Chur & Eastern Switzerland: Designing a Quiet Alpine Route Few Travelers Consider
By Silvanna Pacheco, August 19, 2026.
Nestled in a sweeping Rhine River basin, Chur holds the title of Switzerland’s oldest city. It effortlessly blends ancient history with contemporary charm, offering the perfect starting point for your next mountain retreat. By designing an itinerary centered around Chur and Eastern Switzerland, you unlock a side of the country defined by “soft adventure”: hikes for all fitness levels, accessible mountain peaks, memorable scenic trains, and authentic cultural encounters. Talk to our travel specialists and start tailoring your journey through Eastern Switzerland and map out your dream trip!
Why Start in Chur?
Every great journey needs an anchor, and Chur is hard to top. Its car-free Old Town is the city’s crown jewel, practically begging for slow, aimless wandering. As you walk through a labyrinth of cobblestone alleyways, you’ll stumble upon medieval guild houses, beautifully painted facades, sunlit plazas, and tucked-away courtyards.
Unlike touristy towns, Chur buzzes with authentic local life. The streets are packed with independent boutiques, artisan bakeries, cozy cafes, and traditional Swiss taverns (Beizen). Grab an outdoor table at Arcas Square, pair a piece of Bündner Nusstorte (a decadent local walnut-caramel tart) with a coffee, and soak in the scene framed by towering mountain walls.
Brambrüesch is one of Chur’s finest hidden gems: a mountain integrated directly into the city. Instead of dealing with lengthy transit to hit the peaks, a quick walk from the Old Town lands you right at the cable car station. Minutes later, the red gondola glides above urban streets and thick forests, dropping you onto a breathtaking alpine plateau at 1,600 meters.
In the warmer months, it turns into a haven for both hikers and mountain bikers, featuring picturesque trails and beautiful valley vistas. When snow arrives, the plateau shifts gears, serving up excellent terrain for sledging and beginner skiing.
Beyond its city limits, Chur is ringed by incredible cultural and natural destinations:
Bündner Herrschaft: Just north of the city lies Graubünden’s sun-drenched “wine garden”. Famous for producing world-class Pinot Noir, this warm micro-region features rolling hillside vineyards and welcoming local wineries that offer guided walking tours and cellar tastings.
Heididorf in Maienfeld: A short train ride brings you to Maienfeld, the real-life setting of Johanna Spyri’s iconic story, Heidi. At Heididorf, you can wander among authentic wooden chalets, pet the local goats, and step into the nostalgic, picture-perfect countryside that inspired the world’s view of Switzerland.
Using Chur as your central base camp allows you to explore the vast Graubünden region through stress-free day trips. You don’t need technical climbing gear or extreme fitness to experience these landscapes; the region excels at making dramatic nature accessible to everyone.
While international tourists scramble to reserve panorama trains months ahead of time, local Swiss commuters know better: some of the country’s most breathtaking scenic routes belong to standard regional lines. The Chur–Arosa route is a perfect case in point. Leaving Chur’s main station, in a course of just one hour, the train conquers 1,000 vertical meters, navigating tight horseshoe curves, dark tunnels, and dramatic stone bridges, including the famous Langwies Viaduct, a masterpiece of engineering that spans high above a rushing gorge.
When you arrive in the mountain resort of Arosa, a wealth of alpine activities awaits:
Arosa Bear Sanctuary: Located near the mid-station of the Weisshorn cable car, this sanctuary provides a vast, natural mountain home for bears rescued from poor captive conditions. Visitors can observe the bears roaming through pastures and streams from an elevated viewing platform.
The Squirrel Trail: Starting right near the village, this gentle forest path is a favorite for visitors of all ages. The local wild squirrels are famously trusting and will happily scurry down pine trunks to eat hazelnuts right out of your open palm. Visit our blog for more tips on exploring Graubünden, with kids!.
Biking & Hiking: Arosa features an extensive network of well-marked, accessible trails that wind across high-alpine ridgelines. Outdoor enthusiasts can soak in sweeping 360-degree mountain views while hiking or mountain biking, all without having to tackle punishing, steep ascents.
Just 35 minutes away via postal bus ride of Chur, the Flims-Laax region serves up a legendary outdoor playground anchored by two spectacular natural marvels born from an ancient rockslide. First is Lake Cauma, renowned for its brilliant turquoise waters and comfortably warm summer temperatures, an ideal destination for a relaxing swim, paddleboarding, or a shady picnic. A convenient, free funicular transports guests straight from the main path to the shoreline. A short and gentle walk away lies the Ruinaulta, often dubbed the “Swiss Grand Canyon”. Over thousands of years, the young Rhine River has sculpted a dramatic, deep gorge through towering white limestone cliffs.
Graubünden Summer Highlights
Journey through the Swiss Alps, starting in scenic Val Poschiavo, traveling to Celerina, viewing glaciers at Mt. Diavolezza, and spotting ibex in Pontresina. Ride the iconic Bernina Express to historic Chur, then explore the dramatic Rhine Gorge and turquoise Lake Cauma in Flims-Laax. Wrap up your trip in Chur with an exhilarating alpine coaster ride in Churwalden or a visit to the Arosa Bear Sanctuary.
If you are looking for a day packed with playful energy, Churwalden is only 25 minutes away by postal bus. Here, you’ll find Europe’s longest summer toboggan run (Pradaschier). After taking a comfortable chairlift up the mountain, you strap into a track-bound alpine coaster cart and hurtle down 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) of winding stainless-steel track. With 31 hairpin turns and a vertical drop of nearly 500 meters, it delivers a thrilling ride through alpine pastures. Best of all, each cart has its own handbrake, putting you in total control of your speed, whether you want a leisurely scenic glide or an adrenaline-fueled dash. Reach out to our local experts to design your dream train journey through the Swiss scenery.
After spending 3 to 4 days absorbing Chur’s relaxed pace, centuries of history, and daily adventures, your journey is far from over. As the primary hub for the Rhaetian Railway, Chur grants you direct access to the famous Albula-Bernina line, a UNESCO World Heritage route renowned for its dramatic stone viaducts and alpine views. From here, you can comfortably ride the rails straight into the next high-altitude chapter of your Swiss holiday.
Pairing with the Engadin Valley or Davos: Board a train to reach the high-alpine sun terrace of the Upper Engadin (home to St. Moritz) or the bustling alpine sports hub of Davos. The contrast between Chur’s low-elevation Rhine Valley climate and the raw, glaciated high-altitude alpine world of the Engadin creates a dynamic multi-stop itinerary.
The scenic trains – Chur is a key station for Switzerland’s two most famous panoramic trains:
- The Bernina Express: Board directly in Chur to travel over the Bernina Pass, past towering glaciers and mountain peaks, before dropping all the way down into Tirano, Italy.
- The Glacier Express: Known as the “slowest express train in the world,” this iconic red train stops in Chur as it connects St. Moritz with the Matterhorn village of Zermatt, offering continuous glass-domed views of mountain passes and deep valleys.
When traveling to Chur, consider planning your stay for 3 to 5 nights based in the city. This gives you ample time to explore the Old Town, spend a day on Brambrüesch, take day trips to Arosa and Flims-Laax, and enjoy a wine tasting in the Bündner Herrschaft without ever feeling rushed. June through October offers warm weather, lush hiking trails, open cable cars, and clear swimming conditions at Lake Cauma. Autumn (September–October) is particularly magical as the golden autumn foliage in the surrounding valleys starts.