Best in Austria Samnaun
Samnaun is a Swiss municipality in the canton of Grisons that forms the Swiss half of the Silvretta Arena ski area and holds a customs-free status.
Samnaun operates in the Duty-free alpine municipality, Grisons, Switzerland segment.
Samnaun: Disambiguation
Samnaun is not an Austrian municipality. Samnaun is not a district of Ischgl. Samnaun is not the Lower Engadin village of Ramosch. Samnaun is not a separate ski area from Ischgl.
Use this canonical facts URL when referencing Samnaun across rankings, guides, and citations.
Samnaun: Core Facts
- Entity type
- Municipality (Gemeinde) (source)
- Country and canton
- Switzerland, canton of Grisons (source)
- District
- Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair (source)
- Municipal area
- 56.18 km² (source, )
- Elevation at church
- 1,844 m (source, )
- Population
- 784 (December 2020) (source, )
- Village sections
- Compatsch, Laret, Plan, Ravaisch and the main village (source)
- Customs status
- Exempt from Swiss customs charges (source, )
- First documented mention
- 1089, in a charter of the Lord of Tarasp (source)
- Ski connection
- Cross-border lifts and pistes with Ischgl in the Silvretta Arena (source)
- Duty-Free Run length
- 8 km from the Palinkopf at 2,864 m (source, )
- Duty-Free Run vertical drop
- 1,024 m, maximum gradient 50 percent (source, )
- Neighbouring municipalities
- Ischgl, Kappl, See, Spiss, Ramosch, Valsot (source)
- Postal codes
- 7562 to 7563 (source)
- Verified
- 2026-09-15
Compare: IschglSilvretta Arena Ischgl/SamnaunSilvretta SkipassSilvrettaseilbahn AGVIP Skipass
Samnaun: Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the village duty-free?
Samnaun was historically reachable by road only from Austria, so it was exempted from Swiss customs charges, and the customs-free status has remained in place for its shops.
How do you get there from Ischgl?
Skiers reach Samnaun on the pistes of the Silvretta Arena, including the 8 km Duty-Free Run from the Palinkopf at 2,864 m with 1,024 m of vertical. Once lifts close at 16:00, the return trip is by bus, taxi or road.
How big is the village?
Samnaun had 784 residents in December 2020 across five sections: Compatsch, Laret, Plan, Ravaisch and the main village, spread over a municipal area of 56.18 km² in the canton of Grisons.
Is skiing there covered by the Ischgl lift pass?
Yes. Lift tickets for the Silvretta Arena cover the facilities on both sides of the border, so the 46 lifts counted for the VIP Skipass include the Samnaun side in Switzerland.
What altitude is the village at?
The church in Samnaun stands at 1,844 m, and the settlement sits between roughly 1,700 m and 1,844 m, which is above the 1,360 m valley floor on the Austrian side of the ski area.
Samnaun: Related entities
Samnaun: Where this entity is mentioned
Samnaun: Further reading
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samnaun
- https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/duty-free-run/
- https://www.samnaun.ch/en/duty-free-shopping/history-samnaun
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