Engazin_Magazin_Nr 12_EN

Engadin

Engadin Summer / Autumn

The main hiking trails in the extensive Engadin trail network are marked yellow.

Photo from Federico Sette Cover: Lagalb

Diavolezza,

Lago Bianco

Bernina Pass

Diavolezza

Muottas Muragl

Dear guests,

So many roads lead to … the Engadin. You can get here via twisty mountain passes at dizzying heights, nearing the beauty of this high valley region with every curve. You can cycle along a rippling river with the wind in your hair or take a stroll at a leisurely pace and enjoy the spectacular views as you go. Explore ancient trails, once used by drivers and their pack animals, or hiking routes whilst soaking up the sights and sounds of the glorious nature around you.

The Engadin has something for everyone. For once, the journey truly is the goal. But then again, some who find the way up here, decide to stay forever. Why not put it to the test and pay us a visit? A warm welcome is waiting for you.

Wishing you all the best from the Engadin!

Maloja Pass

Corviglia

Corvatsch

Lej da Silvaplauna

Lej da Segl

p. 18

p. 82

p. 66

p. 98

INTRODUCTION

On the Way Beaten paths, inner journeys, guides and signs.

CHAMINER

Pack Animal Trails

Time Travel Trail A long-distance hike back in time on the Via Valtellina. Old Paths, New Horizons Smugglers, philosophers, and other trailblazers.

CULINARIA

Herbarium

A Wonderful World of Wild Herbs Natural ingredients to supercharge food and cosmetics. Hello, Herbs Experience herbs with all your senses.

NATÜRA

On the Right Track Local wildlife in its natural habitat.

Fauna Fun Animal adventures for the whole family.

CULTURA

The St. Moritz Tram

Hello, Horsepower Carriages, cars, and ten referendums.

Driving Back in Time The Engadin is a popular destination for classic car drivers.

ACTIVE

Paving the Way for Bike Adventures

Follow the Water 520 kilometres of active adventures on the Inn Cycle Path. On Your Bike! Explore the mountains on two wheels.

ILS VIEDIS DA LA VITA

Deeply Rooted in the Valley Four inspiring life stories.

Home Sweet Home People on different paths find their way to the Engadin.

PINBOARD

Ideas and inspiration for activities, restaurants, accommodation, and culture to make your winter wonderland dreams come true in the Engadin.

Hiking across cultural and linguistic borders

on the Bernina Pass.

Photo: Nico Schaerer

The Romans were already using the route over the

for the trade in grain, wine, cheese and honey.

Albula Pass

Photo: Nico Schaerer

The Julier Pass was the first Alpine pass to have a paved road.

Photo:

Alp Suvretta above St. Moritz, covered in a sugar-like layer of snow.

Photo: Nico Schaerer

On the Way

Beaten paths, inner journeys, guides and signs

Expert guides

Madulain – Ready to reach new horizons? If you’re planning to climb your first mountain or try tackling your first via ferrata, the Pontresina Mountaineering School is on hand to help. The team will match the challenge to your level and help you rise to it. The adventures range from a family-friendly glacier expedition on the Diavolezza to an extreme ascent to the top of Piz Kesch, the tallest mountain in the Albula Alps at 3,417 metres above sea level. engadin.ch/mountaineering-school

A count with big plans

Maloja – Like so many hoteliers, the Belgian Count Camille de Renesse (1836 – 1904) was a pioneer in Alpine tourism. And yet he failed in his mission to create a glamorous gathering place for the aristocracy in Maloja. He did open his majestic and modern Hôtel-Kursaal de la Maloja (now known as the Maloja Palace) in 1884. But the nearest border was closed due to an outbreak of cholera in Italy not long after that – and the Count was forced to file for bankruptcy.

Sea of signs

People see signs, but do they really take them in? Let’s draw attention to these ones so you know to look out for them when you’re out and about in the area.

Internal journey

Red means go Dark-red signs indicate routes that are suitable for cycling and skating.

Pontresina – If you’re on a journey to find inner peace, Pontresina is a good place to stop. Both Hotel Maistra 160 and Sporthotel Pontresina have a full programme, including one-to-one yoga sessions and multiple-day retreats with yoga, pilates, qigong, and walks on offer. maistra160.ch, sporthotel.ch

Challenge check

Mountain trails are marked with a yellow sign with a red and white pointed end, while alpine trail signs are blue with a blue and white pointed end. This means you can tell at a glance how challenging a route is going to be, so you can assess the suitability and the equipment required.

Speed through the mountains

Story time – past and present Places like Samedan, Celerina, and La Punt Chamues-ch have so many stories to tell. And you can hear some of them when you set off on “smarTrails”. Explore the past and present of the local towns and villages with the help of your smartphone. engadin.ch/en/smartrails

Without barriers

White indicates the barrier-free paths.

Joyous journey

Keen to push yourself out of your comfort zone but want to keep your feet on the ground? The Engadin Ultra Trail could be just the challenge you’re looking for. This extreme event covers considerable distances as trail runners have to run as fast as they can on narrow paths through the mountains. The main route spans an impressive 102 kilometres starting in Samedan. engadin.ch/ultra-trail

Buy a “TrenInn” experience ticket, have your smartphone handy, and prepare to puzzle! Discover cultural highlights on the train line between St. Moritz/Pontresina and Scuol-Tarasp alongside all the puzzle fun. It’s worth hopping on and off because there are bonus riddles waiting for you at the stations. engadin.ch/treninn-experience

Engadin Newsletter

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Another Via Maistra

You’ll probably spot lots of Via Maistras while you’re exploring the Engadin. That’s the name given to many of the roads that pass through the village centres. They may all sound the same, but they don’t look at all similar.

1 The Via Maistra in Pontresina is impressively long. At just under 3 kilometres, it almost stretches from one side of the village to the other.

2 In Celerina, the Via Maistra takes you straight out of the village and into glorious green nature.

3 The Via Maistra in S-chanf might just be the most attractive of all the roads with the same name.

4 In Silvaplana, the Via Maistra merges into the Via vers Mulin, where a mill once stood back in the 15th century.

Future routes

The search for new ways to make the future more sustainable and environmentally friendly extends all the way up into the mountains in the Engadin. For example, Silvaplana has been operating a free electric shuttle bus on a 20-minute cycle for a number of years now. The first energy-positive hotel in the Alps is located on Muottas Muragl. Thanks to a solar power system, a heat pump, and more, it produces more electricity than it consumes. That’s impressive!

Top 5: summer bucket list

6

That’s the number of little mountain lakes you’ll come across on the Furtschellas Water Trail. The Plitsch und Platsch (Splish and Splash) activity book turns the circular hiking route into a fun family adventure to remember.

Water flight

Silvaplana – You choose how you get out on the water with the windsurfing school in Silvaplana. The wing foiling course is popular right now. It involves gliding across the water on a board while holding onto a lightweight sail. You might even be able to take off. engadin.ch/water-sports

Five things you simply must do if you’re in the Engadin during the summer:

Learn about all the wild herbs growing in the Engadin.

Spot the local wildlife –binoculars and patience required.

Walk across Engadin passes along old pack animal trails.

Discover the diversity of the cultural landscape along the Inn River by bike.

Chat with the locals over a drink in a village hot spot.

Photo: Nico Schaerer

Chaminer

“Walking is the perfect way of moving if you want to see into the life of things.”

ELIZABETH VON ARNIM (1866–1941),

BRITISH NOVELIST

Pack Animal Trails

Image: Kulturarchiv Oberengadin

Pack animals once trekked across all terrains, transporting goods across the Engadin.

Hard work: transalpine trade through the Engadin was dominated by pack animal drivers for centuries. They loaded up their animals – horses, mules, and donkeys – with goods to transport them over long distances. They would cover 20 km to 30 km a day, passing through valleys and across passes. There were waystations along the way, where pack animal drivers could temporarily store and reload their goods. Many of them were farmers who were travelling a particular stretch to earn extra money on the side. After roads and railway lines were built across the Alps in the 19th century, there was no longer a need to transport goods on pack animals.

Lucrative wine: one of the pack animal trails in the Engadin used to connect the Montafon Valley and the Valtellina. Lots of cattle were taken south, while wine was transported in the other direction. You can still follow this route along the Via Valtellina. The long-distance hiking trail covers around 150 kilometres between Schruns in Austria and Tirano in Italy. The route can be divided up into seven to nine stages. The book called ViaValtellina. Auf Säumerwegen durch drei Sprachregionen by Daniel Stotz (Weber Verlag 2023) is an informative resource on this topic (but is only available in German). You can book your own adventure (including luggage transportation and accommodation) and explore the route with Tour Explorer. tour-explorer.ch

Charming tradition: the tradition lives on every summer, when a group sets off along the Via Valtellina – dressed appropriately and accompanied by horses, donkeys, and mules loaded up with cargo. There’s lots of excitement surrounding their journey and they’re welcomed with a drink when they arrive in many of the villages in the Engadin. This delightful tradition is kept alive by a coach called Daniel Flühler. daniel-fluehler.ch

Time Travel Trail

As you walk along the Via Valtellina, you’re transported back to the heyday of the pack animal drivers. What a wonderful opportunity to explore the Engadin in all its glory on foot. The long-distance hiking trail follows an old trade route that takes you through natural landscapes and charming villages.

Text JONAS MORGENTHALER

Photo NICO SCHAERER

Scaletta Pass, 2,606 metres above sea level. I set off from Davos early in the morning so I could make my way uphill in the shadow of the Dürrboden mountains. And now the sun is shining down on the rocky landscape with its sparse greenery. It strikes me as being friendly and cheerful on this summer’s day. The snow is long gone and the dry, solid ground is giving me steady footing. I couldn’t ask for better conditions to hike into the past. I’m on the Via Valtellina, a long-distance hiking trail that follows the route of a pack animal trail from centuries ago. Traders would have transported Valtellina wine across the Alps and towards Lake Constance along this very path from Tirano in Italy to the Montafon Valley in Austria.

I’m following in the footsteps of the pack animal drivers through the Engadin for three days. From the Scaletta Pass, I zigzag down a steep gravel path towards Alp Funtauna. There’s a group with horses behind me. They’re all concentrating hard on the descent and their animals. It must have been so challenging for traders to tackle this pass all those centuries ago! They were daring travellers, each with as many as seven horses or mules in tow, which would have been carrying loads that often weighed well over 100 kg.

Once I pass Alp Funtauna, the route winds through the tranquil Val Susauna. Larches and pines provide shade, while the Vallember River flows over smooth pebbles. Birds are tweeting, marmots are whistling, and butterflies flutter through the air. I don’t meet many people on my way, but everyone I do come across is enamoured with the picturesque surroundings. I wonder whether our traders were able to enjoy the beauty of nature around them. Or were they focused fully on the dangers that might await them? They had to be prepared

4: DAVOS – S-CHANF

STAGE

for anything – rockfalls, fog, storms, avalanches. They couldn’t afford to let bad weather stop them in their tracks.

It’s likely that many of them would have been heading for the guest house in Chapella on the edge of the valley. As for me, my destination is Cinuos-chel, a village just off the route. Hotel Veduta was opened in 1912 as a stopover for people travelling by carriage or rail. The delicious food and friendly atmosphere make the short detour worth my while. I’d recommend staying here in the autumn too, when game dishes are back on the menu. They serve only animals that have been supplied whole by local hunters.

The route is completely different on the second day of my journey. I’m following the Inn River and modern transport routes alongside the trail today. Everyone else is moving at pace – whether by train, car, or bike. But I’m making slow progress. One step at a time. My thoughts have stopped racing and my mind is calm. I have time to properly take in my surroundings. Every so often, I find myself walking alongside railway tracks or main roads. But most of the Via Valtellina avoids busy transport routes. Right at the start, I head through a forest less than 100 metres away from the main road. There’s nobody else around. I enjoy the peace and quiet, but am delighted by every church tower I come across on the 27 kilometres to Pontresina. They signal the next village on my route and invite me to explore for a while. S-chanf is a quiet village with a pretty, old centre. And then there’s vibrant Zuoz with its grand traditional houses, shops, and art galleries.

Our old traveller friends would have had no trouble finding sustenance here at the heart of the Inn Valley. I stop off in Madulain.

STAGE 5: S-CHANF – PONTRESINA

Stop for a break in some of the most picturesque villages in the Engadin along the pack animal trails.

When you walk, you have time to admire the water, woods and wildlife along the way.

This is where Tony Rees bakes. He shows off his sourdough skills and mastery of baguettes, brioche, and other French classics at his bakery, Mangiativas Klein. He perfected his craft in New Zealand and Australia, before love brought him to the Engadin. In a way, he’s also following in the footsteps of our traditional travellers. They opened up the Engadin’s eyes to the rest of the world back in the Middle Ages, bringing new ideas with them and encouraging exchange and communication.

