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GUIDES
A Skiing Road Trip from Munich to Barcelona
The most comprehensive guide you'll find: Where to ski, dance in your boots, and shop vintage across seven stops in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
Monte Rosa Hütte, near Zermatt, Switzerland
By Meg Haywood and Eric Liddle on 10.06.26
A road trip from Munich to Barcelona strings together some of the best skiing in Europe — and all the off-the-beaten-track stops and some indie mountains along the way — from the Stubai Glacier in Austria to Grandvalira in Andorra. Off the slopes, there are terraces where après means dancing on tables in your ski boots, along with the museums, galleries, restaurants and vintage that make every stop worth the time. Our favorite packing tip we learned along the way? Pull the liners out of your ski boots and use them to protect anything you picked up along the way on the flight home.
Meg and Eric split their time between the mountains and the ocean, and both work to protect them. Meg is an environmentalist, Explorers Club member, and ambassador to Protect Our Winters and the Surfrider Foundation. With 15 years in the outdoor and snow sports industry, she’s worked with brands from Breitling to Patagonia. Eric is a village builder focused on conservation, healthcare, and America’s aging population. When he isn’t at a Marine Conservation Institute board meeting, he’s diving as a dive master and skiing the backcountry.
ARRIVAL: MUNICH, GERMANY
ART + ARCHITECTURE
Asamkirche
Asamkirche is small, but its Baroque interior is layered in gold, frescoes, and sculptural detail, and it gives real context for Munich and its era. In winter, follow it with a Glühwein (hot spiced wine).
Address: Sendlinger Straße 32, 80331 München, Germany
Munich Residenz
Trace centuries of Bavarian royal life through gold-plated grand halls, intricate rooms, museums, and courtyards. It’s considered one of the city’s most impressive cultural landmarks, and we agree.
Address: Residenzstraße 1, 80333 München, Germany
SHOP
Gross-Real Wear
Munich’s go-to for well-curated vintage clothing. The selection leans timeless, so a quick stop can easily turn into a full wardrobe refresh.
Address: Ledererstraße 2, 80331 München, Germany
Meg Haywood, riding sideways
STOP 2: INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA
SKI
Stubai Glacier
Stubai Glacier has one of the longest ski seasons in the Alps, wide-open high-alpine terrain, and a panoramic lunch break above the clouds. It’s an easy first mountain to find your ski legs.
Address: 6167 Neustift im Stubaital, Austria
APRÈS
Schneekristall Pavillon
Schneekristall Pavillon is right on the Stubai Glacier at the Gamsgartenbahn mountain station, with drinks, music, and high-alpine views after long runs.
Address: Gamsgartenbahn mountain station, Stubai Glacier, Austria
SHOP
E.T.C. Studio
The best clothing stop on the route, mixes vintage pieces with modern design finds in a carefully styled space where everything looks collectible. Google Maps lists it as a hair salon, but it’s a shop.
Address: Marktgraben 19/21, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
NOWHEREVINTAGE
Contemporary, with bold pieces and streetwear influences, but the website is useful afterwards if you’re not ready to commit.
Address: Anichstraße 21, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
STOP 3: VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN, AND BUCHS, SWITZERLAND
ART + ARCHITECTURE
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
The black cube in the center of Vaduz holds one of the region’s best collections of modern and contemporary art. Traveling installations keep the program changing, but leave time for the permanent collection.
Address: Städtle 32, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Museümli
This tiny museum in Buchs is devoted to the history and culture of the local region, a quick stop that adds context to any trip through Switzerland.
Address: Altendorferstrasse, 9470 Buchs, Switzerland
SHOP
Lagederhof
An interior decor destination in Vaduz, with furniture and smaller collectibles that reward a slow browse. Come for objects with a story; it isn’t the place for clothes.
Address: Zollstrasse 9, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
STOP 4: WENGEN, SWITZERLAND
SKI
Jungfrau
The villages of Wengen and Grindelwald are the way into the Jungfrau runs, which sweep out beneath the region’s towering peaks. The train and the gondola go up the mountain too, so the views are there for non-skiers as well.
Address: Accessible via Grindelwald or Wengen, Switzerland
DETOURS BETWEEN WENGEN AND MEGÈVE
SKI
Crans-Montana
Sun-soaked slopes, wide pistes, and great mountain dining, all facing the Valais Alps. On a clear day, the view alone is worth the trip.
Address: Route des Arolles 4, 3963 Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Verbier
The steep terrain and huge freeride zones draw adventurous skiers who want to push their limits, and the energy carries well past the last lift.
Address: 1936 Val de Bagnes (or Verbier), Switzerland
ART + ARCHITECTURE
Almine Rech Gstaad
Bringing international contemporary art to Gstaad in a small space with rotating exhibitions that are consistently worth stepping into between ski runs.
Address: Bahnhofstrasse 1, 3780 Gstaad, Switzerland
Monte Rosa Hütte
A remote mountain refuge designed with sustainability in mind, and it looks almost futuristic against the glacier. Hikers and climbers love it, and it makes a worthwhile side trip.
Address: 3920 Zermatt, Switzerland
Le Rooftop, Chamonix, France
STOP 5: MEGÈVE, FRANCE
SKI
Megève
Megève pairs an elegant village center with expansive, tree-lined runs. The on-mountain dining here is the best on the route, so plan for long lunches.
Address: Accessible via the town of Megève, France
APRÈS
La Folie Douce Saint-Gervais
La Folie Douce is a party you ski directly into, high in the mountains, with DJs, dancing in ski boots, and champagne showers.
Address: Télésiège Mont-Joux, 74170 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France
DETOURS FROM MEGÈVE
SKI
Aiguille du Midi
The cable car rising out of the Chamonix valley to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi puts Mont Blanc close enough to touch. The descents from the top are some of the most extreme in the Alps and for experts only, but anyone can ride up to the viewing platform.
Address: TK, France
APRÈS
Le Rooftop
Le Rooftop in Chamonix is the more relaxed option, with mountain views and a steady flow of drinks that often turns into a party if you stay long enough.
Address: 232 Avenue Michel Croz, Chamonix, France
La Folie Douce Val Thorens
At La Folie Douce in Val Thorens, the performances and live music start on a packed terrace before anyone has unclipped their skis.
Address: TS Les Pionniers – TS Plein Sud, 73440 Val Thorens, France
SHOP
After Ski
Chamonix’s very good secondhand aprés shop is stocked with retro skiwear and quirky finds that feel right at home in the Alps.
Address: 50 Rue du Docteur Paccard, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
L'Abarset, Andorra
STOP 6: ANDORRA LA VELLA, ANDORRA
SKI
Grandvalira
The largest ski area in the Pyrenees, with modern lifts linking multiple valleys and long cruisers made for bluebird days. Reserve ahead at [restaurant name TK], the Michelin-starred restaurant on the mountain.
Address: El Tarter, AD100 Canillo, Andorra
APRÈS
L’Abarset
One of Grandvalira’s liveliest stops, a modern alpine space where the terrace fills with skiers and cocktails as the sun drops behind the peaks. Check the schedule online, since big-name acts mean long lines and tickets are advised.
Address: Camí Pont del Tarter, AD100 El Tarter, Grandvalira, Andorra
STOP 7: BARCELONA, SPAIN
SHOP
The New Motel
An apparel-focused vintage boutique in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella, with elegant retro lingerie and detailed statement pieces in one of the city’s most creative neighborhoods.
Address: Carrer d’en Monec 8, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain
Eric Liddle at elevation
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