You can easily buy hiking and winter sport clothing at many different kinds of stores in Switzerland, from large sports retailers to department stores to small boutiques.
But some are better than others depending on what you are looking for: wide selection, top high end brands, or affordable prices.
Below are some suggestions on where to shop for outdoor sport clothing and equipment in Switzerland.
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When to shop for outdoor clothing in Switzerland
In Switzerland, hiking clothing is sold year round, but stores start promoting summer outdoor clothing usually in April and they often have sales on hiking shoes, backpacks and clothing. Ski clothing and gear typically show up in stores in October and disappear by end of February.
Many large Swiss retailers have pre-season winter sales in November and December. Also January is traditionally “sales” month in Switzerland, so many outdoor stores also have sales then.
Big Sports & Outdoor Retailers
These big box stores in Switzerland specialize in outdoor clothing and equipment and have a decent selection of popular brands.
These would be my first stop when shopping for summer or winter clothing like hiking shoes, rain jackets, winter gloves or ski equipment. Many also offer equipment rental.
All of these stores also have online shops that sometimes offer a wider selection than you find in the store. For stylish everyday outdoor clothing, jump to the clothing stores below.
Decathlon
This is the most affordable sports store in Switzerland. They don’t carry all the well-known outdoor brands, but rather primarily sell products from their own very affordable Quechua brand.
Although the selection is somewhat limited, you can usually get what you need if you’re not too picky about color and style.
We’ve bought some clothing and equipment here, particularly for the kids, and have been quite happy with it. This year we got all our snow boots there and were very happy to pay less than CHF 50/pair.
They have stores all over Switzerland. In Zürich city, there is a big Decathlon at Gessnerallee 3/5, 8001 Zürich (parking garage on the same street).
Ochsner Sport
Ochsner Sport has a wide selection of high quality sports and outdoor gear, slightly better selection than SportXX in my opinion. They also have a more affordable house brand called 46N for both clothing and equipment.
In Zürich, there is a large Ochsner Sport near the main train station at Bahnhofstrasse 81, 8001 Zürich and another big one at the Sihlcity mall.
Specialty Mountain Sport Stores
These stores cater to serious outdoor enthusiasts, with lots of specialty gear that most casual outdoor people don’t need. Their sales staff are usually very knowledgeable and can advise you on the right equipment for whatever activity and conditions you are planning for.
Transa
Transa primarily carries high end, high quality brands with excellent selection. Although their prices are usually too high for my budget, it’s a fun place to shop just to see all that’s available. They have a giant store in Europaallee near the Zürich main train station. It has a big rock climbing wall that can be fun for kids to try out.
Transa also has an outlet store in Zürich, which sells the same high end clothing and equipment at a discount. Don’t get too excited because 20% off hiking pants that started at CHF 600 is still CHF 480. But if you want the high end brands, this is a great place to get them. They also carry children’s outdoor clothing.
Main store: Lagerstrasse 4, 8004 Zürich
Outlet: Josefstrasse 59, 8005 Zürich
www.transa.ch
Bächli Bergsport
Bächli Bergsport has a good selection of high end brands for outdoor gear, but also high prices. I’ve browsed several times but never bought anything because it’s out of my price range. But if you are looking for super high quality, technical gear, this is a great place to shop. They also have a Bächli Outlet selling last year’s models at a discount, but still quite high prices.
Their main store is in Oerlikon, on the northeast edge of Zürich city (Binzmühlestr. 80 8050 Zürich-Oerlikon). This Zürich store also has a section for the outlet with discounted items. Bächli has 13 stores in most big cities throughout Switzerland.
Outdoor Brand Boutiques in Zürich
Many high-end outdoor brands have small boutiques in downtown Zürich and other big cities. Here are a few I recommend:
Burton
Burton has a flagship store in downtown Zürich at Marktgasse 3/5, 8001 Zürich. This is a great place to browse styles and try on gear you found online.
The North Face Store
The North Face stores in Zürich and Bern sells only this brand, showcasing their new products and carrying a wider selection than you might see in other stores.
Sihlstrasse 95, 8001 Zürich
Aarbergergasse 8, 3011 Bern
thenorthface-store.ch
Mammut
While many outdoor stores carry the Mammut brand, you can see a much wider selection of their products at this Mammut flagship store near the Zürich main station Löwenstrasse 60, 8001 Zürich
Patagonia Partnerstore Zürich
This small store in downtown Zürich primarily carries the Patagonia brand, which is well-known for using eco-friendly materials and sustainable processes and their repair and reuse program. Löwenstrasse 14, 8001 Zürich
mountain-wilderness-equipment.ch
eu.patagonia.com/ch
Departments Stores
You can also find sport clothing, including ski clothes, in some department and clothing stores like Jelmoli, Manor or H&M. These stores are better for stylish everyday winter clothing than functional ski clothing. But during winter, these department stores will usually have a small selection of ski clothes.