My second port of call for refreshments is Metzgerei Plinio in Samedan. This butcher’s shop run by Plinio and Rosmarie Laudenbacher is full of local delicacies, many of which are homemade. You can take your pick from 90 types of cheese, dried meat, and salsiz and salametti sausage. Their signature products, though, are made from Black Angus beef. There’s no doubt that these cows would have been a top export back in the days of the pack animal trails. The travelling traders often moved cattle down south, delivering meat to be served at the lavish feasts enjoyed in well-to-do Lombardy. When I arrive in Pontresina, I check into Hotel Steinbock, a three-star establishment boasting a modern design and service with a smile. Originally dating back to 1651, the building has been used as a guest house for over two centuries. We can assume that it would have been a horse-changing station before that. Pontresina became an important stopping point on the northsouth trade route via the Bernina Pass because goods would be reloaded and pack animals swapped here.

STAGE 6: PONTRESINA – OSPIZIO BERNINA

I struggle to get going the next day. My feet hurt and my legs feel heavy. Hiking a long distance reminds me of climbing up a mountain. You can’t power ahead like a machine. Instead, you have to take it slow. A little later, I’m happy to find myself on a secluded woodland path. I spot an even narrower and steeper path heading up towards Val Morteratsch. The trees look denser too. I decide to go that way on a whim. And now I’m heading off the Via Valtellina. By the time the paths meet again, I’m out of breath and the feeling of walking on cloud nine has passed. If I’m being honest, a detour with a 150-metre altitude change isn’t a sensible idea for an inexperienced long-distance hiker like me.

The path up to the Bernina Pass is just as challenging. The higher I go, the colder and more barren it gets. But the valley is as wide and open as ever. It’s no surprise that this alpine passage became such a well-trodden trade route. These days, it’s busy with motorbikes, buses, bikes, and Rhaetian Railway trains. I carry on walking to Alp Grüm. The Belvedere sits up high like an eagle’s nest perched on a cliff. The observation deck is busy during the day, but you only have to share it with the few guests staying at the hotel in the evening. The view across the Valposchiavo is spectacular. You can almost see all the way to the end of the next stage of the Via Valtellina. But this is where my journey ends – 2,189 metres above sea level. To be honest, I quite fancy walking some more in the morning. If I keep following the footsteps of those travelling traders, I’ll be heading downhill to wine and warm weather!

STAGE 7: OSPIZIO BERNINA – POSCHIAVO

Keep putting one foot in front of the other and you’ll be rewarded with views of magnificent mountain scenery.

Old Paths, New Horizons

Smugglers, philosophers, and other trailblazers

Picturesque path

Artist Giovanni Segantini (1858 – 1899) loved the Engadin light. And you can explore the region through his eyes on the Senda Segantini. The hiking route covers 73 kilometres and is divided into five stages. Along the way, you pass locations that are connected to the symbolist artist who is renowned for his role in reviving alpine painting. You’ll see his family’s former residence in Savognin, his workshop in Maloja, and the hut on the Schafberg mountain near Pontresina where he died. engadin.ch/sendasegantini

Nature (La natura), 1899 Segantini painted this scene on the Schafberg mountain not long before he died. It shows a couple walking home with a view of St. Moritz in the background.

Image: Gottfried Keller Foundation, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Berne, Segantini Museum, St. Moritz, photo: Stephan Schenk, Lüen

Themed routes

Whether you’re following in the footsteps of philosophers or smugglers, walks along a themed route are always an enjoyable experience.

engadin.ch/themed-hikes

1 Philosophers’ Trail, Muottas Muragl

This loop proved to be so popular in the winter that you can follow it in the summer now too. Quotes from the likes of Erich Kästner and Thomas Mann on boards will give you pause for thought as you walk the two kilometres.

2 Barefoot Trails, Celerina

Walking barefoot is good for your circulation and even better for your soul. Take off your shoes and wander through meadows, on woodland paths, and through water on the two barefoot trails in Celerina. The whole family will enjoy this experience for all the senses.

3 Smugglers’ Trail Maloja

The short themed trail from Maloja to Bitabergh Lake takes you back to a time when smuggling all kinds of goods (see the examples on the right) between Italy and the areas near the Grisons border was a lucrative business.

Walking wonderland

Whether your feet are itching for a leisurely lakeside stroll or a mountain adventure up high, your walking wishes will always come true in the Engadin. The network of hiking trails covers some 580 kilometres in total, providing plenty of opportunities to explore the magnificent mountains on foot. The routes wind their way to picturesque places like Susauna and Zuoz, lead you into wild side valleys like Val Roseg and Val Bever, and guide you right up to glaciers and peaks. The good news is that trains, buses, and cable cars are often available to take you back to your accommodation if your legs are feeling tired.

Coffee

The authorities referred to coffee as “Export Two”. For a long time, it was freshly roasted in Switzerland –perfectly legally – and then smuggled into Valtellina illegally.

Rice

When the lira lost value during the Second World War, it was worth smuggling Italian rice into Switzerland.

Cigarettes

Here’s another classic on the black market. Smugglers brought tobacco into Italy around the turn of the 20th century. And the same happened with cigarettes later on.

Bleating buddies

Madulain – In the mood to go goat trekking? You can join Pogo, Momo, Zötteli, and the other goats in the herd! At Mini Geiss – Dini Geiss, Nicole Buess arranges walks with her animals as well as yoga, forest bathing, and even goat cuddling sessions for kids. engadin.ch/goat-yoga-trekking

Time to eat

Looking for somewhere to refuel after a long hike? Enjoy a peaceful meal against the magical mountain backdrop.

1 Hotel Fex

This hotel is known for its delicious menu and fascinating past. It used to be located in St. Moritz-Bad but was then dismantled and physically moved to the Fex Valley in 1900.

2 Hotel Roseg Gletscher

A horse-drawn carriage ride is one way to access this classic restaurant deep in Val Roseg. It’s popular – and it’s easy to see why. You can tuck into terrines, risottos, and cakes from the lavish dessert buffet while admiring the spectacular view of the glacier.

3 Gasthaus Spinas

Roland Gruber, a unique character with a big white beard, gives his guests a warm South Tyrol welcome to his hotel and restaurant surrounded by ancient larch trees in Val Bever. There’s a train station just next door, at the entrance to the Albula Tunnel.

Just one loop

The Bernina Tour is a spectacular long-distance hiking route that’ll have you working up a sweat. It takes you up and down around the Bernina massif. Taking in the Diavolezza, Val Languard, Val Roseg, and Sils, the route from Poschiavo to Maloja is divided into five stages. There are so many highlights along the way and you can even turn it into a circular route if you extend your walk into Italy. engadin.ch/long-distance-hikes

Proper packing

Long-distance hiking doesn’t have to be difficult – just make sure you’re well prepared and pack the right equipment.

Plasters

Pack blister plasters because it can be hard to find a pharmacy in the middle of a valley. And you know you need to keep putting one foot in front of the other the next day!

Map

A map can keep you on track when your hiking app won’t load or your phone runs out of battery.

That’s how many kilograms of rubbish volunteers picked up at the last Bernina Glacier Clean-Up Day near the Diavolezza. This annual day of litter picking in the summer aims to make the Alps a cleaner place.

Off the beaten track

Want to explore nature at its finest? Set off on foot from La Punt Chamues-ch. Val Chamuera is a perfectly peaceful and natural side valley in the Engadin. Follow the route for around seven kilometres along the babbling Chamuera stream and up to Alp Serlas, a traditional building dating back to 1827. engadin.ch/valchamuera

Warm, waterproof clothing

The weather can be completely different from one moment to the next in the mountains. So pack extra layers even if the sun is shining when you set off.

Drinks and snacks

Where can I fill up my water bottle? Where can I stop for food on the way? Make sure you know the answers to these kinds of questions before you set off on a long hike.

Culinaria

“Flowers are smiles in nature. They brighten up the world around you.”

MAX REGER (1873–1916), GERMAN COMPOSER

Photo: Filip Zuan

Herbarium

The name: a herbarium (from the Latin word herba = herb, plant) is a collection of preserved plants that have been pressed, dried, and mounted on paper. Details such as each plant’s location, colour, and smell are added to provide further information. This serves as a record of that particular plant being found in a particular place at a particular moment in time.

The collector: Moritz Candrian (1847–1930) was one collector who wanted to create a lasting resource demonstrating the beauty and unique nature of the plants he had found. The teacher from Samedan left behind a herbarium that had clearly been curated with extreme care and attention. The flowers, grasses, branches, lichen, moss, and fungi he had collected span an impressive 397 pages. He arranged them with such detailed precision that they appear to be miniature works of art in their own right.

The archive: if you want to peruse Candrian’s collection and explore the fascinating plants of the past, you need to head to Zuoz. His insightful and informative botanical book has been kept at the Upper Engadin Cultural Archive since 1990. There are other herbaria from the Engadin in the depths of the archive, but you’ll have to book an appointment in advance if you want to explore them. New records are being added all the time. engadin.ch/cultural-archive

Photo: Kulturarchiv

A wild pansy (or viola tricolor) is preserved forever in the herbarium compiled by Moritz Candrian.

There are so many beautiful flowers in the meadows of the Engadin in the early days of summer.

A Wonderful World of Wild Herbs

Make sure you keep your eyes open when you’re out walking through the Engadin. Along the paths and in the meadows, you’ll be able to spot plenty of herbs that will make their way into delicious dishes and natural cosmetics. And summer just so happens to be the season of wild herbs.

Text CLAUDIUS WIRZ

Photo NICO SCHAERER

“I hardly spend any time inside during the month of June,” says Doriana with a chuckle. “I’m mostly collecting nettles at the moment.” She points to the slope right behind her house. The wildflower meadow is filled with beautiful blooms and blossoms bursting with colour. “I use the nettles in my shampoo and body bars. First I have to dry them and grind them into a powder. Otherwise, I use them whole in a tea blend. If I’m feeling extra energetic, I collect the seeds too while I’m there.”

On those occasions, she uses tweezers to separate out the female seeds so they aren’t contaminated by bits of leaves or anything else. This is an extremely time-consuming process. But those tiny

seeds happen to be a secret superfood – they’re packed full of nutrients and make a great addition to a salad or granola. Bright and cheerful by nature, Doriana is from Valposchiavo and has been living in the Engadin for many years. After attending courses run by wild herb expert and chef Mariagrazia Marchesi from Valposchiavo and completing training in natural cosmetics, Doriana started to collect her own wild herbs. She uses some in the kitchen and turns the others into natural cosmetics. Although she originally planned for just her family to use her products, the word started to spread among her friends and neighbours. And now she is dedicating even more time to her hobby. She makes

Culinaria

Colourful wildflower meadows, like these on the way into the Fex valley, are part of the Engadin summer.

“Ribwort plantain is an ideal ingredient in a herbal salt along with nettles and dandelions.”

DORIANA PLOZZA

all her 100% organic products by hand in her own kitchen in La Punt.

“Everything has to be precise and pristine because I don’t use any preservatives. I have to be able to keep going, so I often end up working at night. Even if that means that I don’t always get enough sleep,” she says with a smile. “When I’m in the flow, I can be really deep in thought.” She finely chops the herbs and soaks them in oil or alcohol, or dries them on wooden trays before she uses them as ingredients. The aforementioned shampoo and body bars are her best-selling products, but her own little range also includes face creams, cleansers, hand and foot ointments, shower gels, bath salts, and deodorants. Her popular shampoo bars work like normal liquid products – complete with lather. The difference is that they are made by pressing together powdered herbs, essential oils, and shea butter or beeswax to create a bar shaped like a flower. They’re lightweight and solid, so they can be popped into your hand luggage when you’re going on a flight.

Doriana finds the herbs she needs for her natural products in the Engadin but also

on her alp above Brusio in Valposchiavo. “The most wonderful herbs and flowers grow there – at 1,800 metres above sea level,” she says passionately. “Ribwort plantain is one of my favourite plants. You can find it right in the middle of the meadow all summer long. I use it in my insect bite stick, for example, because it can really soothe itchy skin. It also works well in a herbal salt along with stinging nettles, dandelions, dead-nettles, and violets.”

Wild herbs in haute cuisine

Paolo Casanova loves foraging for herbs in June too. “There’s most choice in the meadows before the farmers mow them for the first time,” says the head chef at Stüva Colani in Madulain who was named Green Chef of the Year by Gault Millau last year. This accolade was awarded for the first time ever in 2024 and Paolo received it for his nature-based cuisine that stars the wild herbs of the Engadin. The chef goes out to explore nature every day, usually taking his mountain bike with him and collecting anything that’s in season. That could be willowherb for his iced tea or wild spinach to mix into his gnocchi dough.

