 Poster: A snowHead
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Check whether your guest card gets you ski hire and/or lift pass discounts. If so, make sure you get it and present it when buying. We pretty much made up our 3CHF a night guest tax using the card- which we'd have forgotten to do but the woman at the desk reminded us.
Seems obvious, and the discounts aren't huge but easy to miss/forget, and they can add up - esp. for families.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Skanky - where were you?
I'm off to Davos on Friday, would this trick work there as well?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I was in Laax.
It should work as whenever you stay in Switzerland you *have* to pay 3CHF a night visitors' tax a night, per person. This is *normally* included in the hotel bill, and often in the apartment bill - otherwise it's paid on top on arrival.
The tax is supposed to pay for schemes that reduce the tourist impact on the area in which you're staying (whether it actually does, I'm not sure).
Most resorts give you a visitor's card when you pay the tax, and have negotiated discounts with various businesses on presentation of the card.
What discounts will probably vary on the resort - and their usefulness can be debatable. We only got CHF15 (roughly UKP7) for the lift pass, but the tax came to CHF21 for the week anyway, so we only needed to make up 6CHF over the rest of the week (easily done if you use local swimming pools, saunas, etc.).
Check with the tourist office, they'll be only too happy to let you know.
Incidentally, I quite liked Davos, though I'm never that enthused about resorts with split ski areas (main reason we didn't go to Lenzerheide). It does have the only t-bar I've seen that gives you permission to get off half-way up though. I didn't understand the sign, thought it had said don't get off and was faced with my most difficult descent until Schweg at Flims on Friday (both runs harder than Face at Val d'Isere, Schweg mainly due to ice, lack of snow and numbers of people on it).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'll look out for a visitor's card when I book in, and try a find out if I can get any discounts from the places we go - lift pass, ski hire etc.
This is my first time in Davos - and I'm greatly looking forward to it. I've had a weekend already in Januray which only served to whet the appetite. I've been trying (with a little success from being busy at work) to put the trip to the back of my mind - if only someone had warned me that skiing was so addictive!
We're hiring a car for the week so hopefully this will allow us to drive to and from the different areas. I'll try to write a little trip report when I get back - unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much discussion of Swiss resorts on here!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Note: I have different usernames at work and home!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Usually the local tourist office will have a list of discounts available to people with a visitors card, discounts vary and what you can get a discount on also varies so don't expect to get a discounted skipass everywhere however you may get reduced rates at the local pool or cinema instead.
Speaking of Davos I once had a red squirrel run up my leg and sit on my knee whilst I fead it nuts on a walking path above Davos one summer/
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I know it got a slagging off at the other place, but I did quite enjoy Verbier. I think our antics at the Farm Club may have had something to do with it, and the fact that the police were very understanding (although they might not have been, had they seen our reenaction of Fight Club in one of the car parks - hilarious!)
D G Orf, Perhaps you should keep your flies done up next time??? 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| RichL wrote: |
I'll look out for a visitor's card when I book in, and try a find out if I can get any discounts from the places we go - lift pass, ski hire etc.
This is my first time in Davos - and I'm greatly looking forward to it. I've had a weekend already in Januray which only served to whet the appetite. I've been trying (with a little success from being busy at work) to put the trip to the back of my mind - if only someone had warned me that skiing was so addictive!
We're hiring a car for the week so hopefully this will allow us to drive to and from the different areas. I'll try to write a little trip report when I get back - unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much discussion of Swiss resorts on here! |
If you do get to Lenzerheide, I'd love to hear about it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I went to Flims last year and would second the reminder about the card.
But I've been to Klosters and Cran-Montana in recent years and they didn't give me a guest cards. I just presumed it depended on the resort.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I'm pretty sure that the tax is mandatory, so I assumed the card was (though I didn't get one in Luzern, Zurich or Bellinzona when I went there one summer)  . I did think you need to ask for one (maybe at the tourist info.) in some places, esp. if in a hotel. However I could be wrong and it would be good if someone could give me a definitive answer.
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In Wengen I think all the hotels and most of the chalets hand them out when you book in, but I guess it depends where you are
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You know it makes sense.
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If you book an aopartment through Interhome, they will give you discount on lift passes. In Crans Montana it's 12% I think, so well worth having.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Just got back from Davos (returned on Sat 21) - the apartment provider gave us a small blue/white card that gave free train/bus trravel around all the slopes, from Madresa to Glaris.
Used it on the train back from Kublis and the guard decided it was valid for free travel Kublis-Davos Dorf too, even tho it wasn't !
No-one checks for them on the resort buses anyway, but worth asking for if you head out and plan to use a train there/back.
Slopes off the back of Parsenn, down to Kloster/kublis excellent; if using the blacks off the top of Parsenn, do them in the morning - they get sun 1pm on and ice over quickly.
Parsennbahn train up mountain gets v busy from 9.15 - 9.30am on - this appears to be when the skischools all turn up. Madresa - get there early - pre 9am if poss, same reason. Others all ok.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The pool in Grindelwald is free with guest card.
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FAQ