Higher end stores like Globus will carry high quality, high end brands. Department stores like Manor, Coop and C&A will carry more popular brands and house brands and you need to be a little more careful when evaluating quality.
Clothing stories like H&M also sell ski clothes, which are very affordable but also not great quality. We’ve had H&M ski clothes for the kids, but they weren’t very waterproof and they only lasted one season before the seams started to split. You get what you pay for in this case.
Tchibo sometimes sells winter and ski clothing, particular for children. The selection is very limited and they often sell out quickly. But we found the quality better than expected for the low price.
Map of outdoor retailers near Zürich
This map shows sports and outdoor clothing stores in the Zürich area. Many of these have stores all over Switzerland.
Online shops that ship in Switzerland
Many online shops sell hiking and winter sport clothing. But not all ship to Switzerland and if they do, not all handle customs for you. So you might get stuck with a heavy customs bill when your items arrive. So best to choose online shops based in Switzerland or online shops that clearly state that they handle customs fees. Here are some online shops that we use:
Ridestore
This online shop specializes in ski and snowboard clothing, primarily promoting the brands Dope and Montec, though also selling brands like Burton, North Face and Peak Performance. In 2020, we bought our new snowboard jackets and overalls here and were very happy.
Zalando
Zalando is the best online shop for clothes shopping in Switzerland, with no customs, fast shipping and easy returns. They have a good selection of everyday winter coats and some ski clothes, but it’s a little hit or miss. You might find exactly what you’re looking for. But you might waste a long time scrolling.
Amazon.de
Amazon.de does offer more selection than you can find in Switzerland but it comes with a few problems. First, many items won’t ship to Switzerland. So I often find that my time searching is wasted since the item I want won’t even ship here.
Sometimes the customs are handled through Amazon, but it seems the rules keep changing. So check carefully before placing your order. Lastly, Amazon tempts you with lots of low price items, but they aren’t always the best quality. I bought ski pants for my kids one year on Amazon because it was such a good price. But I totally regretted not buying a better quality brand.
Galaxus
Galaxus is kinda like the Amazon for Switzerland. They selll a small collection of hiking and winter sport clothing (see kids collection) but you might find something you like.
Lovely Sheep Boutique
We like to support local entrepreneurs, so consider getting your thermals from Lovely Sheep Boutique, a small family owned business in Switzerland. They sell a wide variety of merino wool clothing, including thermal tops and leggings for adults and children suitable for winter sports. Some suggestions: two piece women’s set, kid’s long sleeve shirts & leggings.
Online shops for kids outdoor clothing
Here are a few kids clothing online shops that my friends recommend: Jako•O, tausendkind.ch
Other sports online shops
Here are a few other online outdoor shops that seem to ship to Switzerland without customs problems. But no guarantees and check their policies carefully before placing an order: Bergzeit, Bergfreude, SportScheck, Ackermann.ch, Campz.ch
Do you have any other stores to recommend? Please leave a comment to let us know.
See also: What to wear when hiking in Switzerland and What to wear and pack on a winter hike
10 responses
Thank you very much for the posts (and videos), we are planning to go to zurich in october and we plan to take a few days to hike,
Here in Brazil we don’t have snow and we will need to buy clothes for cold weather. Your references helped a lot!
So glad you found my posts helpful. I hope you had a good trip.
This is a great comprehensive list. Thanks for sharing Tanya. It would be awesome to make a post on secondhand ski gear too. Perhaps reach out and make it a contributor post? Living in Davos I’ve picked up some great bargains for my kids at the brocki’s sun Davos, Klosters and Chur.
Glad you found the list helpful. I agree, secondhand gear is a great way to save money and be more sustainable. I’ll add some secondhand shopping resources to this post.
Thank you for this very useful post. I bought a lot on bergzeit.ch. Not sure how they compare to other shops, I just googled them once and always found what I needed.
Glad to know you had a positive experience with bergzeit.ch. I’ve ordered from them before too and it was fine.
I recently ordered Ski Clothing from Keller Sport(https://www.keller-sports.ch/). Wide variety of brands and good priced.
Thanks for the tip!
I’ve bought a lot of stuff lately from Blue Tomato. They have a store in Zurich and an online store.
Thanks for the tip!