He’s a huge fan of dandelions, making use of the roots as an alternative to coffee, adding the young leaves to salads, and pickling the buds in vinegar, water, oil, and salt in the style of capers to garnish risotto and other dishes. He turns the flowers into marmalade, which he serves with cheese or uses in dessert recipes. “Just remember that the fluffy dandelion seeds are a treat for the eyes but not the taste buds,” says Paolo with a grin.

Born in the Dolomites in Italy, Paolo would help his mother collect herbs when he was a young child. He would pick sorrel, wild asparagus, dandelions, and more. That could explain the emotional attachment to yellow summer flowers he says he feels. Over time, he moved away from collecting herbs. But when Paolo moved to the Engadin in 2016 after kitchen stints under renowned head chefs, he rediscovered the art of foraging for herbs and flowers. His first forays saw him find maybe six or seven types of herbs. After he had done more research and learned from Mariagrazia Marchesi and Meret Bissegger, a specialist in natural cuisine, he went on to discover 120 types to use in his cooking – and that was just in and around Madulain and La Punt. Whenever he’s out looking for herbs, he refers to a plant app and the

Paolo Casanova is holding freshly picked willowherb to use in his iced tea recipe.

Swiss reference book called Flora Helvetica

If he’s ever unsure about a plant, he checks with an expert. Diners at Stüva Colani don’t have to worry about missing out on the flavours of wild herbs during the winter months. The chef uses them to make pesto, freezes them, dries them, turns them into oil, and ferments them to make kimchi.

“Nature is in my DNA,” says Paolo Casanova. It’s extremely important to him that herbs are collected sustainably, without ever taking too much from any one plant. “As a chef, I have a responsibility. I have to work with nature at all times and never against it.” He enjoys sharing his passion for wild herbs with his team too. “I love seeing that the next generation of chefs have a much greater interest in all of this.” He has his Gault Millau award and Michelin star behind him as he makes progress. Determined to spread the word about wild herbs, he ran the Madulain Wild Herb Festival in 2024 for the first time. And it was a huge success!

Wild Herb Festival

You can expect guided tours, workshops, tasting sessions, a huge herb market, and a gourmet dinner during the Wild Herb Festival in Madulain from 12 to 13 July 2025. engadin.ch/wild-herb-days-madulain

Wild herb recipe

Ingredients 15 g leaves

Willowherb Iced Tea

Makes 250 ml tea

Recipe by chef Paolo Casanova, paolocasanova.ch

Instructions:

Pick the leaves off a willowherb bush as soon as the flowers are out. Use the leaves in the middle of the plant.

Rinse the leaves and crush them in your fingers. Leave them in a damp cloth for 12 hours.

Dry the leaves at 35°C in a food dehydrator.

250 ml water

Ice and sugar

Fresh mint leaves

Weigh out 15 g of the leaves and pour on 250 ml of water at 90°C to make the iced tea. Leave to stand for 7 minutes before adding ice, sugar, and fresh mint leaves to taste.

Keep cool on a hot day with top chef Paolo Casanova’s Willowherb Iced Tea.

Hello, Herbs Experience herbs with all your senses

All aboard!

Alp Grüm – It’s well worth stopping at Alp Grüm and not just because of its stunning location at around 2,000 metres above sea level that offers up a magnificent view of the Bernina massif and the Valposchiavo. An alpine herb garden was opened at the viewing point on the Bernina railway line in 2024 to offer a fascinating insight into the local flora and fauna. After a leisurely stroll from the marigolds to the edelweiss, you can settle down on a sun lounger surrounded by herbs. If you’re feeling hungry, you could treat yourself to something special from the delicious menu at Albergo Ristorante Alp Grüm and enjoy it out on the terrace. engadin.ch/alp-gruem

And breathe …

There are so many herbs out there that can help you relax. Why not experience tranquillity and serenity for yourself at some of the wellness hubs in the Engadin?

1 Herbal massage

Treat yourself to a mountain herb bundle massage at Hotel Castell in Zuoz for gentle exfoliation and an intense massage. Calm your mind and boost your circulation. hotelcastell.ch

2 Nature retreat

Hotel Saratz in Pontresina runs regular retreats centred on nature and herbs. They’re ideal for anyone who enjoys moving their body and practising yoga or pilates. saratz.ch

3 No more tension

You’ll feel revitalised after a massage with Swiss stone pine oil from the Engadin. Book your spa treatment at the Mineralbad & Spa Samedan. aqua-spa-resorts.ch

4 Say yes to sweat

Sweat it out with a view of the mountains in the 70°C herbal sauna at the Parkhotel Margna in Sils. Mountain herbs smell delightful and clear your airways so you can breathe easy. margna.ch

5 Room with an aroma

If you can’t stand the heat, head for the Engadin Herb Room in Pontresina. The mild sanarium filled with the aroma of herbs is located at Hotel Walther. hotelwalther.ch

Colours of the Engadin

Yellow splashes in the rockery Alpine poppy* (July to August)

Orange medicinal plant Arnica* (June to August)

Pink succulent Mountain houseleek (July to August)

Purple flower that thrives in lime-rich soils Alpine aster (June to August)

Blue and dainty Earleaf bellflower* (June to August)

White alpine icon Edelweiss* (July to September)

* is protected and must not be picked

2 kg

Flora Helvetica, the Swiss reference book used to identify native plants, weighs almost this much. If that’s too heavy for you, it’s also available in app form.

Herbal drops

Local natural cosmetics

With so many plants and herbs growing locally, the Engadin is a treasure trove for anyone looking to produce their own natural cosmetics.

Power of the mountains

SOGLIO in Val Bregaglia transforms natural alpine ingredients into toiletries –including sheep’s whey from La Punt. soglio-produkte.ch

Picked by hand

Doriana Plozza collects all the wild plants she needs to produce her own natural cosmetics in the Engadin and the Valposchiavo. She makes everything from ointments and creams to bath pralines. doriana.ch

Only organic

Savun Engiadina makes organic soaps by hand using exclusively natural ingredients, including Swiss stone pine essential oil and mountain herbs sourced from the Engadin. savun-engiadina.ch

Visit the Ricola garden to discover the 13 herbs in the cough drop brand’s signature blend. It’s only a short walk away from the centre of Pontresina. engadin.ch/ricola-herb-garden

Delicious garden gifts

La Punt – Haute cuisine is the only option on the menu at the Krone in La Punt. And in the summer, all the alpine herbs are sourced from the hotel’s own garden. The best bit? The garden is open for guests to explore. It’s an aromatic slice of paradise where you can while away the hours, breathing in the aroma of the herbs to your heart’s content. You can even pick some for yourself. The garden was designed with input from Dominik Flammer, a food researcher and author of the book Das kulinarische Erbe der Alpen (The Culinary Heritage of the Alps). krone-lapunt.ch

Secret liqueur recipe

Iva is the Romansh name for musk yarrow, which is the main ingredient in the Iva herbal liqueur. Records suggest that the liqueur has been brewed in the Upper Engadin since the 18th century. Many families in the local area still have their own secret recipe to this day. Here’s a basic recipe if you fancy experimenting... Roughly chop up four handfuls of yarrow (leaves and flowers). Pour over a litre of pure alcohol and leave to stand for four weeks. Pour through a sieve to remove the yarrow leaves and flowers. Dilute the flavoured alcohol with sugar syrup to taste. You can make your own syrup by mixing equal parts water and sugar.

The taste of Swiss stone pine

Picking herbs

Here are five rules to help you stay on the safe and sustainable side when you’re out looking for wild plants.

1 Only pick plants and herbs if you’re confident that you’ve been able to identify them correctly – try using reference books and apps to help.

2 Always use a knife or secateurs so you avoid damaging the roots.

3 Don’t take more from a plant than you’re planning to use soon. And don’t ever pick all the leaves because you might end up preventing the plant from propagating.

4 Don’t touch species of plants that are endangered. You can refer to the national and regional red lists at infoflora.ch

5 Don’t pick any plants in protected areas. You can find out where they are by referring to the online maps provided by swisstopo, the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, and applying the BAFU (Swiss Federal Office for the Environment) filter at map.geo.admin.ch

Fancy trying a sausage that smells like an Engadin forest? The Metzgerei Heuberger butcher’s in St. Moritz is famous for its deliciously natural delights. The full-flavoured sausages are made with Swiss stone pine needles, before being smoked and dried. metzgereiheuberger.ch

Natüra

“We’re completely enthralled by this place and we’re breathing in the same air as the chamois like it’s French Champagne.”

RICHARD STRAUSS (1864–1949), COMPOSER, WRITTEN IN THE ENGADIN

Photo: Nico Schaerer

1 Hare

While the climate crisis is negatively affecting the mountain hare, the brown hare is moving up to higher ground – and breeding with its smaller counterpart to produce hybrid offspring.

2 Fox

Foxes stalk across meadows, through forests, and even in villages. These timid, adaptable predators live all over the Engadin.

3 Chamois

These nimble creatures with short, slightly curved horns mostly stay in one place. You can find plenty of them in the Rosatsch area, which is a hot spot for wildlife.

4 Alpine ibex

These majestic animals like to keep cool, so they move up into the high mountain regions in the summer – sometimes reaching heights of over 3,000 metres above sea level. → p. 54

5 Alpine marmot

You’ll spot these furry rodents in the Alpine meadows above the tree line in the Engadin, where they live in complex underground burrows. → p. 58

6 Adder

These native venomous snakes feel right at home in the Engadin, preferring to live in humid meadows, piles of rocks, and sunny spots on the edge of woodland. Leave them alone if you see one! → p. 57

7 Golden eagle

Don’t forget to look up every once in a while! If you’re lucky, you’ll spot these birds of prey that live in pairs in large territories and circle in the sky above wide open landscapes. → p. 60

8 Minnow

These tiny schooling fish need clean water that has plenty of oxygen and that’s exactly what they find in the lateral tributaries of the restored Inn River. → p. 56

9 Beaver

Beavers, once driven to the point of near extinction in Switzerland, kept migrating upstream along the Inn River. They’ve been native to the Upper Engadin again since 2017. → p. 57

10 Bearded vulture

The first bearded vultures were introduced to the Swiss National Park in 1991 and the population in the Engadin has developed successfully. These vultures are one of the largest birds of prey in Europe.

11 Black grouse

The black grouse might have an elaborate mating dance, but this landfowl is timid and usually stays hidden at heights of between 1,400 metres and 2,300 metres.

12 Deer

The best time to spot these common wild animals grazing in the meadows near woodland is at dawn or dusk.

13 Wolf

The first wolves appeared in Switzerland in the 1990s and they’ve been spotted regularly in the Engadin now too, including on the Bernina Pass.

14 Otter

Much like the beaver, the otter has returned to the mountains of Grisons. A small number of these nocturnal creatures have been at home in the Engadin for years now. → p. 57

4 The largest colony of ibexes in Switzerland lives above Pontresina. Around 1,800 of the animals roam the slopes of Alp Languard and Piz Albris. The fresh grass tempts many ibexes to the edge of the village in spring, which provides an opportunity to see them up close. They head up to higher ground when it starts to get warmer in June. From then on, it’s not so easy to spot them in the wild. You can always find one on the Grisons coat of arms ... But if you’re only interested in the real thing, make sure you take binoculars with you. Otherwise, you might be best off booking a free ibex tour. The tourist office in Pontresina arranges them regularly.

Photo: Filip Zuan

Culinaria

8 The old dams have disappeared and the upper course of the Inn River near Bever has been flowing freely for at least five years. The river has also been restored in neighbouring Samedan, while there are similar plans for La Punt. The clear water in the many new lateral tributaries is filled with fish – grayling, brown trout, and minnow. The minnow is a small and little-known fish that swims upstream in schools at heights of up to 2,800 metres above sea level. When they’re hunting insects, they sometimes even jump out of the water. They are not the only ones hunting, as they themselves may become prey for trout, grey herons and otters.

6 9 14 The areas around the river are just as full of life as the water itself. Otters and even a beaver live on the riverbanks. Severely endangered species of birds, such as the little ringed plover and the common sandpiper, nest in the gravel areas beside the river. This has been an ideal environment for adders for a long time. The snakes used to settle into the dilapidated old dams for the winter. When the dams were removed as part of the restoration project, a full campaign was launched to catch and relocate the snakes. And now they prefer to live in loosely structured piles of rocks. You’re most likely to spot them in the spring, as that’s when they leave their winter refuges to bask in warm, sunny spots.

Photo: Nico Schaerer

5 Marmots spend most of their time in their burrows, but you should still be able to spot them. These inquisitive little creatures often pop their heads out of one of their entrances. They live in alpine meadows above the tree line, like the ones on the Julier Pass. Marmotamarmota (that’s the Latin name) lives in colonies made up of multiple families. If they sense danger, they warn the rest of the group with a whistle that’s actually a powerful cry. They’re not nocturnal but they do hibernate, so you won’t see them in the months after it has turned colder (they’ll be gone from around October to May).

