.

Search & book all Chur ski accommodation.

Lovely Lenzerheide is lift-linked to Arosa & can be used as a convenient base to ski the area. Lenzerheide is well positioned for sun throughout most of the day. You can stay in & around the town itself or further down the valley in Valbella, Parpan or Churwalden, all of which are lift-linked into the Lenzerheide ski resort.

Search & book here for all Lenzerheide accommodation.

Ski Rentals & Lessons

Ski rentals are available in the Arosa village right next the chairlift base across for the train station. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Arosa Ski & Snowboard Rental page.

Arosa has numerous ski instructors, ski schools & guides plying their trade in the ski resort & adjoining valleys. To see what they have to offer, search & book a private lesson or resort guide with the best providers Arosa Ski Lessons & Guiding page.

Mountain Huts, Bars & Restaurants

The Arosa ski resort is one of those places that when the sun shines, so do the mountain huts. Dotted across the ski area, the hüttes of Arosa are fantastic, providing visitors with a food, beverage & après experience as good as Italy & Austria. And while the sun may give one a goggle tan, the prices at the Arosa mountain bars & restaurants will not bring tears to yours eyes. Suggestions include:

• Breakfast with views at the top of the resort in the modern shining metal construct that is on the Weisshorngifel (classical music ensemble plays on Sunday mornings).
• Morning coffee & cake in the modern cafe called SIT-Hütte on Tschuggen.
• Lunch on Hörnli at the Hörnli-Hütte, then relax with a brew on the adjacent loungers.
• Afternoon snack of grilled brats at Carmennahütte plus a weissbier of course.
• Finish up with raucous après back on Tschuggen at the huge Tschuggenhütte before a bleary-eyed ski down, taking all care of course!

Activities

The beauty of Arosa (& many other Swiss ski resorts for that matter) is that you don't have to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy the resort in winter.

An intricate set of winter walking trails lead to all points of the resort. Unusually though, the walking trails also include the two highest points in the resort. Combining cable car & gondola trips with walking allows access to all the resort’s best views, restaurants, bars & terrain without ever donning ski gear.

Three sledging (sledding or toboggan) trails, two snowshoe trails, horse drawn sled rides & ice skating are but a few of the other ways to energise oneself at Arosa. All trails end in food & drink at a cosy mountain hut.

For skiers, the ski safari route from under the Urdenbahn down to Tschiertschen (a small village & secret stash ski resort), then up & across to Lenzerheide via Churwalden or Parpan is high adventure. Get a guide to make the most of it.

Review

The Powderhounds last visited Arosa (& Lenzerheide) in 2018 and are due for another visit soon. We adored skiing here & would quite happily retire in the region! See our review & extra photos via the links in the left column (or top of page on a mobile).

Check out how Arosa compares to the rest of the Swiss ski resorts on the Switzerland ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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