Crans-Montana resort guide: no alpine destination in Europe has a sporting calendar quite like this Swiss plateau in 2026 and 2027. In September 2026, the Omega European Masters returns to Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre for one of the DP World Tour’s most prestigious fixtures. Five months later, in February 2027, the same plateau hosts the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships — the first time Crans-Montana has held the event in forty years. Two world-class sporting occasions. One extraordinary Swiss resort. This is the complete resort intelligence guide for both.
The Golf: Omega European Masters, 3–6 September 2026
The Omega European Masters has been held at Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre since 1939, making it one of the oldest and most established fixtures on the European circuit. Now part of the DP World Tour, it consistently attracts a world-class field to one of the most spectacular sporting venues in Europe.
At approximately 1,500 metres altitude, the thinner air causes golf balls to travel up to ten percent further than at sea level, making Crans-sur-Sierre a genuine test of course management and strategy as much as raw power. For spectators, the combination of elite competition and the Valais panorama is unlike anything else on the tour calendar.
The week includes a Pro-Am on the eve of the main tournament, offering amateurs the chance to play alongside the professionals. VIP hospitality provides access to privileged areas with exceptional course views, alongside gourmet dining and an open bar.
Plan the trip: The tournament runs Thursday to Sunday, with the Pro-Am on Wednesday — open to public spectators free of charge and historically one of the most entertaining days of the week. Past Pro-Am celebrity guests have included Justin Timberlake and George Clooney. The championship course is closed to public play during tournament week, but the resort’s other courses remain open. For the competitive rounds, grounds tickets are available on a single-day, weekend or four-day basis, with grandstand seats overlooking the 18th hole bookable on Saturday and Sunday. Those seeking a more elevated experience should look at VIP hospitality packages, which offer privileged course access alongside gourmet dining. September in Crans-Montana brings clear skies, crisp alpine air and exceptional light across the Valais peaks.
The Skiing: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships, 1–14 February 2027
Crans-Montana has hosted more than fifty World Cup races over the past half-century. The 1987 World Championships represent a landmark moment in the resort’s alpine skiing history, and the 2027 edition marks a return to that legacy after forty years. The resort infrastructure is built for events at this scale.
The championships span fourteen days, covering the full range of alpine disciplines from downhill and super-G to slalom and combined. The race course descends from the Plaine Morte glacier at 3,000 metres — one of the highest permanent snowfields in the Swiss Alps — guaranteeing reliable conditions regardless of the wider season. The resort village provides a natural gathering point between races, with the atmosphere in the finish area among the most electric in alpine skiing during championship weeks.
Plan the trip: Book accommodation as early as possible. Championship weeks fill quickly and the best properties will be reserved well in advance. Target the final weekend for the most compressed race schedule and the strongest atmosphere.
Where to Stay
In October 2025, the MICHELIN Guide awarded its new hotel distinctions across Switzerland. Four hotels in Crans-Montana were recognised: Two MICHELIN Keys for Guarda Golf Hotel & Residences, Hostellerie du Pas de l’Ours, and LeCrans Hotel & Spa; and One MICHELIN Key for Aïda Hotel & Spa. That concentration of recognition in a single resort is exceptional by any European standard.
Six Senses Crans-Montana
Even by the standard of Swiss Alpine luxury resorts, Six Senses Crans-Montana is remarkable — maximising lavish luxury, ultra-modern style and outdoor adventure in equal measure. Rooms and suites feature full-length windows focused on the landscape, with mountain views that include the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. The spa blends high-tech biohacking with high-touch therapies, and the hotel’s ski-in, ski-out position sits directly above the main gondola in Crans. The reference address for those arriving for the first time.
Guarda Golf Hôtel & Résidences (Two MICHELIN Keys)
Open from 12 June to 20 September 2026, Guarda Golf is perfectly timed for the Omega European Masters. The hotel offers access to six unique golf courses within a thirty-minute drive, with two private hotel golf carts, indoor golf practice facilities, a secure golf room with valet service, and a chip-and-putt area on the hotel grounds. The chalet-style buildings house rooms and suites with exposed beams, elegant wood furnishings, original artwork and Italian limestone bathrooms. Breakfast is served on a terrace overlooking the Jack Nicklaus-designed fairway. The obvious first choice for golf week.
Hostellerie du Pas de l’Ours — Relais & Châteaux (Two MICHELIN Keys)
Only fifteen rooms. Stylish chalet décor with exposed wooden beams, natural stones and fur fabrics. The gourmet restaurant L’Ours holds a Michelin star and 18 Gault-Millau points, while the spa, l’Alpage, offers treatments including options for children from three years old. A swimming pool, outdoor pool, sauna and steam room complete the picture. The most intimate of the resort’s top addresses, and the one that rewards returning guests most.