Photo: Nico Schaerer

Photo: Nico Schaerer

7 Golden eagles are common in the Alps and yet they’re difficult to spot. Every pair of these birds of prey has a huge territory spanning around 50 square kilometres on average – and they both stay true to that territory. Golden eagles ensure their nests are well hidden in rocky crevices. This makes it more likely that you’ll spot them in the morning or evening over open alpine landscapes like the Albula Pass. The birds of prey often hunt marmots in the summer months, so make sure you listen out for those warning whistles. They could mean that there is danger in the sky above. Look up and you might catch a glimpse of a majestic golden eagle.

Fauna Fun

Animal adventures for the whole family

Alpine animal adventure

The Swiss National Park is one of the few large undisturbed refuges for wild animals in the Alps, which makes it an ideal place to see them in their natural habitat. One popular place to visit is Val Trupchun near S-chanf. Nature enthusiasts flock to this charming side valley from far and wide during the autumn because it’s deer breeding season. The stags bellow powerfully to show off to the female deer and fight their male rivals, all with the aim of establishing dominance and mating with the females. Further information about nature in the valley is available from the National Park Centre in Zernez. nationalpark.ch

Follow the bellow

The National Park team arranges a guided tour through the valley twice a week during the deer breeding season, which is known as the rut.

Photo: Schweizerischer Nationalpark/Hans Lozza

Refreshing recreation

Celerina – Children have lots of fun splashing in the cool water of the mountain lakes in the Engadin on a hot summer’s day. It’s a nice break from all the walking! Some even have designated picnic and BBQ areas beside them. There’s even a raft floating in Lej da Staz between Pontresina and St. Moritz. The water can reach temperatures of up to 20°C during the summer months. engadin.ch/bathing-lakes

Sweet singing

Pontresina – Wish you could identify a bird from its song? Visit the Alpine Museum – located in a charming traditional building dating back to 1716 –to discover the beautiful world of birds in the Engadin, with 133 animal specimens, song recordings, and more. engadin.ch/alpine-museum

Themed routes

Make walking so much more fun for the kids on these exciting routes. engadin.ch/de/themed-hikes

Family fun …

… climbing into a bird’s nest

Learn all about biodiversity at 30 stations on the La Senda Nature Trail above Samedan. You can even climb into a giant bird’s nest.

… learning about the wild

On the “Fix shows you his world” adventure trail, a sly fox called Fix joins kids on the journey from Pontresina to Val Roseg and helps them to explore the sights, smells, and sounds along the way.

… following alpine animals

Children can learn all about summer in the Alps by joining Mevina the cow, Neves the mountain hare, and Grischa the calf on their alpine adventure trail towards Celerina.

Nature knowledge

Fairies and other mythical creatures

Sils/Bever – There are two trails that take children on a fairytale adventure in the Engadin. On the Sils Fairytale Trail, they can follow Gianna the goatherd who is looking for a holiday guest who has got lost in the woods. The Val Bever Fairytale Trail (from Bever to Spinas and back) stops at different stations, where imaginative young minds can be captivated by sculptures and giant books telling stories written by authors from the Engadin.

Gorgeous goats

It can be disappointing for children if they struggle to spot animals in the wild. Solve the problem with a visit to the animals at Hotel Morteratsch. They may only have a few goats there, but children are welcome to pet them. And you can follow up with delicious cheese at the Schaukäserei Morteratsch next door. That sounds like a dream afternoon! engadin.ch/hotelmorteratsch

Who can see a Swiss stone pine? Families can look forward to spotting 34 different trees and plants plus wooden sculptures of nine wild animals on the La Punt–Madulain Forest Trail. It’s 2.3 kilometres long, making it a fun adventure for even the littlest legs.

Eviva Famiglia

Engadin. Experience Family.

Find your perfect family adventure in the Engadin.

Eviva Famiglia

Wild grouse

St. Moritz – Twenty-year-old wildlife photographer and filmmaker Levi Fitze is working on a documentary about creatures in the Alps that are often forgotten about. He’s putting the grouse family in the spotlight, including the likes of the black grouse, the ptarmigan, and the endangered western capercaillie. He’s filming on location in the Val Morteratsch, which is one of the few remaining places where these super-sensitive and shy birds live. The documentary is due for cinema release in 2025. For now, you’ll have to make do with the sensational trailer. levifitze.ch/die-wilden-huehner

Undercover moth

This may look like a hummingbird buzzing around the flowers, but it’s actually a moth. The hummingbird hawk-moth is usually a resident of the Mediterranean but makes its way to the flower-filled villages surrounded by the Engadin mountains in the summer months. The moth, which is increasingly spending the winter in Central Europe as a result of global warming, can cover up to 3,000 kilometres in two weeks. Macroglossum stellatarum, to give it its Latin name, uses a long proboscis to feed on the nectar in flowers rather than a beak. The moth flaps its wings around 80 times a second to stay up in the air.

Predator update

Wolves and lynxes are officially back in the Engadin. Scan this QR code to view an up-to-date map of sightings and photos that have been documented by the Office of Hunting and Fishing.

Cow caution

Poop on the path

Hunters look out for the droppings or scat of mammals they are pursuing. These clues may be stinky but they provide useful information. They’re as conclusive as footprints, but they have the added complication of changing depending on the time of year and diet of the animal in question.

Red deer droppings are cylindrical, measure about two centimetres in length, and often come out as clumps.

Chamois droppings consists of little dark berries that are often squashed in the summer.

Marmot faeces look like thin sausages and sometimes don’t really have any shape at all.

Fox excrement is sausage-shaped but pointy at one end. It often still contains whatever the fox has been eating, including fruit seeds or animal hair.

Wolf poo is similar to fox poo in that it often leaves clues about what the animals have been eating. But it’s usually larger and looser.

If you’re walking through a meadow, make sure you watch out for mother cows with their calves and livestock guardian dogs. Stay calm if you do come across any protective canines. If they start barking, walk slowly, avoid eye contact, and stay away from the herd. maps.engadin.ch

Photo: Kulturarchiv Oberengadin

Cultura

“The people of the Engadin are superbly skilled at building roads and bridges. They connect up the most wonderful roads on the steepest slopes.”

ANGELIKA OVERATH (1957–), GERMAN AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST IN HER BOOK “THE ENGADIN INSTRUCTION MANUAL”

The St. Moritz Tram

While cars were banned in the Engadin for a long time, the locals were nevertheless very receptive to other new modes of transport. And so electric trams started operating in St. Moritz on 5 July 1896 – just two years after these modern marvels had been introduced to the streets of Zurich. The little blue carriages with white stripes saved the legs of spa guests, running in both directions between

Photo: Kulturarchiv

St. Moritz-Dorf and St. Moritz-Bad every 12 minutes. This service was convenient during the summer season despite not being particularly fast. For context, the trams travelled at a speed of around 10 km/h.

The electricity required to power the trams along the stretch spanning around 1.6 kilometres between Hotel Schweizerhof and the Paracelsus Drinking Hall was supplied by a hydropower plant in the Charnadüra gorge. The operators attempted to extend the route more than once. They had high hopes for increased passenger numbers as a result of a connection to the train station that opened in 1904. But the plans were never implemented because the private tram service was never a huge financial success owing to its strong dependence on tourism. In fact, the local authorities had to take over tram operations in 1917 to avoid bankruptcy. The global financial crisis was the final nail in the coffin for the trams, which were in need of renovation by this point. The trams were replaced by buses in 1932 and scrapped after that. All that was left was one sheltered bench used by people waiting for the tram at the Englische Kirche stop. It serves as an important reminder that trams ran here for more than 30 years.

Other modes of transport, some of which are much older than the tram, have managed to survive to this day. There are so many ways to get around the Engadin in the modern day – e-bikes, taxis, trains, motorbikes, vintage cars, road bikes, and so on. But you can also take a horse-drawn carriage in many villages. And horse buses are still running in two of the side valleys in the area.

Hello, Horsepower

Horse-drawn cars? Not an unusual sight in the Engadin given that motor cars were banned on the roads of Grisons for 25 years. This ruling was finally changed in 1925 after 10 referendums. This is the story of a one-off situation in Switzerland and Europe.

Text STEPHANIE ELMER

Photo KULTURARCHIV OBERENGADIN

Acow is running away from the postbus and a person is running away from the cow, with their hat flying through the air behind them. A child appears to have jumped out of the way of a moving car just in time, leaving their toy behind in the road. The driver and passenger have stern expressions. It almost looks like their faces have been deliberately covered up. This image, which is a bit like a hidden-object picture, appeared on the cover of an anti-car publication distributed in 1925. It was used in the referendum campaign by the group opposed to cars in the canton of Grisons. In their document, they asked hard-hitting questions. Who will cover the farmers’ losses and the drop in house prices? Who will bring the dead back to life? And, more to the point, for whom are the roads and these strange new cars actually intended? Do we really want to sell off our own freedom on the streets? To flashy foreign car drivers for a few silver coins?

Let’s go back a bit further in time. Back to the summer of 1900. The government in the city of Chur was receiving complaints from the Engadin. People were concerned about reckless drivers. Since nobody in the canton of Grisons owned a car at the time, we can assume that the

Out of the way! Opponents of cars were concerned about safety on the streets.

Photo:

were banned from the roads of Grisons (but nowhere else in Switzerland) until 1925.

Cars

Photo: Kulturarchiv Oberengadin

complaints were aimed at holidaymakers travelling through the area. An outraged stagecoach driver wrote to the local post director about a monstrosity that he had seen on the road. Just the sight of it had disturbed the horses, he claimed. The monstrosity he was referring to was a car and he was concerned about safety on the streets. The government acted quickly and with a lack of bureaucracy. Cars were banned from the streets of the canton of Grisons with immediate effect out of concern for the safety of local citizens. The newspapers got behind the politics. The Neue Bündner Zeitung wrote about difficult situations on the road, reporting on a near collision between a car – or “stinking contraption” as they called it – and a horse-drawn carriage. And the Bündner Tagblatt was of the opinion that “People could drive elsewhere if they wanted to”.

People were frightened of the new four-wheeled vehicles. Alongside their safety concerns, they hated the deafening noise cars made and the dust they kicked up, which doctors warned could have negative health implications. Grisons wasn’t the only canton where people felt this way. There was an underlying scepticism surrounding this new means of transport in other parts of the country too. Just one year after Grisons had banned cars, the canton of Uri stopped them from being driven on its Alpine roads. But stories are hardly ever black and white. They’re usually much more nuanced than that – thankfully. In this case, there was a lot more to the resistance to cars than just safety concerns. The canton of Grisons, for example, had just acquired a majority share in the Rhaetian Railway. It makes perfect sense, then, that a new rival mode of transport wouldn’t exactly be welcomed with open arms. There was also the fact that farmers and carriage drivers made a living by providing traditional ways of getting around.

Just four years later, the government of Grisons decided that it wasn’t a wise idea to hold back motorisation. They relaxed the ban to allow public buses, military vehicles, and fire brigade vehicles to be driven on the roads up to a maximum speed of 12 kilometres per hour. After another three years had passed, the canton wanted to overturn

Horsepower! For a quarter of a century, people had to rely on four hooves rather than four wheels to get around Grisons fast.

Photo: Kulturarchiv Oberengadin

Some inventive drivers attached horses to the front of their vehicles as they entered Grisons.

Photo:

the ban altogether and called for a referendum. The result was overwhelmingly clear. The people of Grisons wanted to keep the ban. Cars were simply not welcome in their part of the world. And they hadn’t changed their mind when the government tried again four years later: 70% of voters still wanted the ban to stay in place.

Cars were slowly taking hold across the rest of Switzerland. Just imagine watching someone attaching horses to their car just before the Grisons border so they could enter the canton and continue their journey. This wasn’t a rare occurrence.

It wasn’t until the First World War that cars slowly started to gain favour in Grisons. So why did this happen? People realised that the canton of Grisons had cut itself off as an island by banning cars. Horses were in short supply because of the war – between 1914 and 1919, the number had dropped by a third in the canton of Grisons. The canton had also slowly but surely transformed into a tourism destination, and people in remote valleys worried about being hit by shortages in supplies.

Despite the slow shift in mood, the result of every referendum was the same. It wasn’t until the tenth vote that the people of Grisons finally voted to lift the ban on cars. It was an emotional campaign and a close call, with 11,318 votes in favour of cars and 10,271 votes against. No matter how tight it was, the car had been accepted at last. There were just 136 cars and 7 trucks in the year of that referendum, but these numbers had already increased to 1,051 cars and 75 trucks just five years later.

