Alps · Switzerland
Gstaad
Quiet Swiss winter, chalet weeks, the Palace bar at six.
Best time
December 22 through March 1; the peak is the New Year fortnight. Hublot Polo Gold Cup at the end of January is a second-tier peak.
Yacht charter
Not applicable
Jet gateway
LSGS · Sion
staad is a German-speaking village of three thousand permanent residents in the Bernese Oberland — a deliberately small, quiet alpine resort that has been the discreet end of the European winter scene since the 1950s. Where Verbier amplifies, Gstaad muffles. There is no centre-village pedestrian-only shopping street like Courchevel 1850; the high street (Promenade) is a single one-way road past the Gstaad Palace, the Posthotel, the cheese-shop and the Hermès boutique. The chalets — and there are many — are in the hills above the village in Saanen, Schönried, Gsteig, and toward the Diablerets glacier.
The season runs December through early March; the social peak is the Christmas-to-New-Year fortnight, with the Hublot Polo Gold Cup at the end of January and the Swatch Beach Volleyball (counterintuitively, in summer) bringing the second-tier social waves. Gstaad Palace's bar at 18:00 — the GreenGo bar of the 1970s — is the village's defining social room for a particular generation; the rest of the village is quieter.
Air access is via Sion (LSGS) — the village's preferred small airport, an hour's drive on the high alpine pass — or Bern Belp (LSZB) for slightly larger types. Both close in heavy snow; the office watches the Gstaad-Saanen weather window two days ahead. Geneva (LSGG) and Zurich (LSZH) are the long-runway alternatives at 90 and 120 minutes by chauffeur respectively.
Who it's for
The members who come back.
Repeat European winter members from Geneva, Zurich, Paris and London who hold a permanent or long-lease chalet in Saanenland; Christmas-fortnight chalet renters; members preferring quiet alpine over the louder Courchevel-Megève scene.
- Quiet Swiss winter
- Christmas-to-New-Year fortnight
- Chalet weeks for ten-plus
- Polo Gold Cup weekend
- Discrete European set
The four services
What the office runs in Gstaad.
Honest about what we own and what we coordinate. Direct fleet where we have boats; vetted owner-direct partners everywhere else.
Charter & berthing
Yachts
No yacht service in Gstaad — alpine destination, no navigable water.
Stays ashore
Villas & Residences
Chalet weeks (typically Saturday to Saturday) in Saanen, Schönried, Gsteig, Lauenen, and the hill above Gstaad village. Partner curation only — the Saanenland market is mature and the office works through the long-standing local agents (Hauswartung Gstaad, Chalet24, the Gstaad Palace's own programme).
Jet & helicopter
Private Aviation
From London, Paris, Frankfurt — a Challenger 350 to Sion. From New York or Dubai non-stop — a G650 or Global to Geneva with car onward.
Tables & introductions
Concierge
Gstaad Palace, Le Grand Bellevue, The Alpina Gstaad, Chalet d'Adrien (Verbier alternative) allocations; restaurant reservations at La Casino (Gstaad Palace), Megu (Alpina), Sonnenhof; Hublot Polo Gold Cup tickets and private box; private ski instructors and the Eagle Club introduction.
Jet airports
Where the office files the slot.
Sion
LSGSRunway 2,000m, 75 km / 75 minutes by chauffeur to Gstaad via the alpine pass. Accepts up to Citation XLS+ / Challenger 350 size. Daylight operation only; closes in heavy weather. The preferred Gstaad gateway when conditions allow.
Bern Belp
LSZBRunway 1,730m, 90 minutes by car. Slightly larger types acceptable. Used when Sion is closed by weather or when type exceeds Sion limits.
Geneva
LSGGLong-runway alternative — accepts all jet types. 90 minutes by chauffeur via the autoroute. Used when long-range jets (Falcon 7X, G550, G650) are flown for Gstaad arrivals.
At Gstaad
Specifics the office knows.
The hotel that opens allocations in March, the airport with the short runway, the harbour that fills by 09:00.
- 01
Gstaad Palace — the bar at six
The Scherz family's hotel since 1913 — the village's social defining property. The lobby bar at 18:00 is the meeting room of the Gstaad winter for a particular generation; the GreenGo nightclub (open Christmas, New Year, Polo Cup weekends only) is the late-night room. Suite allocations open in March for the following December.
- 02
The Alpina Gstaad
The newer (2012) of Gstaad's two five-star hotels, on the hill above the village. The Megu restaurant (Japanese, the village's principal fine-dinner room), the spa (Six Senses managed), the cigar lounge. Quieter than the Palace; chosen by members preferring the wellness side of the alpine week.
- 03
The chalet week
The Saturday-to-Saturday chalet rental is the Gstaad operating unit — full house with chef, housekeeper, butler, private ski guide, and (if booked) helicopter day-trips to St Moritz or the Aletsch Glacier. Sizes range from 250m² for a family of six to 1,000m²+ for a multi-family compound. The office arranges via the long-standing local programmes.
