Notes from Arolla
The Journal
Stories, seasons and tips from Arolla, written from the house.
Read before you head up to Arolla
Events · September 28, 2024
The Trail du Kurhaus
Every autumn, the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus becomes the start and finish line of its own race. Loops through the stone-pine forest, raclette and music: a portrait of a trail in our image.
Read the article
Events · December 22, 2023
The Christmas Market in Arolla
Wooden chalets, mulled wine and waffles, all at 2,000 metres of altitude. Every December, the garden of the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus turns into a magical Christmas market.
Events · May 27, 2023
Aroll’Live, Music in Arolla
A stage at 2,000 metres, a stone-pine forest and the peaks of the Val d’Hérens as a backdrop. With Aroll’Live, the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus brings live music to the high mountains.
Art of living · November 26, 2022
A White Weekend in Arolla
Silence, snow, the bare bones of winter. In Arolla, white becomes a substance, a theme dear to the writer-traveller Sylvain Tesson, welcomed at the Kurhaus around his book “Blanc”.
Nature · September 13, 2022
Top 5 of Autumn in Arolla
The finest season in the Alps, some will say. Before the first snows, our five ways to savour autumn in the Val d’Hérens.
Events · August 3, 2022
The Midsummer Festival in Évolène
Every 15 August, Évolène celebrates one of the finest traditions of the Valais: costumes, patois and a procession of floats. A living heritage, twenty minutes from Arolla.
Art of living · June 22, 2022
Insider Tips for Your Summer in Arolla
Garden concerts, terrace barbecues, stay packages and outings close to the glaciers: our tips for a successful slow summer at the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus.
Art of living · June 8, 2022
Ambre & Cyril, the Lovers of Arolla
She comes from Alsace, he from Marseille. Having fallen for the valley, they turned La Chotte into a meeting place. Portrait of a couple who embody the spirit of Arolla.
Art of living · May 9, 2022
See You Soon for the New Summer Season
The mountain awakens, the road reopens, the hotel is getting ready. A few weeks before the summer season, the invitation is open: come and live the slow summer of Arolla again.
Skiing & mountains · April 25, 2022
The Patrouille des Glaciers and the Kurhaus
Every two years, the most famous ski-mountaineering race crosses Arolla. The story of a legendary event and the role of the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus, a stage on the course.
Art of living · February 28, 2022
André Georges, the Alpinist-Painter
From the summits to the canvas: the exhibition devoted to André Georges, a son of La Sage who became a painter after a great alpinism career, in the great hall of the Kurhaus.
Art of living · February 12, 2022
La Chotte, the Secret of Arolla
At 2,166 metres, a mountain bar passed quietly from regular to regular. You walk up from the hotel through the larch forest, in under thirty minutes.
Art of living · January 31, 2022
Twelve Months of Discoveries in Arolla
An almanac of the seasons in the Val d’Hérens: Evolène carnival, the Hérens cattle drive, autumn brisolée. What each month brings at 2,070 metres.
Skiing & mountains · December 22, 2021
Your Winter in the Évolène Region
Quiet skiing, ski touring, snowshoeing and living traditions: winter in the Val d’Hérens unfolds slowly, far from the big resorts. The guide from Arolla.
Nature · October 24, 2021
Autumn in Arolla: the forest of stone pines and larches
From mid-October, the forest beside the hotel turns from gold to fire before the snow. A small tribute to the season when Arolla plays its finest score.
Nature · October 10, 2021
The Blue Lake of Arolla
At 2,090 metres, a turquoise mirror set among the larches. Our guide to reaching the gem of the Val d’Hérens from the hotel.
Art of living · September 26, 2021
Your Autumn in Arolla
Golden larches, brisolée by the fire, late-season light and rediscovered calm. The diary of an autumn stay beneath the glaciers.
Art of living · September 6, 2021
Back-to-School Season in Arolla
When the valley empties, the larch and arolla forest takes on its finest colours. The patois trail, golden light and recovered calm: the late season is the gentlest.
Art of living · August 13, 2021
Travelling Solo in Arolla
To set off alone is to give yourself time. At 2,000 metres, between larch forest and summits, Arolla offers the rare setting of a stay for oneself, no noise, no obligation.
Nature · August 8, 2021
Arolla by Bike: E-Bike & MTB
From village to alpage on two wheels: the e-bike brings the summits closer and the mountain bike traces the singletrack. Our bike offer, from the Contemplative to the Sporty model.
Events · August 1, 2021
Heading Into August in Arolla
1 August brunch, concerts at 3,000 metres, exhibitions and the national day: August is the liveliest month of summer in Arolla. The programme from the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus.
Art of living · July 23, 2021
An Out-of-Time Road Trip in the Val d’Hérens
A mountain road that turns back time, from Sion to Arolla. For lovers of fine machines and vintage cars, the ideal stop at the end of the valley.
Art of living · July 13, 2021
A Perfect Sunday in Arolla
At 2,070 metres, the art of doing almost nothing. The shape of an ideal summer day, from morning coffee in the garden to an evening massage, as we love it.
Nature · July 5, 2021
Discovering the alpine wildflowers
In early summer, the mid-mountain bursts into colour. Orchids, globeflower, rhododendrons: our short guide to the wildflowers of Arolla.
Nature · June 28, 2021
Your Summer in Arolla
At 2,000 metres, far from the crowds and close to nature: hiking, e-biking, mountain huts, paragliding and wildlife. A guide to a slow summer beneath the glaciers.
Nature · April 23, 2021
An Ascension Weekend in the Mountains
Four spring days beneath the glaciers: a walk to the Blue Lake, the bisses, the larch forest and evenings at the table of L’Honorine. The itinerary for a long weekend in Arolla.
Skiing & mountains · April 18, 2021
Spring Ski Touring in Arolla
When the apricot trees blossom in the valley and snow still lingers higher up, Arolla lives its finest season of ski touring and freeriding.
Art of living · March 1, 2021
Arolla, a Place Out of Time
A preserved village-resort beneath the glaciers, Arolla has crossed a century and a half without losing its soul. In praise of a place where contemplation comes before action.
Skiing & mountains · February 1, 2021
Skiing in Arolla: To Ski or Not to Ski?
A small ski area facing the glaciers for skiers, a thousand ways to live the snow for everyone else. In Arolla, winter needs no lift pass to be beautiful.
Skiing & mountains · December 24, 2020
What’s New This Winter at the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus
Freeride, winter paragliding, ice climbing, guided snowshoeing and the spa: a foretaste of the cold season in Arolla, in the Belle Époque mountain spirit.
Art of living · August 25, 2020
The Valais State Council in Arolla
The Valais government stopped at the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus to discover the living heritage of the Val d’Hérens. The story of a visit that speaks to Arolla’s place in the canton.
Art of living · July 13, 2020
Recognition from EHL
The Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus was the very first hotel in the world to receive the “Safety & Hygiene Protocol” certificate from the Lausanne Hotel School. A look back at a distinction.
Your stay
Book your escape to Arolla