Snow Polo World Cup St Moritz 2027: Where to Stay, Eat and What to Do
The Snow Polo World Cup St Moritz runs 22–24 January 2027 on the frozen Lake St Moritz, in the Engadin Alps. It was dreamed up here a little over forty years ago by Reto Gaudenzi, a local player who founded Switzerland’s first polo team: a trial match in 1984, the first proper tournament in 1985. Today around 26,000 spectators come over three days, six high-goal teams play on a 200-metre pitch, and beside it stands a village of boutiques, caviar stands and champagne bars. This guide is built from published sources and the official tournament programme rather than personal stays, so I have kept to what can be checked.
Planning the snow polo weekend? The comparison table below sets four St Moritz hotels side by side by rate, meals, signature table and role in the polo weekend. Further down: where to stay at Badrutt’s Palace, Kulm Hotel, Suvretta House and Carlton Hotel, one more table worth booking, then practical tips on the gala, VIP tickets and the slopes.
Compare all four hotels → Where to stay → Best of the rest → FAQ → JP’s verdict →
Compare All 4 Hotels
| Badrutt’s Palace | Kulm Hotel | Suvretta House | Carlton Hotel | |
| Rate from (per night) | CHF 1,122 | CHF 1,145 | CHF 630 | CHF 1,590 |
| Meals included | — | Breakfast | Half-board | Breakfast |
| Signature table | Paradiso Mountain Club | KCC by Mauro Colagreco | Half-board dining | Da Vittorio ⭑⭑ |
| Polo weekend role | Gala venue, Sat 23 Jan | Post-match aperitivi | Quiet base, 5 min drive | VIP-ticket package |
| Best for | Gala night & grand-hotel glamour | Heritage & après-polo atmosphere | Value & skiing | Michelin dining & privacy |
⭑ = Michelin star · Rates are “from” prices per night in CHF and vary by season — confirm with each hotel before booking · Researched from published sources, not personal stays.
The grande dame. Neo-gothic towers, a 130-year history, and a guest book that includes Coco Chanel and Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock’s favourite suite now bears his name. The Snow Polo Night Gala is here too: Saturday 23 January 2027, 8pm, black tie, gala tickets only.
Go for a butler-served suite on the upper floors if you want the lake view. A Rolls-Royce transfer, a 30,000-bottle wine cellar and a choice of restaurants complete the picture. If you want to be in the room where the weekend’s social calendar happens, this is it.
“Go for a butler-served suite on the upper floors if you want the lake view.”
— JP
From CHF 1,122/night · rates vary by season
Butler-served suite on the upper floors — the lake view
Gala tickets sell out months ahead · rates vary by season, confirm before booking
Location & Getting There
Dining
Paradiso Mountain Club & Restaurant is Badrutt’s Palace’s mountain hut, up on the Corviglia slopes. This is where the well-dressed come to be seen après-ski, over champagne and plates of the signature truffle croque fondue, with DJs laying the soundtrack. Down in the hotel there is a choice of restaurants, plus the gala dinner on Saturday night.
Best For
Strengths & Watch Points
- Hosts the Saturday Snow Polo Night Gala
- Neo-gothic towers and 130 years of history
- Butler-served suites on the upper floors with the lake view
- Paradiso mountain hut for après-ski on Corviglia
- Gala tickets sell out months ahead
- The lake view means an upper-floor suite, not an entry room
- The most social address in town — expect the crowd
- Rates vary by season
The town’s oldest hotel and a key player in St Moritz’s rise as a winter destination. On match weekend, players and spectators gather for post-match aperitivi in the gold-brocade lobby.
Wood-panelled suites, Alpine-chic interiors, and generations of families who keep coming back. The concierge can arrange anything, down to a last-minute facial at the spa.
“On match weekend, players and spectators gather for post-match aperitivi in the gold-brocade lobby.”
— JP
From CHF 1,145/night · breakfast included
Wood-panelled suite — the Alpine-chic interiors are the point
The match-weekend lobby is busy — it is where players and spectators gather
Location & Getting There
Dining
Kulm Country Club (KCC) is Chef Mauro Colagreco’s table beside the hotel’s ice rink: a touch of Côte d’Azur flair on a refined, mountain-inspired menu. The mood is lively, with live music and vinyl sessions, and the evenings tend to run late.
Best For
Strengths & Watch Points
- The town’s oldest hotel, with real winter-tourism history
- Gold-brocade lobby is the post-match hub
- Concierge can arrange almost anything
- KCC by Mauro Colagreco beside the ice rink
- Breakfast is included, but the rate starts from CHF 1,145
- KCC evenings run late
- Busy lobby on match weekend
Five minutes’ drive outside town, in a belle époque palace that looks lifted from a fairytale. After the polo there’s an outdoor whirlpool, glass-fronted saunas, a skating rink and a curling club.
The emerald-green ski lift takes you straight to the Corviglia ski area, with 155km of groomed pistes. From CHF 630 a night, half-board included. It’s the cheapest of the four, and half-board is included.
“It’s the cheapest of the four, and half-board is included.”
— JP
From CHF 630/night · half-board included
The emerald-green ski lift straight to Corviglia (155km of groomed pistes)
Five minutes’ drive outside town — plan transfers for evenings in the village
Location & Getting There
Dining
Half-board is included in the rate, so dinner is built into the stay, which is why the CHF 630 figure goes further here than the headline suggests. For polo-weekend social life, the village is five minutes away.
Best For
Strengths & Watch Points
- The cheapest of the four, with half-board included
- Ski lift straight to Corviglia and 155km of groomed pistes
- Outdoor whirlpool, glass-fronted saunas, skating rink and curling club
- Belle époque palace setting
- Five minutes’ drive outside town
- No gala or polo on site — the action is in the village
- Less central than Badrutt’s or Kulm
A winter-only retreat with a snow polo package that includes VIP tickets and limousine transfers. Check the current dates and number of nights with the hotel before you plan around it.