- 04
Hublot Polo Gold Cup — January
The last full weekend of January — three days of snow polo on the Gstaad airfield, with the brand's hospitality marquee, the Saturday Gold Cup final, and the closing-night dinner. Tickets are by invitation through the brand or by partner-yacht channel; the Aurelius office routes via the Gstaad Palace and Alpina concierge connections.
- 05
The Eagle Club
The private members' club on the Wasserngrat above Gstaad — founded 1957, accessed by chairlift only, membership by introduction. The high-altitude lunch room of the discrete European set since the Niarchos and Onassis era. The office arranges day visits for guest members through partner introductions.
Short answer
If you are reading this briefly.
Gstaad is a deliberately quiet German-speaking alpine village in the Bernese Oberland — a long-standing winter address for the discreet European set, with the season running December through early March and the peak the Christmas-to-New-Year fortnight. The Gstaad Palace (since 1913) and The Alpina Gstaad (2012) are the two principal five-star hotels; Le Grand Bellevue is the wellness alternative. Chalets in Saanenland are rented Saturday-to-Saturday with full house staff. Air access is via Sion (LSGS, 75-min chauffeur over the alpine pass, accepts up to Challenger 350 / Citation XLS+), Bern Belp (LSZB, 90 min) or Geneva (LSGG, 90 min). The Hublot Polo Gold Cup at the end of January is the second social peak of the season. Aurelius does not operate yachts here — alpine destination.
Questions we hear
Gstaad — answered.
Can we land at Gstaad-Saanen airfield directly?+
No — Gstaad-Saanen (LSGK) is a 1,000m grass strip used by gliders, the Hublot Polo Cup field, and small piston aircraft only. No jet operation. Every jet member arrives via Sion (LSGS), Bern Belp (LSZB) or Geneva (LSGG).
When does Gstaad open and close?+
The winter season runs mid-December through early March; the principal hotels (Gstaad Palace, The Alpina, Le Grand Bellevue) open in mid-December and close at the end of March. April is the village's quietest month; July reopens for the summer with the Swatch Beach Volleyball and the cycling-tour visitors.
What's the chalet rental window?+
Saturday-to-Saturday is the operating week. Christmas–New-Year fortnight (two weeks, Dec 22 to Jan 5) is committed twelve to eighteen months in advance and rates are at the year's peak. Mid-January to mid-February is the value window. The chalet contracts include house staff (chef, housekeeper, butler); ski guides and helicopter day-trips are extras.
How is Gstaad different from Verbier or Courchevel?+
Gstaad is German-speaking, smaller, and deliberately quieter. The skiing is divided across several smaller mountains (Wispile, Wasserngrat, Eggli, Glacier 3000) rather than a single large area like Courchevel or Verbier; the village atmosphere is residential rather than party-resort. The members who choose Gstaad over Verbier are typically choosing it for the discretion.
Can we ski to a long-lunch restaurant?+
Yes — the Wispile slopes have Berghaus Wispile (ski-in, mountain food), the Saanenmöser area has Rellerli, and the Diablerets has Cabane des Diablerets. Most charter parties also do a day at the Glacier 3000 station for the Tissot Peak Walk suspension bridge (3,000m altitude, the cable-supported bridge between two summits).
Is Gstaad good for non-skiing guests?+
Yes — the village is small enough to walk, the hotel spas (The Alpina's Six Senses, Le Grand Bellevue's wellness centre) are world-class, the Promenade shopping (Hermès, Lorenz Bach, Bach's bookshop) takes an hour, and the lunch options on the slopes (accessible by chairlift, not skis) work for any guest. The office plans non-skier itineraries with the chalet.
Connected pages
Aircraft, routes, and occasions.
Aircraft for Gstaad
Member routes
- Zurich → Sion / Gstaad (Saanen)30min · Winter (Dec–Mar)
- Zurich → St. Moritz (Samedan)30min · Winter (Dec–Mar)
- Zurich → Courchevel35min · Winter (Dec–Mar)
Occasions
- New Year's Eve at SeaA chef-served dinner at anchor, the fireworks of three towns visible from the bow, midnight champagne.
- A Family WeekSeven days, four cabins, the swim platform never empty. The format we run for families more than any other.
- A Corporate RetreatTwo days, one night, six to twelve people, one decision. Held at anchor with the engines off.
- An Anniversary at SeaA two-day crossing to Formentera, one night at anchor in S'Alga. The itinerary we recommend more than any other.
Gstaad — begin an enquiry
Tell us the dates.
We'll shape the week.
The office answers on WhatsApp, on email, or by call. Most members start with a single message — the right week, the rough plan, the questions to answer.
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