Crans or Montana: what's the difference?

It’s one of the questions we get asked most often. On maps, you sometimes see “Crans”, sometimes “Montana”, sometimes “Crans-Montana”. On Google, traveller reviews switch between all three. And some hotels are called “Crans”, others “Montana”, and nobody really knows why.

The short answer: today it’s a single resort, but historically these were two distinct villages. Here’s the full story, and more importantly what it actually changes when you’re planning a stay.

The quick answer

For a traveller planning a holiday: you can use “Crans-Montana” interchangeably. It’s the same ski resort, the same ski area, the same shuttles, the same restaurants. Whether your accommodation is in the Crans neighbourhood or the Montana one, you’re just a few minutes away from the other on foot or by shuttle.

But if you do want to pick your exact neighbourhood, read on — there are still a few useful nuances.

The history in two minutes

Originally, Crans and Montana were two distinct mountain hamlets, perched on the sunny plateau overlooking the Rhône valley, between 1,500 and 1,700 metres.

Montana is the older of the two for tourism. From the early 1900s, sanatoriums were built there to treat tuberculosis — the dry air and record sunshine (around 300 days a year) made it a leading centre for pulmonary medicine. Several famous writers stayed there, including Rainer Maria Rilke and Katherine Mansfield.

Crans, right next door, followed a different path. Its reputation was built on golf: an 18-hole course was created in 1906, quickly considered one of the finest in Europe. Tourism there was more upmarket and more cosmopolitan, attracting European aristocracy from the 1920s onwards. To this day, Crans hosts the Omega European Masters each year, a major event on the DP World Tour circuit.

For decades, the two villages developed in parallel, shared the ski slopes, but remained administratively separate.

The merger: a long process

For the tourism brand, the name “Crans-Montana” took hold from the 1960s — the resort was marketed as a single entity, with one ski area, one main cable car, one shared promotional strategy.

But administratively, until 2017, the territory was divided across four municipalities: Chermignon, Mollens, Montana and Randogne. Four municipal councils, four budgets, four mayors.

In 2017, these four municipalities officially merged to form the single municipality of Crans-Montana. The neighbouring municipality of Lens remains independent but works closely with the resort.

So today:

• “Crans-Montana” = the municipality and the tourist resort
• “Crans” and “Montana” = neighbourhoods within the resort

The current neighbourhoods, in real life

Once you’re there, you’ll quickly notice that the resort has several faces depending on where you are. Here are the main neighbourhoods, in the order you’ll encounter them if you arrive by road from Sierre.

Bluche and the first bends

At the top of the switchbacks, the hamlet of Bluche is quieter and residential, with a few chalets and the well-known Les Roches Hotel School. It isn’t a main tourist neighbourhood but is often favoured for long-term rentals thanks to its peaceful feel.

The Montana neighbourhood

As you arrive in the resort, you first pass through Montana. This is the most residential and family-friendly neighbourhood. You’ll find several supermarkets, more affordable restaurants, the main tourist office, and Lake Grenon (an iconic walking spot in summer). Accommodation here is on average cheaper than on the Crans side, without being out of the way — you can reach the centre on foot in 10 to 15 minutes.

The Crans neighbourhood

A few minutes further west, Crans takes on a more upmarket feel. This is the neighbourhood of historic palace hotels (Le Crans, Guarda Golf), luxury boutiques, the 18-hole golf course, and several fine-dining restaurants. It’s also the liveliest neighbourhood at the start of the golf season (May to September).

Aminona and Plans-Mayens

Further west again, Aminona is a higher-altitude neighbourhood with direct access to a gondola — ideal for ski-in/ski-out fans. It’s quieter and a bit more off to the side, but very well placed for sport.

Plans-Mayens sits above Crans, on the edge of the plateau, and offers the most open views of the Valais Alps. More upscale, more residential.

In practice, what does it change for your stay?

For a short stay or a weekend, honestly, not much. The resort is compact (around 4 km from east to west), free shuttles run all year, and most activities are reachable from any neighbourhood in under 15 minutes.

That said, if you do want to choose your neighbourhood based on your profile:

• A couple, more upmarket vibe: go for Crans or Plans-Mayens.
• Family, reasonable budget: Montana or Bluche.
• For skiing, quick access to the slopes: Aminona (direct ski-in/ski-out) or properties near the Funitel on the Montana side.
• For golf: Crans, obviously.
• For quiet remote work (workation): Plans-Mayens or the upper part of Montana, for the view and the calm.

And what about “Crans-sur-Sierre”?

That’s the old official name for Crans, still used on some documents and signs. “Sierre” refers to the town below, 1,000 metres lower down in the Rhône valley. The main road up to the resort starts from Sierre — hence the name “Crans-sur-Sierre”, meaning “Crans above Sierre”.

It’s the same place as what is now simply called “Crans”.

In short

• Crans and Montana have been two neighbourhoods of a single municipality and ski resort since 2017.
• For a visitor, you can say Crans-Montana either way.
• Crans = more upmarket, golf, palace hotels. Montana = more residential, family-friendly, affordable.
• Other neighbourhoods worth knowing: Aminona (skiing), Plans-Mayens (views), Bluche (quiet).

If you’re planning your stay, have a look at our stays — you can filter by capacity, amenities or type to find the neighbourhood that suits you.