Travel to Crans Montana with travel insurance from Essential Travel

The majestic peaks of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc create a stunning backdrop for the resort of Crans – Montana, which is located near Lake Geneva, in the north of the Valais canton. Perfect for families, the resort offers quieter evenings and is a wonderful sun-soaked ski destination set on a high plateau. There are varied and exciting off-piste opportunities, while beginners and intermediates get the majority of the on-piste skiing at the resort.

Top-rate facilities, plus a range of non-skiing alternatives, feature at the two side-by-side villages which make up the modern luxury resort of Crans - Montana (1,500m). Reputably the finest shops in the Alps are here, with an abundance of expensive boutiques at the chic Crans. Montana, however, is more family-oriented with a laid-back atmosphere.

The resort offers skiers and snowboarders quality expert runs; there is also a focus on intermediates, with challenging terrain over 160kms of slopes. The longest run is 12kms at Crans – Montana, which also features the most modern cable railways. Around 36,520 skiers per hour are conveyed by a cable car, gondolas and draglifts, adding up to 30 lifts.

There are 40,000 beds in more than 50 resort hotels, guesthouses, Alpine cabins, private residences and a large selection of apartments - all offering a high standard of accommodation. The majority of the good après-ski options and nightlife is based in Montana, while the resort itself provides excellent childcare facilities such as a children’s ski school and kindergarten.

Alternative slopes offering a greater percentage of expert runs are available at the often less-crowded nearby ski resort of Anzere. A quiet and sedate après-ski underlines this picturesque resort village, which also features traditional stone and slate architecture. Other interesting sights, in the form of two striking castles, can be witnessed at the nearby Sion.

The season at Crans – Montana ski resort is from December to April, with the lead up to the Christmas holidays, mid-January, and from mid-March, offering special rates. Take a flight to Geneva and connect to Crans - Montana ski resort via Sion or Sierre by a train/bus combination.

Skiing in Crans Montana

A great Alpine resort with stunning scenery, the ski resort of Crans - Montana has a prime position high on a south-facing plateau, situated to the east of Geneva. The resort offers glacial as well as great cross-country skiing, while families along with beginners and intermediates are well catered for on the 160kms of groomed slopes.

The 160kms of runs at Crans – Montana are 38 per cent beginner runs, 50 per cent intermediate and 12 per cent for advanced and expert skiers. Over 36,500 skiers per hour are serviced by 30 lifts at the resort, which has a longest run of 12kms, plus classic cross-country trails adding up to 40kms.

February to March witnesses the best snow cover, with the beginning and towards the end of the season, and after the New Year’s celebrations offering the cheapest weeks.

Flying to Geneva’s Cointrin Airport and taking a train/bus combination via Sion or Sierre is a popular way of getting to the ski resort of Crans – Montana. A convenient transfer option is to hire a car from the airport.

Apres-ski in Crans Montana

Some of the après-ski entertainment includes bars, discos and a casino; while indoor activities and facilities consist of squash, tennis, swimming, a fitness centre, cinema, bowling, and a golf simulator. Non-ski winter activities at the resort include 60kms of winter walking trails; 30kms of ice-skating (natural/artificial); curling; mountaineering; snowshoeing; heli-skiing; horse-drawn sleigh rides; horseback riding; ballooning; plus snowboarding, with a fun park and half-pipe.

The haute couture of Paris and Milan is evident at the elegant boutiques which feature as part of the full range of facilities at the twin villages of Crans and Montana. The smart boutiques and restaurants reside at the glitzy Crans, while Montana focuses on the skier. Around 40,000 beds are available in every category of accommodation.

Transportation to Crans Montana

In the canton of Valais, 180kms east of Geneva and accessible by road and funicular railway, sits the ski resort of Crans - Montana. The most common way of getting here is to fly to Geneva and transfer by train or Post bus via Sion or Sierre. Alternatively, catch a train from London via Paris and Lausanne, or drive from the UK.

By car from Calais, the journey is 885kms and a nine-hour drive. The route travels via Reims, Dijon and Lausanne and includes the A-26 from Calais as well as the A-9 to Sierre. The mountain road and road signs will get you from Sierre to Crans - Montana. Follow the A-1/A-9 (Lake Geneva motorway) from Cointrin Airport and take the first exit for Sierre, taking 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours (180kms).

Trains via Paris, Lausanne and Sion leave London frequently throughout the day, with a good option being the 08:12 Eurostar which leaves Waterloo and arrives at 11:47 at Paris’ gare du Nord. Change to gare de Lyon, and board the 13:04 TGV to Lausanne, arriving at 16:52. At 17:00, catch an Interregional train for Sion, arriving at 18:00, and change to the Post bus which arrives in Crans - Montana at 18:20.

Geneva’s Cointrin International Airport is the nearest to the resort and has regular departures to Sion and Sierre leaving from its rail terminal. From these cities, Post buses take 30 minutes, with a total travel time from Geneva of three hours; while Sierre also has a funicular train to Montana. London and Zürich also service nearby Sion Airport, which is only 30 minutes away by bus or taxi transfer.

Operation days for buses are Monday to Saturday; several return options are available.

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