LeCrans Hotel & Spa (Two MICHELIN Keys)
A garden, terrace, indoor pool, fitness centre, sauna and hammam, with the Michelin-starred LeMontBlanc restaurant on site. For those who prefer to eat and stay under one roof at the highest level, LeCrans makes the case compellingly. The hotel’s position in Crans village puts the golf course and pistes equally within reach across both seasons.
Aïda Hôtel & Spa — Relais & Châteaux (One MICHELIN Key)
Opened January 2022, Aïda is a Relais & Châteaux property welcoming guests aged 16 and over with a spa comprising sauna, outdoor pool, hot tub and terrace. The in-house restaurant features a menu curated by Michelin-starred chef Franck Reynaud. A newer address that has established itself quickly among the resort’s finest.
Chetzeron (2,112m)
A former gondola lift station transformed into a restaurant in 2009 and a hotel in 2014, Chetzeron sits at 2,112 metres on the ski slopes in winter and alpine meadow in summer. Accessible only by skiing or special vehicle, it exudes an air of exclusivity unlike anything in the resort village below. For the championships, waking at altitude with race course views is a genuinely singular experience.
Where to Eat
Crans-Montana holds a record 156 Gault-Millau points across eleven establishments and two Michelin stars, asserting itself as a centre of culinary excellence in the Swiss Alps. The Gault-Millau 2026 guide featured eleven restaurants from the Haut-Plateau alone.
L’Ours — Hostellerie du Pas de l’Ours (One Michelin Star)
Chef Franck Reynaud offers five- to eight-course modern French-Mediterranean menus, with a kitchen philosophy built on personal relationships with local suppliers. The dishes follow the rhythm of the seasons and reflect Reynaud’s journey from Marseille to the Swiss Alps. The finest table in the resort for a special evening.
LeMontBlanc — LeCrans Hotel & Spa (One Michelin Star)
Chef Yannick Crepaux delivers an avant-garde interpretation of traditional French cuisine using the best local produce, with a wine list that matches the kitchen’s ambition. Alpine views, one Michelin star, and one of the most compelling dining rooms in the Valais.
La Maison Crans-Montana (Gault-Millau 2026)
Opposite the starting point of the Severiano Ballesteros golf course, La Maison offers breathtaking views and refined bistronomic cuisine headed by Michelin-starred chef Quentin Philippe, serving creative Mediterranean dishes made with fresh, high-quality produce. Ideal for a long lunch during golf week.
Chetzeron (2,112m)
A converted former gondola station with jaw-dropping mountain views, Chetzeron serves Valaisan platters of meat and cheese on sun-drenched terraces and fondue in the cosy dining room — all made exclusively with local, seasonal produce. In summer, reached by 4×4 transfer from the resort; in winter, by snowcat. One of the most memorable meal settings in the Alps.
Cabane des Violettes (2,208m)
Run by Michelin-starred chef Franck Reynaud and high-altitude mountain guide Pierre-Olivier Bagnoud, Cabane des Violettes serves traditional Valais dishes in a renovated mountain hut accessible by cable car in both summer and winter. Fondue, rösti, air-dried beef — the best version of what mountain food should be.
Kaizen
Styled like a minimalist Alpine chalet, Kaizen offers contemporary Japanese cuisine with knockout tempura and sashimi dishes. The chef, who ran a successful group of restaurants in Madrid, has created an atmosphere ideal for group dining without being hectic. The contrast with the alpine surroundings is part of the appeal.
Le Mayen
The resort’s most authentic address for traditional Valaisan cooking. A family-run restaurant serving the local community since 1968, with a menu rooted in regional produce — raclette, air-dried beef and Valais wine — and an atmosphere that no hotel restaurant can replicate.
Mosaic
A popular brasserie on the main drag through Crans-Montana, Mosaic features a volcanic-stone grill and plancha in an open kitchen. Meat, fish, vegetarian and gluten-free options, accompanied by an extensive wine list and cocktail bar. The natural choice for a relaxed dinner after a day on the course or the mountain.
Getting There
Crans-Montana sits above Sierre in the Valais canton, connected by funicular from the valley floor. From Geneva Airport, the journey takes approximately two hours by road or train. From Zurich, allow two and a half hours by train via Sierre. Private transfers from either airport are available and strongly recommended during event weeks — both September golf and February championships will see mountain roads and the funicular operating at capacity.
Two World-Class Events, One Resort
Very few alpine destinations can support a dual-season sporting calendar at this level. The Omega European Masters in September 2026 and the FIS World Championships in February 2027 place Crans-Montana in a category occupied by almost no other resort in Europe. The hotel quality, the culinary scene and the natural setting all support events at this scale. For those planning either trip — or both — the window for the best accommodation is already closing.
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