Gstaad is the ultimate location for when the wealthy want to vanish. If you do manage to make the 1.5 hour car trip from the nearest airport to the billionaire hideout, you’ll struggle to find flashing lights, paparazzi or crowds. Wooden chalets are tucked into the Swiss Alps and the streets are so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Walking past you without you knowing though, are some of the wealthiest people in the world. Privacy is the local currency.
Gstaad, Switzerland / Credit Unknown
Gstaad isn’t easy to get to, and that’s part of the point. Most visitors fly into Geneva or Zurich, then drive or take the GoldenPass scenic railway through postcard-level mountain terrain. It’s remote, which keeps the chaos out. And once you’re there, everything moves slowly. There’s no rush. No flashing cameras. No velvet ropes. Privacy is the local currency.
The village itself is more a collection of traditional chalets and five-star hotels disguised as wooden barns. You won’t see supercars revving down the main street, and you’re more likely to find a discreet billionaire sipping tea in cashmere, ducking out of Louis Vuitton to avoid being noticed. Gstaad sells restraint, and it sells it very well.
Why billionaires love it
Gstaad has been a magnet for the rich for nearly a century. But it didn’t become truly legendary until the 1960s and 70s, when names like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, The Rothschild Family and Grace Kelly started spending their winters there. Since then, the guest list has quietly ballooned: Madonna, Roman Abramovich, Valentino, Bernie Ecclestone, the Qatari royal family, the kind of people who don’t need to be seen to be known.
And unlike Saint-Tropez or Monaco, Gstaad isn’t about being noticed. It’s about getting away from being noticed.
Buying property in Gstaad is very hard. Firstly you’ll need a spare $5 million at the very least, but that’s if you can navigate through the Swiss property laws, which are extremely strict. Foreigners need approval and locals protect the town like a family heirloom.
Even if you do manage to buy, you’re not showing off. These are homes designed to blend in, with slanted roofs, timber façades, modest silhouettes. But don’t be fooled. Inside, they’re fortresses of marble, leather, and silent staff.
Why billionaires love it
So what do billionaires actually do all day in Gstaad?
Well of course, they ski. The region offers over 200 kilometers of slopes, with glacier runs that last into early summer. There’s also hiking, mountain biking, cross-country trails, hot air ballooning, and spa rituals.
Then there’s the social season. Every January, the Gstaad Palace hosts galas and dinners that are never advertised but always attended. The Menuhin Classical Music Festival in the summer draws old money like moths to a Steinway. And yet, you could still walk through the promenade in February and not realise you’ve just brushed shoulders with a Saudi prince or tech mogul.
Winter is Gstaad’s high season, December through March. But summer might be the best-kept secret. Meadows bloom, hiking trails stretch for miles, and the crowd thins out dramatically.
Spring and autumn are quieter, though some hotels close during shoulder seasons. If you’re going for the quietest of retreats, April or early November are the sweet spots.
The crowd is old money. European aristocrats, Middle Eastern oil families and Hollywood legends. Recently there’s been an increase in the flocking of discreet tech founders who’ve grown tired of LA or London.
Tourists are allowed, of course. But there’s a mutual understanding: don’t be loud, don’t take photos, and don’t name-drop.
It’s expensive. A cappuccino on the promenade will set you back about $9 AUD. A weekend stay at The Alpina will set you back around $4,000. Everything is beautiful, hand-made, Alpine, and reassuringly overpriced.
It’s not like Courchevel or St. Moritz, which lean heavily on glitz. Gstaad is quieter. It’s more understated than Verbier, more refined than Zermatt, and less crowded than any of them. You don’t go to Gstaad to party.
And compared to other billionaire enclaves like the Hamptons or Portofino, it feels more grounded. There are still farmers in the valley, still cheese being made in the hills. Somehow, the money hasn’t ruined it.
Gstaad sits right on the edge of German- and French-speaking Switzerland. It’s a couple of hours from Zurich, where Roger Federer‘s primary home is, and near Gruyères, where the cheese comes from and the fondue is worth the detour. You’re not far from Interlaken or even Lake Geneva. But most who come here, stay here. Once you arrive, there’s not much reason to leave.
Gstaad remains a place where nobody needs to know your name. It’s slow, silent, covered in snow or wildflowers depending on the season. It’s built on privacy, trust, and generational wealth.
That’s exactly the reason billionaires keep coming back, it feels like the one place left where they can still vanish.