The world’s top business and political leaders are heading to the Swiss town of Davos next week for the 2026 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
Given the elite networking event has been held in the Alpine resort since the 1970s, you might think it would by now be slickly organised and easy to navigate. But attendees regularly complain of impracticalities and logistical challenges. The FT’s Davos team share their tips on how to get the most out of a trip.
Sam Fleming, economics editor
Embrace the Fomo, do not fear it. There are dozens of events, seminars, panels, lunches, drinks parties and ski excursions going on simultaneously all week. Whichever one you find yourself at, there will be a small part of your mind wondering if there’s a more illustrious one with a more glittering cast list going on down the road (or up the mountain). Answer — there probably is. So embrace the agenda you’ve set for yourself and make the best of it. The week is too short to spend time worrying about what’s happening elsewhere.
Never underestimate how long it takes to get from place to place. The venues are unusually strung out along Davos’s main road, pavements are often slippery, and the throngs of delegates stomping back and forth between meetings make it difficult to get anywhere fast. Then there’s the endless security checks, where people inevitably pick up the wrong winter coat and gloves from the plastic trays, or find they left their entrance pass draped on their plate of fondue at lunch.
Pilita Clark, business columnist
Prepare for humiliation. This is the ultimate event for the masters, and occasional mistress, of the universe. The most elite will have a badge that allows them to sail through doors that will be closed to you. So will many of the less top-tier. In some spots, depending on your badge, you may not even be allowed to walk on the same side of the street as them. Get used to it. It’s Davos, and it only lasts five days.
Wear sensible shoes. Yes, you are going to be surrounded by billionaires, presidents and celebrities. Yes, you will want to look reasonably smart. But you are also going to be doing a lot of walking, on snow and ice. Carry the Italian loafers in your backpack if you must but once outside, keep suede and leather soles to a minimum and do not even think about heels.
Andrew Hill, senior business writer
Lace up your sensible footwear and walk everywhere. On no account be tempted into a vehicle once you’re up in Davos itself. Official WEF delegates can catch a shuttle bus, heads of state will want to stay inside their armour-plated limos, and Ubers are available — at an extortionate price. But at busy times, all of them will be nose-to-tail down the Promenade, while you breeze past on foot to your next appointment. The first fitness tracker I owned was a Davos freebie and the manufacturer picked its target audience well: weather permitting, you will definitely get your steps in.
And some related advice: think location, location, location. Pick your base and your maximum walking range and never accept a meeting anywhere outside that tightly drawn circle. Otherwise you could easily spend an hour moving to and from a 20-minute appointment. CEOs and Donald Trump are powerful enough to demand supplicants come to them, but everyone else needs to be ruthless about ruling out invitations in far-flung Davos outposts.
Food. It’s a paradox of Davos that despite multiple overlapping private sponsored lunches and dinners, you can occasionally find yourself without an invitation to the inner sanctum and unable to spare the time or money for a restaurant meal. Inside the Congress centre you will have to survive on apples, snacks and coffee most of the time, but if you venture outside the main security zone, the Migros Restaurant attached to the supermarket at Promenade 105 is a good place to recharge. Don’t expect to rub shoulders with Nobel Prize winners, prime ministers or chief executives here, but Migros offers a fast-moving, reasonably priced (by Swiss standards) self-service menu and sufficient tables and customer turnover to allow you to sit down briefly and fuel up between schmoozes.
Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator
Sit tight in the lounge. My colleagues have made all the important points about the misery and difficulty of moving around Davos. The obvious conclusion is that it is a mistake to agree to too many meetings — especially if they are a long way from the Congress Centre.
If you are a delegate with a white badge (sorry Pilita), it often makes sense just to find a rare seat in the main lounge and sit there. Many of the people you will want to talk to will pass by — wave to them and they will come over for a chat. That can be much more efficient than setting up a meeting one of you will want to cancel anyway. Sitting in the lounge for long periods has the added benefit that you are well positioned to swoop when the meagre and sporadic deliveries of food appear.
On the crucial question of footwear — when you collect your badge make sure to ask for the free crampons that you can attach to your shoes to prevent slipping.
Ortenca Aliaj, banking editor
Do ‘Dry Davos’. It is an overwhelming five days where most people are in back-to-back meetings during the day and attending several events in the evenings. Waking up with a clear head when it’s cold and dark outside and you’re about to enter the maelstrom is underrated.
Exercise outside (if you can). You’re surrounded by the sublime Swiss Alps, don’t spend the morning on a treadmill if you can avoid it.
Arash Massoudi, finance and markets editor
Hydrate. You’re on a mountain, running around for at least 12 hours a day. You might also have a drink or two in the evening. The obvious thing to remember is to stay hydrated. I hadn’t known about hydration and vitamin tablets such as Berocca or ORS, which contain electrolytes, until I saw a colleague start each day with them. I’ve incorporated that into my daily routine ever since.
Fresh socks, frequently changed. Much has rightly been made of the importance of good footwear. But just as important is having plenty of performance socks and changing them at least once, if not twice, a day. You move from cold to warm conditions repeatedly while averaging five to ten miles on foot. Your feet take a beating and need to be treated accordingly.
“Davos is not the real world”. Jamie Dimon once told me this at a party there. Sometimes the best advice is the most obvious.
Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator
I have been to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum every year from 1999 (though not every year was it held in Davos).
So, here are the lessons I have learned. First, be clear what you are going for and organise yourself for that. If you don’t, you will be overwhelmed and frustrated. Second, dress warmly: you are in an Alpine resort in January, after all. Third, remember that the Davos consensus is almost always wrong.
Last but not least, look out for the “Davos moment”, when you meet someone unexpected, hear something startling, or learn something genuinely fresh. That moment is what makes the visit worthwhile.