Order a Piz Nair Mule in the lively bar, then dine in one of the outdoor fondue gondolas. Wellness runs from meditation and massages to guided hikes and ice bathing with an outdoor butler. Rooms from CHF 1,590 a night, breakfast included.
“Order a Piz Nair Mule in the lively bar, then dine in one of the outdoor fondue gondolas.”
— JP
From CHF 1,590/night · breakfast included
The snow polo package with VIP tickets and limousine transfers
The highest entry rate of the four · winter-only (11 December 2026 to 21 March 2027)
Location & Getting There
Dining
Da Vittorio St Moritz holds two Michelin stars and is open December to March, inside the Carlton. The Cerea brothers run it, and their flagship in Lombardy holds three stars. Expect Italian cooking with real pedigree, including the brothers’ take on their father’s signature three-tomato paccheri alla Vittorio. Book early.
Best For
Strengths & Watch Points
- Da Vittorio: two Michelin stars on site
- Snow polo package with VIP tickets
- Fondue gondolas and a lively bar
- Wellness from massages to ice bathing
- Highest entry rate of the four
- Winter-only: closed outside the season
- Da Vittorio needs booking early
The Best of the Rest — One More Table Worth Booking
JP has not personally eaten here. Included based on published sources and reputation, with an honest note on what it is right for.
Best for a proper comfort-food dinner — Le Lapin Bleu
Le Lapin Bleu (Hotel Steffani, St Moritz) opened in 1869 as the town’s first restaurant and still sits at the heart of the family-run Hotel Steffani. The room is pine-panelled, and the food is proper comfort: châteaubriand, saddle of venison, and Swiss classics like capun dumplings with cheese sauce. It is the counterweight to a weekend of champagne and truffle: a table with history that does not need a gala ticket.
Practical Tips — What Nobody Tells You
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01
Take the VIP ticket
It gets you the best views, a reserved grandstand with blankets, Perrier-Jouët poured freely, and lunch in the VIP tent, starting with oysters. Check the official tournament site for current ticket options.
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02
Don’t skip Saturday night
The Snow Polo Night Gala is black tie, and in 2027 it’s at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel (8pm, gala tickets only). Champagne reception, multi-course feast, live music. It’s the one evening where players, sponsors and locals all mix, and tickets sell out months ahead.
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03
Hit the slopes — and check your pass
An Ikon Pass gives up to seven days across the nine St Moritz ski areas (five on the Base pass; not valid on the Session pass). Corviglia is the well-groomed all-rounder. Stronger skiers should try Diavolezza/Lagalb, or Corvatsch/Furtschellas, with its knee-rattling vertical descent. If you want a lesson, the former Italian World Cup champion Giorgio Rocca runs a ski school.
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04
Shop on Via Serlas
One of the world’s most exclusive shopping streets, and Badrutt’s Palace sits on it. Cartier, Hermès, Dior and Gucci are all here, and locals favour Loro Piana for cashmere and Fusalp for skiwear.
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05
Book early and confirm the dates
St Moritz on polo weekend is an expensive trip, and the setting makes the case for it. Gala tickets sell out months in advance, and the Carlton and Da Vittorio need booking early. Confirm dates, rates and ticket availability before you commit.
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06
Pack for two worlds
Technical layers by day, black tie by night. The weekend is spent outdoors on a frozen lake above 1,800 metres, then indoors in evening dress.
FAQ — Snow Polo World Cup St Moritz
The most common questions, answered honestly.
When is the Snow Polo World Cup St Moritz 2027?
22–24 January 2027, Friday to Sunday. The final is on Sunday 24 January at 14:30.
Where is it held?
On the frozen Lake St Moritz in Switzerland’s Engadin Alps, at over 1,800 metres.
Who started snow polo in St Moritz?
Reto Gaudenzi, a local player who founded Switzerland’s first polo team. A trial match came in 1984 and the first tournament followed in 1985.
What does a VIP ticket include?
A reserved grandstand with plush blankets, Perrier-Jouët, and lunch in the VIP tent. Check the official tournament site for current ticket options.
What is the dress code for the gala?
Black tie. The Saturday gala is open to gala ticket holders only.
Where should I stay for the Snow Polo World Cup?
Badrutt’s Palace (from CHF 1,122 a night) is the gala venue. Suvretta House (from CHF 630 a night, half-board included) is the cheapest of the four hotels here. Rates vary by season, so confirm with each hotel.
JP’s Verdict
There is no single best hotel for snow polo weekend. There is the right one for how you want the weekend to feel.
Choose Badrutt’s Palace if you want to be where the weekend happens. The gala is in the building, the lake view comes with an upper-floor suite, and Paradiso is your après-ski.
Choose Kulm Hotel if heritage and the post-match scene matter. The oldest hotel in town, a gold-brocade lobby full of players and spectators, and KCC by Mauro Colagreco beside the ice rink.
Choose Suvretta House if value and the slopes matter more than the village. The cheapest of the four, half-board included, and a ski lift straight to Corviglia.
Choose Carlton Hotel if two Michelin stars and a polo package are the priority. Da Vittorio downstairs, VIP tickets with the package, and a winter-only retreat above the lake.
I was born in Italy and grew up understanding that a bad meal is a genuine problem and a good one is worth going out of your way for. London came next — for years, then more years — and it is where I have lived ever since. I know this city’s hotels the way you come to know anywhere you have lived long enough: not from brochures, but from having walked in from the rain, from having eaten in the dining rooms, from having noticed what the staff do when they think no one is watching. I pay for my own stays. No free rooms. No press trips. Just honest reviews.