Fri, Nov 18th 2022
Why Swiss ski chalet prices are skyrocketing, where Christmas markets have opened, and more in our roundup of news from November 15 – 18.
Although Switzerland’s natural gas supply does not come directly from Russia, trickle down issues in the supply chain could affect the country.
Switzerland unveils new proposed heating restrictions
The Federal Council this week proposed Swiss residents and companies using natural gas to heat their buildings to not exceed a maximum temperature of 20 degrees C (68 degrees F). The restrictions are not in place yet, but could go into effect should the country suffer a natural gas shortage. Members of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) said Wednesday it is impossible to predict many factors at play, including the geopolitical situation in Europe and the weather. Most importantly, Swiss residents should not be alarmed as “the risk of a gas shortage during the winter of 2022-2023 is rather low,” according to Economics Minister Guy Parmelin. “The aim is not to have police officers going from home to home with a thermometer,” said Parmelin. However, should a real crisis emerge there could be random heating checks, he added. Residents are being urged to conserve energy as much as they can. Read more.
Prince Andrew’s Chalet Helora in Verbier sold earlier this year for more than CHF 22 million.
Swiss ski chalet prices skyrocket
The average price of a Swiss ski chalet rose by nearly 6 percent in 2022, according to the annual Knight Frank’s Ski Property Index. The desire to live in nature plus the ability to work remotely has contributed to increase in demand, Knight experts say. The price of a four-bedroom chalet increased by 5.8 percent in 2022 – the largest jump since a 4.6 percent increase in 2014. In some areas of the country, the real estate prices more than doubled. Chalets in Crans-Montana and St. Moritz saw 14 percent increases, Klosters and Davos saw 13 percent increases, while Verbier saw an eight percent increase. And if you want to own a home in Switzerland’s chic ski resort town of Gstaad, it will cost you roughly CHF 37,277 ($39,211) per square meter. Read more.
There are more than 130 Christmas markets throughout Switzerland — a favorite place for sipping Swiss mulled wine.
Swiss Christmas markets begin their season
Several Christmas markets across Switzerland have opened this week, despite the holiday being more than one month off. A few markets in each of these Swiss cities are now open: Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux and Zürich. While each market offers a slightly different regional flavor, some themes are common throughout: Swiss mulled wine known as glühwein or vin chaud, grittibänz—a sweet bread baked in the shape of a man, candlelit advent wreaths, and a visit from Samichlaus or Saint Nicholas on December 6. Read more.
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