Mürren, Switzerland

* Spectacular high mountain scenery...

* Quaint traffic-free village...

* Small but varied and challenging ski area...

Completely detached from the hustle and bustle of modern life, a more charming or quintessentially Swiss resort than Mürren would be hard to find. The skiing's also pretty special, with plenty of challenge and one of the truly epic Alpine runs - the Schilthorn.

Mürren at a glance...

Resort height:	1650m
Slopes:	1650-2970m	(795-2970m - Jungfrau Region)
Pistes:	54km	(213km - Jungfrau Region)
Snow rating:	☆☆☆☆☆

Suitability			Skiing
Beginners	☆☆☆☆☆		Blue runs	●	33%
Intermediate	☆☆☆☆☆		Red runs	●	49%
Advanced	☆☆☆☆☆		Black runs	●	18%

Resort			Transfer time
Charm	☆☆☆☆☆		Zurich	3hr15
Convenience	☆☆☆☆☆		Basel	3hr15
Après-ski	☆☆☆☆☆		Geneva	3hr45
Family	☆☆☆☆☆
Non-skiers	☆☆☆☆☆

Snow reliability

General snow cover	4/5
Snow quality – upper	4/5
Snow quality – lower	3.5/5
Resort level snow	4/5
Powder potential	4/5

The skiing

Mürren has a smaller but higher and more challenging area of slopes than nearby Wengen and Grindelwald.

The big draw is the fabulous run off the top of the 2970m Schilthorn, one of the truly great Alpine pistes. Although steep in parts, it is manageable by confident intermediates and offers outstanding variety (not to mention views) throughout.

There are also gentler runs, but this is not the ideal resort for complete beginners, for whom the nursery slopes of nearby Wengen are better.

The resort

Spectacularly positioned on a high but secluded mountain shelf, Mürren is quite unlike anywhere else in the Alps. This was where downhill ski racing was invented by the British, and the resort still feels like a throwback to a bygone era. For a combination of rustic charm and dramatic scenery it's difficult to beat.

There's also much to do off the slopes, including an excellent sports centre complete with pool and ice-rink, a long toboggan run and plenty of winter walking. Après-ski revolves around a handful of cosy bars – great for meeting the locals.