A whole century has passed since then and cars have been accepted fully into society as an integral part of modern life. We look at the old photos of people travelling through the region in horse-drawn cars nowadays and we can’t help but smile. But are these pictures of stubborn, headstrong people? Or, looking back from our current perspective, do they capture a smart sense of foresight? Just remember – the story is rarely black and white. And that’s the way it should be.

Driving Back in Time

The

Engadin

is a popular destination for classic car drivers

Mountain track for vintage cars

Just a few years after the car ban was lifted in the Engadin, racing cars were pitted against each other on a twisting and turning dirt track leading up to the Bernina Pass in 1929 and 1930. Racing in the mountains didn’t stand the test of time – until it was revived by fans of vintage cars. The Bernina Gran Turismo is taking place on a section of the original race route for the tenth time as part of St. Moritz Automobile Week in 2025. Otherwise, the panoramic road is ideal for a short drive in a vintage car and also as part of a 200-kilometre round trip from Pontresina via Tirano and Sils. i-s-a-w.com

Photo:

Pass pause

Fancy stopping for a bite to eat instead of driving through? If you want to really make the most of these mountain routes, eat at one of these pass restaurants:

1 Albula Hospiz

This building on the Albula Pass may date back to 1871, but the cuisine is modern and served with a panoramic view at 2,315 metres above sea level. albula2315.ch

2 Ospizio La Veduta

This restaurant on the Julier Pass is best known for its signature rösti dishes. laveduta.ch

3 Cambrena

You can treat yourself to spinach gnocchi and other delicious comfort food all year round at this classic restaurant on the Bernina Pass. cambrena.ch

Jaguar or Alfa Romeo?

St. Moritz – Fans of British classic cars will flock to the British Classic Car Meeting St. Moritz held 4–6 July 2025. If vintage Italian is more your thing, the Passione Engadina on 21–24 August 2025 is the event for you. bccm-stmoritz.ch, passione-engadina.ch

Over the mountains

The well-developed Julier Pass is a great route to ease you in on your first vintage car holiday in the Engadin. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can attempt to tackle the hairpin bends on the Maloja Pass or wind your way between the rock face and the abyss on the Albula Pass. strassen.gr.ch

66.4

That was the average speed in km/h driven by the “King of the Mountains” Hans Stuck when he won the original Bernina Mountain Race in 1929 in an Austro-Daimler (read more about the race on the left).

Classic car rental

Ready to take a classic car for a spin but don’t happen to have one on your drive? You could always rent a 1934 Bentley or a 1978 Rolls-Royce from Classic Car St. Moritz – chauffeur included! classiccarstmoritz.ch

Don your hats!

Your classic car may be gleaming, but you still need the right headgear to travel in true style.

Flat cap

The flat cap is a sporty and stylish classic that had its heyday in the 1930s.

Silk scarf

For real Grace Kelly vibes, the sophisticated woman ties a silk scarf effortlessly around her head.

Aviator hood

This is the ultimate retro look. A leather hood is a must for any convertible driver – and don’t forget the driving goggles.

Cloche

This bell-shaped hat is a timeless classic from the 1920s that completes the look if you’re out and about in a pre-war vintage car.

Manufactura Tessanda Val Müstair

Imaginary underground

Zuoz – The entrance at the southern end of Zuoz is all the proof we need that the Engadin even has an underground train connection. Well, trains don’t actually stop here. The transportable underground entrance is a work of art created by an artist called Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997). Leipzig and Dawson in Canada are other stations in his made-up global underground network. The fake entrance is one of the public art installations forming part of the Art Public Plaiv project. engadin.ch/artpublic-plaiv

Road closed!

Motor vehicles will once more be banned from the Albula Pass for the day as part of slowUp Mountain Albula on 7 September 2025. The road will still be open to everyone else, including cyclists and pedestrians. slowup.ch/albula

A-list landings

If you want to keep an eye on who and what is landing at the airport in Samedan, grab yourself a table at the Intersection restaurant at Engadin Airport or Restaurant Piste 21 by the runway. engadin-airport.ch/restaurantintersection, restaurant21.ch

Record time!

Trusty transport

The Muottas-Muragl-Bahn was the first mountain railway in the Engadin. It has been taking passengers from all over the world up the mountain to admire the magnificent view since 1907. The traditional funicular railway line at the entrance to Val Bernina has an incline of up to 56%. The train covers a 709-metre change in altitude during its 10-minute journey. engadin.ch/muottasmuragl

Carriage culture

Much to the delight of visitors to the Engadin, plenty of horsedrawn carriages still make their way around the region. engadin.ch/horses-carriages

Horse-drawn bus adventures

Pontresina / Sils – Horse-drawn buses may not have an engine but they do set off right on time. They leave from Pontresina and Sils several times a day and head to Val Roseg and Val Fex, where adventures in nature await.

Private horse-drawn taxi Celerina – Where are you headed? Lej da Staz? A fancy restaurant? Just into St. Moritz? Not a problem! You can hire a horsedrawn carriage to take you there.

Since the recent change to the timetable in December 2024, the Rhaetian Railway trains on the Albula Line reach their destination faster than ever. A whole seven minutes have been shaved off the journey from Chur to St. Moritz. This is down to less waiting time at St. Moritz and streamlined processes.

Active

“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.”

EDDY MERCKX (1945–), BELGIAN FORMER ROAD RACING CYCLIST

Photo: Filip Zuan

Paving the Way for Bike Adventures

Lukas Häusler is one of the co-owners of Allegra. The company has been creating bike and hiking trails since it was set up in Pontresina in 2003 and now has subsidiaries in Austria, Finland, and Japan.

Lukas, what exactly is a bike trail?

There are different kinds of bike trails. For example, flow trails have berms, jumps, and other features, while enduro trails are more natural with tighter corners.

Cultura

How would you define a good bike trail?

The best bike trails fit perfectly into their surroundings as if they’ve been there all along. They’re smooth with a natural flow that feels intuitive. And they respond to the wants and needs of all the different stakeholders.

What does that mean exactly?

Bike trails cross over with interests such as environmental protection, property, and agriculture. It’s all about compromising to find a consensus but still creating an awesome trail in the end.

How do you create your bike trails?

Flow trails involve manual labour and the use of smallscale construction machinery. In wet areas, we build wooden structures on location and we usually use larch for this.

How many bike trails has Allegra created so far?

Our trails – for biking and hiking – span around 200 kilometres.

How did you end up expanding to hiking trails?

Hiking trails aren’t all that different from bike trails, so it seemed to be a logical development.

In fact, people often bike and hike on the same trails in Grisons …

That’s true. Coexistence is something else we have to consider. When we’re designing our trails, we often introduce chicanes to slow the bikes down in the interests of everyone’s safety. Plus, we support this idea of coexistence in Grisons through the Fair Trail initiative.

Follow the Water

It may only be a small stream that winds its way from Lägh dal Lunghin at 2,484 metres above sea level down the valley towards Maloja. And yet the Inn gradually grows to become one of the longest and mightiest rivers in the Alps until it eventually flows into the Danube in the German city of Passau. If you want to experience the Inn River in all its glory, hop onto a bike and start pedalling. Follow the signs along the Inn Cycle Path as it guides you along the majestic mountain backdrop of the Engadin, through Austria, and all the way to the Danube in Germany.

Text JONAS MORGENTHALER

Photo FILIP ZUAN

Go with the flow

The Inn Cycle Path is 520 kilometres long – and it starts in the small village of Maloja in the mountains. It’s tempting to set off as soon as you reach the start. But you won’t regret taking a moment to pause there. Look up to the Lunghin Pass and admire your stunning surroundings. The water flows into the North Sea via the Rhine to the north, into the Mediterranean Sea via the Po to the south, and into the Black Sea via the Inn and Danube to the east. You start your long journey east by cycling through the magnificent mountains. The 55-kilometre stretch from Maloja to Zernez often takes you right beside the water. You pedal along the Inn River itself or follow the outline of one of the lakes that are stretched out one after the other. Admire Lake Sils glistening in the sunlight and watch the first windsurfers and kitesurfers making the most of the Maloja wind on Lake Silvaplana. Just imagine zooming along on your bike with the wind in your hair on a hot summer’s day. This route is a dream in the autumn too, when the golden larch trees reflect in the aquamarine water. You arrive in Celerina after 20 kilometres or so. And the water landscape changes from this point. The river has been restored around Bever, so the Inn can weave its way through an expansive floodplain like it would have done in the past. If you’re looking for a more leisurely ride, you can break up this stretch and stop off in La Punt. This will leave you time for plenty of pit stops the next day. On this stretch of the Inn Cycle Path, you’ll pass one charming Engadin village after another. Madulain, Zuoz, S-chanf … It’s worth making time to explore them all. Take a quick detour from the official route and enjoy a well-deserved break as you admire all the ornate churches, grand villas, and impressive farmhouses.

Surlej

Silvaplana

Maloja Sils

Admire autumn’s reflection as you explore the Upper Engadin lakes.

Gravel bikes are ideal for off-road adventures in nature.

Suitable surfaces

Main roads? No thanks! Most people prefer their bike ride routes to be calm and quiet – like the waterside and woodland paths at the start of the Inn Cycle Path. But which paths are actually the best for cycling? Those preferred paths don’t usually have tarmac surfaces. Throw gravel into the mix and your road bike could be on its way to an unwelcome puncture. Of course, that’s not a problem if you’re riding a mountain bike. MTBs can cope with even the trickiest of terrains. The downside is that their chunky tyres and suspension seriously slow them down. A gravel bike fits in somewhere between these two extremes. These bikes are a big deal in the cycling world right now, since they combine the lightweight, suspension-free design of the road bike with the stronggrip tyres of the mountain bike. The result? The best of both worlds in a single bike. Gravel bikes are fast and light but can still handle off-road adventures. You can cover kilometres quickly on smooth surfaces in an aerodynamic position thanks to the flared drop handlebars. You don’t always need tarmac paths for speed to be on your side. And you don’t even necessarily have to get off and push your gravel bike when you come to a muddy stretch, gravel track, or woodland path littered with roots. The disc brakes will bring you to a stop quickly and safely when you come across something unexpected on the path ahead. Gravel bikes are resilient all-rounders that are also nice to ride on less challenging routes. The Engadin is an ideal place to test out one of these bikes (and the bike shops on page 95 will be happy to help you out). You can have all sorts of fun with a gravel bike on the Inn Cycle Path. But there are plenty of other excellent alternatives. Your old trekking bike will have your back as the long-distance route takes you further downstream. If you’re not in the mood for an overly active adventure, an e-bike is a good shout too. Just make sure you plan your ride carefully so your battery doesn’t run out on the way.

St. Moritz

Perfect pit stops

With all the signs along with maps and GPS data, you won’t end up getting lost on the Inn Cycle Path. But you might not know where’s best to stop for a break... And there are so many options! The first stretch between Maloja and Zernez is dotted with excellent places for a pit stop. You could always visit the glacial mills near the start of the route in Maloja or the museum in the house in Sils where Friedrich Nietzsche spent seven productive summers. You won’t be short of places to rest or have a swim along the lakes. One of the best is the jetty at the glorious Lej Marsch, which is a lovely little bathing lake hidden in the woods near Champfèr. Or maybe you fancy going off route a little to enjoy a cup of coffee on the terrace at the Lej da Staz restaurant? After a secluded stretch through the woods, you’ll be treated to another spectacular sight. The Church of San Gian sits on top of a small hill. Its striking Gothic tower was damaged by lightning back in 1682 and it has never been properly repaired. Cyclists with a big appetite and good taste will be excited to arrive in La Punt. The lunch menu at the restaurant of the Krone hotel (see page 49) features seasonal specials like trout with apple and fennel alongside classics like cheese spätzle. It’s always interesting to spot bridges on a long bike ride too. After you’ve crossed the iconic stone bridge in S-chanf, you won’t want to miss another structure on a different scale in Cinuos-chel. Just shy of 50 metres tall, the viaduct has been providing Rhaetian Railway trains with a way to cross the Inn River since 1911.

Madulain

La Punt

Zuoz

S-chanf

Cinuos-chel

Cycle over the cobblestones down the narrow alleys of S-chanf and on towards Cinuos-chel.

On Your Bike!

Explore the mountains on two wheels

Hut to hut by bike

Set off on cycling adventures during the day and soak up the mountain landscape in the evening. This entire experience is set against a breath-taking backdrop, taking you from hut to hut by mountain bike in four stages. You cover 164 kilometres on the Mountain Bike Hut Tour, starting in Celerina and crossing the Bernina and Chaschauna Passes on your way to idyllic hut accommodation like the Parkhütte Varusch and the Chamanna d’Es-cha. You must book in advance! engadin.ch/mountain-hut-tour

Dramatic descent

Take the Piz Nair cable car up to 3,057 metres above sea level and then hit the trails back down to Lake Champfèr. The Top to Bottom Tour is ideal for downhill daredevils.

