Your property in Crans-Montana
Whether it’s a lakeside apartment or chalet with views across the Rhône Valley with the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc in the distance, the range of property in Crans-Montana is truly stunning.
Being just 150 kilometres from Geneva and 35 kilometres from Sion airport, prospective buyers looking to purchase property in Crans-Montana can arrive for the weekend, while families can relocate permanently thanks to its excellent international school.
Inside Crans-Montana
Significant investment in the skiing infrastructure of Crans-Montana has made the dual-village resort extremely popular, while the opening of new bars, hotels and the Rando Parc ski area in recent years has made it a more prominent destination.
The resort offers exceptional seasonal skiing, with the Plaine Morte glacier usually open between November – April, alongside other snow sports but also provides a vast range of summer activities and other events on its lakes and in its natural parks.
Its food offering is superb, it has excellent shops and restaurants, and a vibrant events calendar, including concerts and sporting competitions, not to mention its two world-class golf courses.
Landscape
The idyllic mountain village sits at 1,500 metres altitude and is linked to 160 kilometres of skiing areas by 34 lifts offering skiing and snowboarding for all levels, including access to the Plaine Morte Glacier 3000.
Located on a plateau with spectacular Alpine views, Crans-Montana also benefits from its proximity to other picturesque villages, such as Lens, and stunning wilderness at parks such as Pfyn-Finges Nature Park.
Education
A key part of Crans-Montana being a year-round resort is its education provision, with Le Régent International School catering for children aged between 3 and 18.
The resort is also home to Les Roches, one of the world’s leading hospitality business schools, which offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
In terms of other further education options, 11 of Switzerland’s 12 universities feature in the top 500 institutions globally, with ETH Zurich being ranked the 14th best university globally.
Activities and Entertainment
The high altitude of the village means snow sports including skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing can be pursued all year round, while the Snow Park is the largest in French-speaking Switzerland with the only Olympic superpipe in the Valais Alps.
Crans-Montana has no shortage of available activities off the snow, with the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club hosting the 18-hole Severiano Ballesteros and 9-hole Jack Nicklaus courses, and the wider area offering walking, biking and air sports such as paragliding.
Its large number of lakes and ponds makes accessing water sports, such as wake boarding, stand-up paddleboarding and fishing, easy, while indoors the village has a cinema, bowling alley, tennis courts and a climbing centre among its many facilities.
Arts and Culture
For a small village, Crans-Montana is a cultural heavyweight thanks to its museums, festivals, exhibitions and galleries, including the Fondation Opale and the Art & Collections Museum.
The area’s rich history can be explored at sites such as the nearby Grand-Lens Museum, while the ancient lives of the area’s ancestors, and their mayens, or chalets, furniture and tools, can be uncovered at the Hameau de Colombire.
And Crans-Montana is renowned for its music festivals, with a classical music season, including concerts and violin masterclasses, while at the other end of the musical spectrum, the village’s Carpices Festival, held at an altitude of 2,200 metres, has been voted the best electronic-music festival in the world.
Food and Drink
From replenishing energy on the slopes at a mountain hut, to relaxing in the luxurious surroundings of the resort’s Michelin-starred restaurants L’Ours and Le Mont Blanc, Crans-Montana is a gastronomic haven.
Its abundant local produce and vibrant foodie culture means diners can find everything from Lebanese, Japanese, and Portuguese through to local Swiss delicacies such as raclette.
The village is located in Switzerland’s most productive wine region, Valais, which grows numerous popular wine varieties, including several indigineous grapes. These are used to make everything from robust reds through to delicate Fendant, made from the white Chasselas grape.
Accessibility
Crans-Montana is most easily reached from Sion Airport, roughly 35 kilometres away. The airport accommodates large jets as well as private aircraft and helicopters.
Geneva Airport, which serves a large number of international destinations, is approximately 150 kilometres away.