Davos

Introduction

Davos is a winter and summer resort village located in the heart of the Graubünden in the east of Switzerland. In the early 1990s, Davos became famous for hosting the World Economic Forum, an annual winter gathering of international politicians and financiers who represented a transnational elite. Together with the nearby town of Klosters, Davos offers a wide variety of winter sports activities, and summer hiking trails, set amid stunning Alpine scenery.

Sights and Activities

• Kirchner Museum Davos, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Platz, ☎ +41 81 410 63 00, fax: +41 81 410 63 01. Open Tuesday through Sunday. Established in honour of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, the German Expressionist painter. Opened in 1992, it is home to the world's largest collection of the artist's work. The museum building was designed by the Zürich architects Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer. It attracts great attention in architectural circles. Adults: Fr. 10, Senior Citizen: Fr. 8, Children and Students Fr. 5, Groups (10+): Fr. 8.
• http://www.wintersportmuseum.ch/|Winter Sports Museum]], Promenade 43, ☎ +41 81 413 24 84. While in the winter wonderland of Davos, visit the Winter Sport Museum. This museum holds a large collection of winter sport equipment and documents donated by the Jürg Kaufmann family. The well-preserved exhibits (sleds, bobsleds, skis, skates, curling material, etc.) document the history of winter sports. Adults Fr. 5, Children Fr. 3.

Getting There

By Plane

The nearest commercial airport with scheduled airline service is Zürich.

By Train

It takes nearly 3 hours to reach Davos by train from Zürich. There are train connections from Zürich’s Hauptbahnhof (main station) to Davos every hour between 06:00 and 23:00. You can check timetables and other information on the official Swiss Federal Railways website.

Fares to Klosters (one stop nearer to Zürich) are cheaper at Fr. 96 return in second class. The train journey between Klosters Dorf and Davos Platz, stopping at Klosters Platz and Davos Dorf on the way, takes just under half an hour. It is free for tourists with the inclusive Davos/Klosters visitor card (Gästekarte).

Air travellers may also take advantage of the Fly & Rail baggage service where baggage may be deposited, after clearing customs in Zürich, at the railway counter in the station for direct transfer to Klosters and Davos. Using this service saves the passenger the trouble of carrying luggage when changing trains at Zürich’s Main Station and Landquart. The Fly & Rail rate for luggage is Fr. 20 (US$15) per item.

By Car

It will take about 2 hours (160 kilometres) to get to Davos by car from Zürich. From Zürich-Kloten Airport: take A51 to Zürich and look for the road signs to Chur (Expressway A), take Exit “Landquart-Davos” and follow road signs to Davos.

By Bus

Buses from Chur to Davos run daily. Travel time is approximately 2 hours.

During the ski season, buses travel from Zürich airport to Davos Dorf or Davos Platz every Saturday and return from Davos Dorf or Platz to the airport every Saturday in December through April. The trip takes approximately 2 hours, with a pickup at the train stations three times daily.

Getting Around

The municipal bus system is very convenient, traversing from one end of the Promenade to the other. Davos is only around 3 or 4 kilometres long and about 1 kilometre wide, so it is easy to get anywhere by bus or a short walk. Cabs are also available, but run about Fr. 12-15 during the day and double that at night. You should ask Gästekarte from your hotel or from the tourist office. With the Gästekarte almost all local buses, local trains and lifts are free!

Drink

The après-ski scene is relatively good- there are lots of bars, discos and nightclubs, and a large casino at the Hotel Europe. However, the nature of the clientele at Davos itself means that the guests are often quieter, the drinks more sophisticated, expensive and sometimes less exciting.

Sleep

In Davos there are more than 40 different hotels and other sleeping possibilities. You can find anything from the two five star hotels (the Flüela and the Steigenberger Belvedere) over several holiday homes to a camping place. The prices range from Fr. 26 for the camping up to well over Fr. 500 per night and per person in one of the five star hotels.

The camping place is about half a kilometre away from the train station Davos Frauenkirch.

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

Switzerland has a high rate of people with their own internet connection and computers, so internet cafes are not as common compared to other countries and compared to the past. But still you will be able to find a computer in the main cities and tourist areas, also at libraries, video rental shops, train stations or tourist information places. Wifi is widely available, though sometimes at a cost. A growing number of hotels, restaurants, coffee bars and fastfood joints now offer free wifi.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Switzerland's country code is 41 and the emergency phone numbers are 117 (police), 118 (fire department) and 144 (emergency rescue service/ambulance). Swiss phone numbers consist of the area code and a local phone number. The area code has three digits and starts with a zero, such as 022 for Geneva. The local phone number has usually 7 digits, but there are numbers with only 5 or 6 digits.

If you stay for some time, it may be advisable to buy a pre-paid cell phone card that you can use in any phone that supports the GSM standard on the 900/1800 MHz bands - they usually cost around 10-40 CHF and are obtainable in the shops of the mobile service providers Swisscom, Orange or Sunrise in most cities. Mobile network coverage is close to 100% by area, even in the mountainous, non-populated areas. There are also a lot of cheap prepaid cards for local calls from other providers. The prepaid cards of the big supermarket chains Migros and Coop for example cost around 20 CHF and include already 15 CHF airtime. The cheapest prepaid card for calls within Switzerland is Aldi Mobile. The cheapest prepaid card for international communication is Yallo. The prepaid cards can be bought online (30 CHF with 30 CHF airtime inclusive), in most post offices (29 CHF with 20 CHF airtime inclusive) or Sunrise shops (20 CHF with 20 CHF airtime inclusive).

Post

Swiss Post is the national postal service of Switzerland and has fast and reliable services. For more information about prices to send postcards, letters and parcels, both domestically as well as internationally, they have a very useful Price Calculator. Domestically, there is priority mail (arriving the following day) and economy mail which takes 2-3 days to be send within Switzerland. Stamps can be bought at the post offices or from shops and kiosks that also sell postcards. In general, post offices are open from 8:00am to noon and 2:00pm to 5:00 or 6:00pm, with a lunchbreak in between. Opening times on Saturdays are usually only during mornings. Larger cities and central post offices might keep longer hours and skp the lunchbreak. If you want to send packages internationally, you might also consider international courier companies like TNT, DHL or UPS.

External Links

• Official Website