Photo: Max Draeger, Engadin Tourismus AG

Loose brakes?

Pop into these local bike shops if you need a hand while you’re in the Engadin: Bike and Fun

The popular shop run by Pietro Palmisano is your first port of call in Bever. bikeandfun.ch

Bernina Sport

Whether you want to buy or rent a bike, or yours needs repairing, this enthusiastic team of cycle specialists in Pontresina is always happy to help. berninasport.ch

Alpine Bike

This Celerina institution has been the local cycling hub for three decades. alpine-bike.ch

Book

recommendation

The photo book “Trailmatters” is a love letter from Pontresina photographer Filip Zuan to the bike trails of Grisons. His photos in this beautiful coffee table book focus purely on the trails, making it a must-read for any bike enthusiast. filipzuan.com/trailmatters

Biking and hiking in harmony

Some people bike and others hike. This can cause problems on the narrow paths across the passes and through the valleys. The Fair Trail initiative in the Grisons supports peaceful coexistence between bikers and hikers, with clear rules in place and “Fairdinands” on hand to help as ambassadors. At the end of the day, most of the trails are there to be enjoyed by everyone. Hikers have right of way but should move to one side if there’s enough space to do so safely. engadin.ch/behaviour-tips

400

kilometres are covered by dedicated mountain bike trails in the Engadin. But cyclists can also use any hiking trails unless bikes have been explicitly banned.

Long distance

Three days, five passes, over 4,000 metres in altitude, and 221 kilometres in distance. That’s what you have ahead of you when you enter the Engadin Road Bike Marathon. The incredible road race starts in Zernez and runs from 4 to 6 July 2025. rad-marathon.ch

Good ground

It’s a good idea to research the terrain before you set off on a route. Just remember that not all bikes are suited to all surfaces …

Road bike

Classic road bikes fly across the pavement. On proper tarmac surfaces, you can smoothly make your way up and speed back down.

Mountain bike

This is exactly what you need on narrow trails. Hardtail MTBs only have front suspension, which makes them easier to manoeuvre than a bike with full suspension on steep, challenging stretches.

Speedy gravel bikes look a lot like road bikes, but they can also handle unpaved surfaces like woodland paths and gravel tracks.

E-Bike

Motor-assisted mountain bikes are a popular choice for all terrains. Sweating your way up steep climbs is a thing of the past!

Gravel bike

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS.

Packed and prepared

These four bike essentials will take a weight off your mind without loading you up too much.

GPS navigation device

Life’s so much easier when you don’t have to keep stopping to ask for directions or look at your phone.

Pump it!

Silvaplana / Bever – Practice makes perfect at bike skills parks featuring a range of obstacles and terrains like the one in Silvaplana. Cyclists can also refine their skills at pump tracks, which are special tracks with berms and rollers that you tackle with a pumping motion rather than pedalling. You can give this a go in Bever. engadin.ch/pumptrack-skills-park

Tools

It’s a sensible idea to have a puncture repair kit, bike pump, spare inner tube, and handy multitool with you – just in case.

Padded cycling shorts

Don’t panic – you don’t have to wear skin-tight shorts when you’re out cycling. Looser alternatives are available these days!

Find your flow

Whether you’re 8 or 80, professionals are on hand to help in the Engadin if you’re keen to hit the trails but don’t feel overly confident on a bike. Plenty of sports schools in the area run courses and offer one-to-one tuition. Explore the options on offer in the Engadin Tourism Experience Shop. booking.engadin.ch/en

Epic event

Lightweight raincoat

Go for a superlight, compact raincoat that’ll keep you dry in the rain and keep out that fresh breeze on cooler days.

Bike to bed

Whether you’re looking for cycle route advice, bike repairs, or storage services, these special bike hotels in the Engadin are sure to tick all your boxes as a cyclist …

1 Parkhotel Margna

Sils – This grand old villa in Sils is your sprawling home from home in the Engadin. The rooms are designed in local Swiss stone pine and the food is exquisite. margna.ch

2 Sporthotel Pontresina

Pontresina – Whether you’re in the mood for hiking, biking, or yoga, you can do it all at the Sporthotel, a charming art nouveau hotel that dates back to 1881. sporthotel.ch

3

All In One Hotel Inn Lodge

Celerina – This hotel in Celerina is a vision in wood, exposed concrete, and glass. It’s a brilliant base for bike fans. innlodge.ch

4 Schweizerhaus

Maloja – The team at this sunsoaked chalet in Maloja is on hand to help guests who are travelling on two wheels. schweizerhaus.swiss

5 Bever Lodge

Bever – Calling all active adventurers! Keen cyclists will find everything they need at this innovative wooden modular hotel in Bever. beverlodge.ch

The “Swiss Epic” is the main bike event on the Grisons calendar. And it’s scheduled for 13 to 17 August 2025. With an exciting new route every year, competitors cycle across passes and through valleys over the course of five days. One of the stages starts and ends in La Punt – at the end of the incredible nine-kilometre Albula Trail. epic-series.com/swissepic

Photo: Patrick Güller

Ils viedis da la vita

“Only the one who walks his own way can’t be overtaken.”

MARLON BRANDO (1924–2004), AMERICAN ACTOR

Deeply Rooted in the Valley

Text ANGELIKA OVERATH & JONAS MORGENTHALER

Photo NICO SCHAERER

The Engadin is an integral part of so many people’s life stories. Take organic farmer Gusti Clalüna (pictured on the left). He grew up on the outskirts of Sils. That same piece of land has always had a place in his heart and he’s never turned his back on it. He found the homesickness unbearable when he did try leaving it behind.

Portuguese national Aurora Ferreira came to the Engadin looking for a job – like so many others from her home country. She found a new place to call home in Pontresina after years of working hard and moving between two cultures.

Top chef James Baron was born in the UK, but he moved to the Engadin from the metropolis that is Hong Kong. And now he’s cooking at a restaurant in La Punt, which has a total population of 700. Guess what? He wants to stay.

Finally, journalist Baldina Cantieni Kobi. As a teenager, she dreamed of escaping from Samedan. She lived in Geneva, Bern, Yverdon, and Urdorf. She travelled the world. And she ended up back home in the Engadin, where she’s now committed to giving back to the community at the age of 80-something.

Four very different people with four very different backgrounds – but they all found their way to the Engadin.

Gusti Clalüna, the Engadin native

Gusti Clalüna learned to ski at a very young age. And he was so good that he was asked to train with the Engadin racing team as a child. 1 Perhaps he was destined to pursue a professional career? So he travelled from his parents’ farm in Sils to Silvaplana and took the cable car up to the Corvatsch ski resort, where the team trained. “As long as I could see the farm from the gondola, I felt at home,” says the 63-year-old. But things changed as soon as he went down on the other side. He was overcome with homesickness, so he didn’t end up training with the racing team after all. But young Gusti had worked out what he did want to do with his life. He wanted to become a farmer like his father.

Gusti’s parents had moved to Sils from Val Bregaglia and set up their dairy farm in the 1950s. They started off with 300 Swiss francs and their wedding gifts – a cow and a calf. Gusti completed his farming training 2 and an internship in Landquart, where he had to stay for a whole year. And he felt that intense homesickness again. “It’s not pleasant at all – I’d compare it to pining for a lost love,” says Gusti. That was the longest he has ever been away from the place he calls home. He has stayed true to that one piece of land to the north of the village of Sils for his entire life. He and his two brothers originally took over the family business together, 4 covering farming, cartage, and carpentry. Those three

separate strands were divided up around a decade ago. Ever since then, Gusti has been exclusively running the farm, which is now an organic agricultural operation spanning 80 hectares and rearing Swiss Brown cows.

Having been part of a traditional costume group and now belonging to a cowbell group, Gusti Clalüna certainly has hobbies. But he’s the first to admit that his work is his true hobby. “I’ve loved my job for 50 years.” During the summer months, the cows graze up in the Fex Valley. And Gusti has been experimenting with crop growth at 1,800 metres above sea level in Sils for several years. 5 He may have lived in the same place all his life – but he nevertheless enjoys challenging himself. He travels every so often, too. He’s even been as far as Japan. Having said that, he’s happy to admit that travelling isn’t for him. “I don’t like going on holiday,” he confirms. His wife Lurdes is from Portugal originally, but she was working as a waitress at the nearby Hotel Fex when the couple met.

3 These days, her responsibilities include running the small farm shop. They have three daughters, but it’s unlikely that any of them will want to take over the family farm in the future. That isn’t going to stop Gusti keeping the business going for as long as he possibly can. “I don’t see myself stopping until I have no choice but to move into a retirement home,” he says. That would bring an end to his greatest hobby for sure.

Aurora Ferreira, the citizen of the world

Aurora remembers the heat and lots of children playing together. And trips to the seaside. Life in Mozambique in the south of Africa was simple. 1 Her father owned a farm and at least 100 cows. Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975. “There was so much conflict, fighting, and death up to that point.” And lots of Portuguese nationals fled the country. That’s how Aurora ended up returning to her parents’ home nation for the first time at the age of 10.

“My parents started from scratch when we made it back to Portugal. My father only had two or three cows to begin with.” 2 Aurora was an excellent pupil, but the family didn’t have enough money to keep her in school. So she went to work at a meat factory. At the age of 15, she was chopping up meat at a long table. But it wasn’t long before she was writing out the invoices for the restaurants being supplied with meat. She was working on the reception desk in the end.

It was at a village event that Aurora met José, 3 who did seasonal work in Switzerland. The couple ended up getting married. José was working as a chef at the Muottas Muragl restaurant in the Engadin. And he set about looking for work for his wife. Aurora spent the winter season at a laundrette in Champfèr, 4 before the pair of them started working at a hotel in Ticino in the middle of April. Aurora was behind the bar, while José was in the kitchen. They returned to Portugal as summer was coming to an end. José headed back to

Muottas Muragl in December, but pregnant Aurora stayed with her mother. Little Tania was born in Portugal – and José already had a job lined up for Aurora in St. Moritz-Bad. With a heavy heart, Aurora left her baby behind with her own mother. José and Aurora moved from place to place in Switzerland, living out of their suitcases. Their main priority was securing their next jobs. Once they had an apartment of their own, they could bring Tania to Switzerland with them. Their little girl was already one year old by this point. 5

José started working for a vegetable business. Aurora looked after Tania in the morning and took her to a childminder while she did domestic cleaning. In the evening, José took care of the childcare and Aurora filled supermarket shelves until 9.30 pm. José eventually managed to secure a job with the Rhaetian Railway – and he still works there to this day. And Aurora started working for a doctor’s family. 6 She took on responsibility for all of the housekeeping. Tania started school and was the first Portuguese child in Pontresina. Her sister Katia was born eight years later.

She grew up with the doctor’s family, whom Aurora still works for. She sings with the local Portuguese Catholic choir, Coro Português Engadina, and volunteers for the local women’s charity Amigas Solidarias da Engadina.

She hopes to go back to Mozambique one day and rediscover the country where she grew up. But Switzerland will always be her home.

James Baron, the world traveller

James Baron is bringing a pinch of Asian spice to the Engadin. That’s his plan, anyway. He’s already growing four Szechuan pepper trees in the restaurant garden he has been working hard on (see page 49). The 39-year-old top chef has been running the Krone – Säumerei am Inn hotel in La Punt Chamues-ch since 2022 with his wife Natacha, who is half Swiss and half Thai. In the gourmet restaurant, James combines ingredients from the Alpine region with flavours from all around the world. “I want to elevate local cuisine by giving it my own twist,” he says. “What I need is contrasting flavours, which can be sweet, sour, or even bitter. And I can find all those flavours in our garden.” He discovered – and fell in love with – Szechuan pepper and its subtle citrus aroma in Hong Kong. His career as a chef led him all the way to Asia before bringing him to La Punt.

James speaks German with a charming British accent. He grew up in the south of England 1 and originally intended to study architecture. When he left school, he spent some time working as a waiter at what happened to be a Michelin-starred restaurant. This work experience opened his eyes to the world of fine dining. He devoured books written by high-end chefs and decided to follow in their footsteps after spending some time travelling the world. His training brought him to Switzerland, 2 where he had been before on skiing holidays with his

family. Here, he cooked under Andreas Caminada and Didier de Courten, two of Switzerland’s finest chefs. He became a head chef 3 in St. Anton am Arlberg in Austria, which is also where he met his wife. The couple moved to Hong Kong together. 4 James was working under intense pressure at the Mandarin Oriental, with two Michelin stars, a team of 26 chefs, and service seven days a week. But he and Natacha spent their free time together exploring the food and drink on offer in the multicultural megacity. “We tried everything from street food to haute cuisine. We went to every new bar and every new restaurant that anyone recommended to us,” says James.

