You have chosen a village next door to St Moritz that shares the Corviglia ski area with St Moritz. Gondola access to Corviglia is just above the train station well within walking distance from most hotels in Celerina. The gondola takes you up to the Marguns station where you can connect to the Corviglia main station. Your ski pass allows you to use the Engadin Bus to move between all the villages of the upper Engadin. So you may go up from Celerina and return back from St Moritz using the buss to return to Celerina. As you can imagine, everything is well thought out and runs like a Swiss watch.

Here's a link that will give you some details:

www.bergbahnenengadin.ch/021stm_010203_en.htm

Ski rentals are available in Celerina with similar costs as in Aspen or Mammoth. Celerina is popular with Italians and you may enjoy a good Italian meal there. I prefer this small village to the built up St Moritz town. You may buy a ticket that allows access to three major ski areas all within a 40 minute bus drive from Celerina.

As the previous poster mentioned, you are in the center of outdoor activity in Celerina, and just a few kilometers down from St. Moritz (secondlast train station before St. Moritz), with good bus and train connections (5 minutes). There is a sport bus with frequent departures, taking you to all the sking aereas in the upper Engadin valley (www.bergbahnenengadin.ch, also in English), so you have a good choice of where to go and can change every day. This bus is included in your ski pass as long as you travel in sports outfit (not to go for night life, this is separate, and mostly in St. Moritz, bus again, with good night bus connections).

You can rent skis in every sports shop or directly at the rent station at the valley station of the Marguns Funicula (www.engadinsnowandfun.ch, also for ski school, unfortunately only in German and Italian). Rental costs and other rental information you find on www.swissrent.com, also in English. The sking area Corviglia (from St. Moritz) and Marguns (from Celerina) are connected and are mentioned as one only in the resort maps. This is where the skiing world championships 2003 took place (and hopefully the 2013 will take place). Don't miss to see the steepest men's downhill course from the funicular going to Piz Nair (included in your pass). You are not allowed to do it, but is is impressive just to see it.

Enjoy your holidays.

Can you give me some info about Samedan? I was hoping to stay at Celerina but it is all booked out when we are going which is for the Ice Horse Racing 9-10 Feb. My friends are staying at Celerina - and we have a car - but would it be better to stay at Samedan or St Moritz to make it easy to meet up. We are planning to ski one day and go to the races one day so access to ski fields is also required. Thank you.

Celerina and Samedan are nearly built together, it's just a short distance, the last and the secondlast train stops before St. Moritz (terminal station). Usually February is booked, as it is high season and some hotels take reservations only for a whole week. Also, the Bobsleigh competitions and the horse races on the lake bring a lot of people to the valley. Which category of hotels are you looking for? Did you check all the opportunities in Celerina and St. Moritz?

Celerina and Samedan are slightly cheaper than St. Moritz and you have public transport to St. Moritz, where all the action takes place. I would not recommend to take the car. There is a big parking along the lake and you can park ON the frozen lake during the races (if the ice is thick enough to carry the grandstand, the VIP-tent, all the spectators AND the cars), but you have to pay and you need a lot of pacience to get there, as before and after the race there is a real rush hour like in a city.

As for skiing, from Celerina you have a direct access to the mountain, as you have from St. Moritz as well, whereas from Samedan you would have to take the train or bus to get to Celerina or St. Moritz to go up.

If you tell me which hotel category you are looking for and the duration of your stay, I could see what is available.

www.hrs.de has rooms available for the dates you require at the Zum Weisen Kreuz Gasthaus in Samaden for €40.62 per night!

Hedy - it would be great if you know of a place in Celerina for Check In Fri 08 Feb and Check Out Sun 10 Feb - for two adults - one room - double or twin is doesn't matter. Price up to low end of high (maybe 3 to 4 star) would be ok - though really all we are after is a cosy clean place.

Thanks for the info on Samedan as well - I can find a few places there to stay and the guest house posted looks good.

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Thank you Hedy for your informatation on this website and the booking at the hotel - we had an excellent, excellent weekend and wanted to stay much longer. It was all up perfect. I will review the hotel on the hotel area, highly recommending it. Thank you again.

I am so glad you enjoyed it. The perfect weather was an excellent setting for the horse races. We hope it will be so again next weekend for the Grand Prix (the highest prize money in Switzerland for the winner).

I am so jealous!! I can back with a suntan!! Races were almost as good as the skiing!

Thanks again.