The $50 Burger and the Sniper on the Roof
If you are trying to catch a train from Zurich to Chur this weekend, good luck. You are competing with 3,000 heads of state, CEOs, and their entourages.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) kicks off on January 19, and the “Davos Tax” has officially hit the entire canton of Graubünden. We are used to the circus by now. But 2026 feels different. The security perimeter—the infamous “Steel Ring”—has expanded. You now need a badge just to get within breathing distance of the Promenade.
The Greenwashing Express
The talking point this year is the “Green Corridor.” The WEF has partnered with SBB to run exclusive, high-speed charter trains from Zurich Airport, encouraging delegates to ditch the helicopter transfers. It sounds noble. But let’s look at the tarmac. Zurich Kloten is already reporting a record number of private jet slot requests. The “Green Train” is a nice photo op, but the real power is still arriving by Gulfstream. And the prices? A standard room at a 3-star hotel near the airport is trading at €850 a night. A burger on the Schatzalp will cost you €52. It is price gouging masquerading as supply and demand.
The Conversation We Need
And yet, we watch. Because despite the excess, this is still the only room where the enemies talk. The theme this year is “Stabilizing the Fracture.” With the geopolitical mess in the Mediterranean and the trade wars in Asia, we need these people to sit in a room—even if it is an overpriced one—and speak. I spoke to a young climate delegate from Brazil at the train station today. She wasn’t flying private. She was tired, cold, and carrying a backpack full of data. “I don’t care about the parties,” she said. “I just need five minutes with the Minister of Energy.” That is the paradox of Davos. It is the most cynical event on earth, fueled by the most earnest hope.