After two years, though, it was time for a change. With unpredictable pandemic restrictions, long working days, and a young daughter, enough was enough. James and Natacha jumped at the opportunity to take over the Krone. 5 James may come from a small town, but he feels more at home in a big city or surrounded by mountains. So it actually made a lot of sense for the family to make the leap from a city of seven million to a village of 700. They made the move and arrived in the Engadin. And they haven’t looked back. James enjoys spending his afternoons with his two kids on the ski slopes or playgrounds. “Those couple of hours have improved my quality of life infinitely,” he says.

Baldina Cantieni Kobi, the homecomer

Baldina Cantieni Kobi was born in Samedan in 1938. 1 She was the youngest of seven children. Her parents – her father from Sent and her mother from Scuol –leased a farm in the Upper Engadin. “We had a good childhood.” The family would spend the evenings singing together. “All traditional songs from the Engadin! And there were so many of us that we could easily manage a four-part harmony.”

Baldina would go on to sing with the Zurich Mixed Choir for 30 years. “Great masses and oratorios! That’s what it was all about!”

At the age of 15, she was still living with her parents. All six of her siblings had already flown the nest. It wasn’t all that common for girls to receive an education in those days. Her father said to her: “Sta tü pro no!” In other words, he wanted her to stay at home. “From that moment on, all I could think about was how I was going to get away from there.” While she was training at the post office in Arosa, she met Willi Kobi. 2 He was a graduate of ETH Zurich and a qualified electrical engineer. Baldina married him in 1959. When he got a job with SBB, the Swiss national railway company, the young couple were granted the gift of flexibility. They moved to Geneva. 3 Then Lausanne, Bern, Yverdon. By the age of 28, Baldina had four children called Peider, Reto, Martina, and Ursina. 4 And Willi was working at the SBB workshop in Zurich. The family moved to Urdorf. By this point, Baldina was already working as a journalist. 5 She wrote for the

Swiss satirical magazine Nebelspalter – often about the emancipation of women. Later, she also wrote for Chardun, an opposition magazine written in Romansh to raise awareness of the risks of mass tourism and the overdevelopment of land. Baldina was the Deputy Editor of Fögl Ladin for over a decade. And she worked in the newsroom for the Romansh radio station in Chur.

Baldina and her husband travelled a lot. They rode the Blue Train through South Africa and also explored Australia and Canada on rail journeys. In 2013, they travelled from Beijing to Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The couple settled down permanently in Samedan in 2016. 6 Willi died in September 2017. His ashes were scattered at Cristolais, a place where the grass is left unmown for as long as possible and orange lilies grow.

Despite her worsening eyesight caused by macular degeneration, Baldina often goes to concerts in Zurich. She learns languages at home on the Duolingo app. On a mission to keep herself active despite her age, she is passionate about giving back to her community. And so she started up the weekly social meet-ups at the market in Samedan.

Baldina was still skiing at the grand age of 81. 7 And she completed the Engadin marathon 17 times – and wrote about the experience. “You never know when it’s going to be your last time. And it’s sad when it happens. But I know I’ll always look back with fondness and a smile.”

Home Sweet Home

People on different paths find their way to the Engadin

From the Himalayas to the Alps

Samedan – The population of Samedan increased all of a sudden in December 1963 when 37 people from Tibet arrived in the village. They had fled their home after Chinese troops ended a major uprising there with brutal violence. The Tibetan refugees were offered accommodation at an empty guest house that dated back to 1606. They soon got involved in village life, with some assembling chairs and others helping at a printing press. Over time, they moved out of their original accommodation. The former guest house is now an assisted living home for people with physical, mental or psychological disabilities.

Photo

Meeting points

Want to talk to the locals? Here are some village hot spots to explore.

Laagers

Samedan – This bakery café is a popular place to meet in Samedan. It even has its own terrace! laagers.ch

Incontro da Lele

Celerina – Chat with friends, celebrate, or watch the match. This popular bar in Celerina is open every day. engadin.ch/bar-incontrodalele

Dorta

Zuoz – This old farmhouse in Zuoz has been transformed into a restaurant and bar with rustic vibes. dorta.ch

Gianottis

Pontresina – If you’re partial to a glass of wine, make sure you head to this bar when you’re in Pontresina for the evening. gianottis.ch

Seraina

Sils – The locals in Sils are fond of meeting up at the traditional Engadin Stübli and the Cetto bar. hotel-seraina.ch

1,700

Portuguese people live in the Upper Engadin. They make up the largest expat community in the area.

Legendary lineage

The Chesa Albertini is one of the most stunning buildings in La Punt Chamues-ch. A stately home in the traditional Engadin style, it was built by the influential von Albertini family. Records show that the family have local roots going back to 1478. It has been said that their ancestors hailed from Italy, but that’s just a legend from the 18th century.

Sporting spot

Hoping to catch some Portuguese football? If so, FC Lusitanos de Samedan is the team for you! The football club brings together the local community with a common interest. The dates for the team’s upcoming matches can be found at: matchcenter.ofv.swiss

Conversation starters

Just moved to the area? Here are a few words and phrases to help you break the ice in Romansh – or, to be precise, Puter, which is the dialect spoken in the Upper Engadin.

I don’t speak Romansh – Eu nu discuor rumantsch –Hello! – Bun di! –Do you speak Puter? – Discuorrast puter? –Thank you – Grazcha –Sorry – S-chüsa –

I’m new here – Eau sun nouv cò –

How are you? – Cu vo que? –

What’s your name? Cu hest tü nom?

See you soon! – A bainbod! –Take care! – Sto bain! –

Mili Weber Museum

St. Moritz – The artist Mili Weber (1891 –1978) lived and worked in this house for 60 years. She painted the walls and ceilings and filled a whole room with her doll’s house design, effectively transforming her entire home into a work of art. miliweber.ch

Segantini Museum

St. Moritz – The building with the impressive dome was built in 1908 so that masterpieces by Giovanni Segantini (1858–1899) could be displayed. The painter spent his final years in the Engadin and died on the Schafberg mountain above Pontresina. segantini-museum.ch

Nietzsche Museum

Sils – “There’s nowhere else in the world where I feel more at home than right here in the Engadin,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche to his sister in 1881. The museum is based inside the house in Sils Maria where the philosopher stayed for several summers. nietzschehaus.ch

Sils Museum

Sils – This museum is dedicated to Andrea Robbi (1864–1945). And it is located in the house in which the talented painter lived alone in the dark for decades after suffering a crisis. Don’t forget to browse the bookshop, where you can also find coffee. silsmuseum.ch

Everyday Engadin heroines

Foodie adventures around the world

Wanderlust can strike when you least expect it. These restaurants should help you keep it at bay for a while

1 Restaurant Deco Pontresina – Anyone for sushi? Or how about trying some tempting Thai cuisine? The mouth-watering menu at this restaurant awaits! schweizerhofpontresina.ch

2 Pizzeria Palmisanos

La Punt Chamues-ch – Franco and Sabrina Palmisano will transport you straight to Italy with their delicious wood-fired pizzas. palmisanos.ch

3 Restaurant 3303

Corvatsch – Fancy a trip to Scotland? Enjoy the finest single malt whisky from the distillery next door after your polenta at the summit station. corvatsch-diavolezza.ch

4 Restaurant Amaru

St. Moritz – A taste of South America awaits at the Kulm Hotel. Peruvian dishes with street food vibes fill the menu and go down nicely with a Pisco Sour. kulm.com

Angelika Overath tells the stories of 18 very different women in her book “Engadinerinnen” (Women from the Engadin). There is one thing they do all have in common –their love of the Engadin. They all live here, with some having moved to the area and others having called it their home for their entire life. limmatverlag.ch

Photo: Nico Schaerer

Pinboard

Highlights from summer and winter for idyllic holidays in the Engadin.

Photo: Max Draeger

da la vita

1 In the flow

With signposted routes covering over 400 kilometres and bike transport facilities all the way up to the highest mountain peaks and into the most remote corners of the region, you can always bike with the flow in the Engadin engadin.ch/mountain-bike

Engadin Mountain Bike Hut Tour

On this three-day tour, you stay at two wonderful mountain lodges – Hotel Belvédère high above the Valposchiavo and the Varusch Park Hut at the entrance to the national park. During the day, you’ll have so much fun exploring the mountain backdrops of the Alpine region on single-track trails. engadin.ch/mountain-hut-tour-engadin

Pass Chaschauna e-bike route

S-chanf – The views are spectacular on this e-bike route starting in S-chanf. You’ll ride along the edge of the Swiss National Park, before going up and over Alp Chaschauna to Pass Chaschauna. engadin.ch/ebike-chaschauna

Signposted e-bike trails

Five signposted e-bike trails connect the Engadin’s best beauty spots – all off the beaten track. They intersect at various points along the way so you can cycle for days along your own personal route. engadin.ch/signpostede-bike-tours

Raetica Classica

This incredible circular route takes you from the mountain lakes and glaciers in the Upper Engadin to the palm trees in the south. Starting in St. Moritz, you’ll head towards Chiavenna in Italy via the Maloja Pass. From there, the route leads you through Valtellina to Tirano, up Valposchiavo, over the Bernina Pass, and back to where you started. engadin.ch/raeticaclassica

Top to Bottom 2.0

Pontresina – The Top to Bottom 2.0 Tour is opening in June 2025 with mountain bike trails heading in two directions. We can say this much for certain –you’ll be reaching new heights up on the Bernina Pass and breaking your PB down into the valley. engadin.ch/ttb

Celerina loop

Celerina – Wind your way up from Celerina to Marguns and Corviglia, the highest point on the route. You’ll be sweating when you get there, but you’ll soon forget all that as you admire the spectacular view. The adrenaline helps too! The way back down is anything but boring, passing the Alp Giop, Suvretta, and Champfèr. There are plenty of chances for a refreshing dip towards the end of the loop. engadin.ch/en/e-bike/trais-fluors

Alp Arpiglia

Zuoz – This route guides you past beautiful villas in La Punt, before you cycle through Madulain and climb Alp Arpiglia just outside of Zuoz. The delightful mountain restaurant there is open during the summer months. engadin.ch/gravel-alparpiglia

More info? engadin.ch/en/bike

Hiking

Hiking trails

Sun-soaked stretches with a view? Fun-themed routes? Magnificent mountain tours? Or longdistance hikes across the border? You can walk your own way to happiness in the Engadin.

Bernina Tour

This hike takes you from Valposchiavo to Maloja, crossing the Bernina Pass and heading up to the Diavolezza along the way. You can admire the stunning view of the Bernina massif glaciers, safe in the knowledge that Eurotrek is taking care of your luggage for you. You can always hop over the border to Italy before heading back to the starting point engadin.ch/bernina-tour/en

1 Senda Segantini

Follow in the footsteps of Giovanni Segantini on this route. Read the information boards at four stations along the way between Savognin and Muottas Muragl and discover key places from the influential painter’s life. engadin.ch/sendasegantini

Val Trupchun

S-chanf – Nature lovers are in heaven here: the Val Trupchun, a side valley of the Inn, has one of the highest concentrations of wild deer in Europe. It also forms the western gateway to the Swiss National Park. engadin.ch/trupchun/en

More info? engadin.ch/hiking

Photo: Andrea Furger

Water sports

Surf capital of the Alps

The Maloja wind makes the Engadin lakes the natural top spot for surfing and sailing in the Alps.

Sailing on Lake Sils

Sils – Enthusiasts can look forward to thrilling sailing with strong winds on Lake Sils – almost every day in summer thanks to the good wind conditions here. About midday, the reliable Maloja wind usually starts blowing, the reason why the Engadin enjoys a worldwide reputation as an outstanding destination for water sports. Should this wind fail to appear for once, sailors can set their sails for a strong north wind instead.

Kitesurfing & windsurfing on Lake Silvaplana

Silvaplana – The kites and windsurf sails that dance over the water at Lake Silvaplana create an unrivalled display of colour. Silvaplana is heaven for all who love playing with the wind –in this case, the famous Maloja wind, which rises reliably every day around noon to blow steadily and powerfully across the lake. Once the wind has set in, it is never long before the first kitesurfers and windsurfers are out on the water, performing their acrobatic manoeuvres.

Mountain lakes

In addition to the large Engadin lakes, there are also many small mountain lakes higher up, whose crystal-clear, ice-cold waters attract only

toughened swimmers. Anyone else will at most dip their feet in to cool off, or just enjoy the idyllic views. Swimming in the mountain lakes is not supervised and takes place at bathers’ own risk. engadin.ch/along-lakes

1 Lake Staz

Celerina – Nestling in the Staz forest and framed by dramatic mountains, Lake Staz is one of the best-loved swimming lakes in the Engadin. A dip in the clear water of this beautiful moorland lake is wonderfully refreshing – and healthy, too. Active substances in the peat have an inhibiting effect on skin inflammations and are rich in minerals: no wonder peat is used as a natural remedy. engadin.ch/lake-staz

SUP/Yoga on SUP

St. Moritz/Sils/Silvaplana – Stand-up paddleboarding is a great way to destress while giving the body a full-on workout. You can hire stand-up paddleboards at Lake St. Moritz, Lake Silvaplana, and Lake Sils. You can even try out paddleboard yoga and pilates every Wednesday morning at the windsurfing school in Silvaplana. engadin.ch/stand-up-paddling

More info? engadin.ch/water-sports

Photo: Andrea Furger

Photo: Patitucci Photo

Running

1 Trail running

The terrain and conditions in the Engadin are perfect for trail running. Enthusiasts find countless trails of all levels of difficulty leading through thick forest, across bare mountain slopes, and into secluded side valleys engadin.ch/trail-running

Trail meetings

If you need the motivation of a group to get you running, you could always join in with the weekly trail meetings in Samedan or Maloja. The groups run for 30 to 90 minutes, with varied routes and fun times guaranteed.

Val Roseg

Pontresina – The Val Roseg is one of the Engadin’s most beautiful side valleys, and is a delight to explore on a run. The gentle but steady gradient gives legs a constant workout on the outward stretch and makes for an enjoyably fast and flowing descent back down to Pontresina. engadin.ch/trail-running-val-roseg

La Punt – Zuoz circuit

La Punt – The trim village at the foot of the Albula Pass is the start and finish for this relatively easy route. It leads for 9.1 kilometres up and down through fragrant forests, along the Inn River, and through the beautiful villages of Zuoz and Madulain. engadin.ch/la-punt-zuoz-circular-trail

Maloja – Cavloc circular route

Maloja – Prepare to tackle 15 kilometres and many metres of altitude – well worth all the effort – on this circular route that starts in Maloja and takes you round the Aela ski resort and past the picturesque Lägh da Bitabergh and Lägh da Cavloc mountain lakes. engadin.ch/roundtour-maloja-cavloc

Events

St. Moritz Running Festival & Engadiner Sommerlauf

Keen runners should ensure they keep the weekend of the St. Moritz Running Festival free in August. This is also the occasion for the much-loved Engadiner Sommerlauf. stmoritzrunningfestival.ch

Bernina Ultraks

Pontresina – Bernina Ultraks is an incredible trail running event with different races and courses for runners of all abilities. The main event is the Glaciers Marathon, which covers a distance of 42.2 kilometres across various terrains and requires runners to master 2,600 metres in altitude against the glacier and mountain backdrop engadin.ch/berninaultraks

Engadin Ultra Trail

On one weekend in July, these four trail runs cover varied routes between Zuoz and Samedan. engadin.ch/ultratrail

Fourth Maloja Lake Run

Beginners and more experienced trail runners will be in their element as they make their way around the stunning Lake Sils. Top tip: team up with a friend and make the race a relay. engadin.ch/lake-run

More info? engadin.ch/trail-running

1 Family fun

With both thrills and relaxation on offer, the Engadin has plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained. Zuoz and Pontresina are popular choices for family-friendly fun and adventure.

Alpine adventure with Mevina and Neves

Celerina – Kids can have fun and learn all about life in the Alps on this themed adventure trail from Marguns to Celerina. They can solve exciting challenges at eight stations along the way and even win a prize at the end.

Smugglers’ trail

Maloja – Set off on this varied trail for around an hour and a half, passing through a lush larch forest

and stopping to find out about the past life and work of smugglers at 17 fascinating stations. engadin.ch/smugglers-trail

Eviva Famiglia!

The Eviva Famiglia label in the Engadin makes planning family holidays easier than ever. All participating partners confirm that they offer family-friendly experiences, with the necessary infrastructure and safe play areas in place. engadin.ch/evivafamiglia/en

More info? engadin.ch/family

Golf

Unlimited golf

The “Golf Unlimited” offer allows golfers to play the sport to their heart’s content at the Samedan and Zuoz-Madulain golf courses if they’re staying for more than two nights at one of the participating Engadin Golf Hotels. Many of the hotels include mountain railways and public transport in the offer too. engadin.ch/unlimited-golf

2 Samedan golf course

Samedan – The 18-hole championship course, with partially covered driving range and innovative technical aids such as RoboGolfPro and Trackman, surpasses all expectations.

Zuoz golf course

Zuoz – The scenic 18-hole Zuoz-Madulain course promises a delightful game with holes to suit every level.

Kulm golf course in St. Moritz

St. Moritz – Beautifully set in the Alpine landscape by the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, this 9-hole course promises plenty of variety.

Hotel Margna golf course

Sils – The Margna “parkhotel” has its own 4-hole golf course with driving range (15 tees).

Taster course

Just starting out on your golf journey? The “Golf 4 All” taster course lasts 90 minutes and is available in Zuoz (Mondays), St. Moritz (Tuesdays), Samedan (Thursdays), and Sils (Fridays).

More info? engadin.ch/en/golf

Excursions

1 Journey of discovery

The central location of the Engadin and its excellent transport links open the door to exciting day trips to the north and south.

Casa del Tè, Le Prese

Valposchiavo – The incredible train journey over the Bernina Pass is an unmissable experience in itself. Once you’re off the train, you can visit the herb fields and production facilities for Raselli tea. The “Bernina Herb Express” package includes the guided tour and lunch. bioraselli.ch

National Park Centre

Zernez – The visitor centre for the Swiss National Park is just around the corner – or rather just downstream. The “Wild at Heart” exhibition and the special exhibitions that change every year will inspire you to get out and discover the flora and fauna in the national park. engadin.ch/national-parc-centre

Alpine Circle

Pontresina – The Alpine Circle consists of three routes that connect the most stunning sights in the canton of Grisons by train, car, or bus. All three routes take you into and through the Engadin. engadin.ch/alpinecircle

More info? engadin.ch/excursions

Photo: Andrea Furger

Photo: Filip Zuan

Ski & snowboard

Fun times ahead

A total of 87 perfectly prepared slopes covering 350 kilometres await in nine ski resorts with guaranteed snow. Welcome to a white winter wonderland! engadin.ch/skiing

Down the White Carpet

The thought of immaculately prepared but deserted pistes is enough to get even the most laid-back skier or snowboarder out of bed early. Many lifts in the region already start at 7.45 am. At the summit, as the first rays of sunshine light up the slopes, early risers enjoy their personal White Carpet: a glorious run down perfect pistes. There’s no better way to start the day! engadin.ch/en/white-carpet

Corvatsch Park

Even before it became home to the most modern halfpipe in the world, Corvatsch Park was one of the best freestyle spots in the Alpine region. The exciting new attraction opened in February 2024. engadin.ch/snowpark-corvatsch

Ski school

Learning to ski is fun – especially when it is with the help of a professional instructor. The Engadin’s ski areas have various ski schools at which visitors of all ages can enjoy their first experience on skis or a snowboard, hone their skills or, after a longer break from the snow, regain confidence for a safe return to the pistes. engadin.ch/en/sport

1 Snow-Deal

Book early for the best deal! The region’s lift company operates a dynamic pricing system that allows visitors who plan ahead to enjoy an early-booking discount when they buy their lift pass. snow-deal.ch/en

Sleep + Ski

Visitors who spend at least one night in the Engadin can ski at a special discounted rate thanks to the “Sleep + Ski” deal. A lift pass, including use of public transport, costs just CHF 47 per person per day for the entire duration of guests’ stay at participating accommodation. engadin.ch/en/sleep-ski

Events

Audi FIS SkiWorld Cup

St. Moritz – The world’s fastest female skiers battle for precious World Cup points on St. Moritz’s local mountain, the Corviglia.

FIS Freeski & Snowboard

World Cup Corvatsch

The world’s best freestyle skiers compete for glory in the Corvatsch Park. corvatsch.ch

Diavolezza Glacier Race

The next edition of the race down the longest glacier descent in Switzerland is scheduled for 14 March 2026. Racers can enter in the skiing or snowboarding category. Fancy dress is optional! engadin.ch/glacier-race

More info? engadin.ch/ski-snowboard

Cross-country skiing

1 Over 240 kilometres of trails

Cross-country skiing is always an exciting adventure in the sun-soaked Engadin. And, with over 240 kilometres of trails, there’s something for complete beginners and seasoned skiers alike. engadin.ch/cross-country-skiing

Trails across lakes

Thick ice and a smooth layer of snow cover the vast Engadin lakes from the middle of winter. The trail over Lake Sils, Lake Silvaplana, and Lake Champfèr is 12 kilometres long – and it’s one stretch of the legendary Engadin Skimarathon. engadin.ch/cross-country-skiing-lakes

Three-course skiing adventure

Dreaming of exploring the snow-covered Engadin landscape on skis and stopping off at charming restaurants every so often? The Engadin Gourmet Cross-Country Trail is exactly what you’re looking for. You’re treated to a delicious dish and drink at each restaurant. engadin.ch/gourmet-trail

Events

Engadin Skimarathon

The second-largest cross-country skiing event in the world is much more than just a phenomenal race. On top of the women’s race and night race, there’s also a whole week of concerts, workshops, and more in the Marathon Village. engadin-skimarathon.ch/en

La Diagonela

The “La Saireda Roseg” evening race is due to open this popular classic cross-country event lasting a long weekend. ladiagonela.ch

More info? engadin.ch/cross-country-skiing

Photo: Filip Zuan

Winter hiking & sleigh rides

1 Adventures on foot

Slow down the pace on one of the many winter hiking trails through snowy woods, over frozen lakes, and down into idyllic side valleys.

High above St. Moritz

Corviglia – You can travel from St. Moritz to Corviglia in comfort and style on the funicular railway. And you’ll find yourself at the starting point for a wonderful winter walk. The three-kilometre route leads you down towards Marguns, where the smell of freshly cooked pizza will lure you into Restaurant Chadafö for a slice. engadin.ch/corviglia-marguns/en

Horse-drawn carriage rides

It doesn’t get much more romantic than a horse-drawn carriage ride through the Engadin. Wrap up warm and get cosy before setting off to explore idyllic side valleys or frozen lakes. Just sit back and admire the captivating scenery along the way. We recommend going for a winter hike one way and hopping into a horse-drawn carriage for the journey back. engadin.ch/horses-carriages

More info? engadin.ch/winter-hiking

Tobogganing & family

2 Tobogganing for families

As soon as the first snow has settled, some of the region’s pass roads and many footpaths turn into delightful sledging venues. As well as short descents and leisurely rides, enthusiasts find several runs that pack a real thrill. An ideal toboggan run for families, for example, is the three-kilometre path from Alp Es-cha Dadour to Madulain. engadin.ch/tobogganing

Winter walks with a pushchair

Families with young children love the flat trails between Sils, Silvaplana, and St. Moritz; in good snow conditions, these are also pushchairaccessible. The four-kilometre trail through the Val Bever is also ideal for a gentle walk:

starting at Bever railway station, the route leads along the Beverin river, across snow-covered meadows, and through enchanting forests. engadin.ch/winter-hiking

Snow tubing

Snow tubing in Maloja is a fun-filled activity for all the family to enjoy. Slip and slide your way down the slope on a brightly coloured rubber ring. And then let the ski lift take you back up to the start so you can go again. engadin.ch/snow-tubing

More info? engadin.ch/families-in-winter

Far from the pistes: tips for extra safety

The freedoms of a freeride outing also carry certain dangers. However, by following various rules, participants can reduce risk. Riders should study the latest weather and avalanche reports before every trip, for example; they should venture into open terrain only in company and never alone; tackle steep slopes one by one; and carry the necessary equipment at all times.

Freeride & snowshoeing

1 Off piste

The Upper Engadin is a dream come true for ski tourers and snowshoers. Complete beginners and experienced pros can take their pick from a wide range of routes and descents.

Snowshoeing at Lake Sils

Sils – The leisurely route begins in idyllic Isola on a delta in Lake Sils. It follows the slope to begin with but then branches off to the right and ends up in the plain of Sils. One highlight of this largely flat route across two kilometres is the view of the mountain massif just opposite.

Avalanche awareness courses

Anyone who ventures off-piste will benefit from one of the avalanche awareness courses run by the Pontresina Mountaineering School. This basic training for all ski tourers and freeriders focuses on preventing avalanches, but also offers practice in what to do in an emergency. engadin.ch/mountaineering-school

Snow tour bus

The snow tour bus is a project from the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC). One of its routes leads from Silvaplana to the Julier Pass and back again. Two ski touring areas await around Piz Julier and Piz Grevasalvas, with runs down into the Upper Engadin.

Quiet zones

Remote winter wonderlands are safe havens for wild animals. Designated quiet zones must be respected at all times.

Photo: Filip Zuan

More info? engadin.ch/free-ride

booking.engadin.ch

Photo: Filip Zuan

Activities on ice

Sports on ice

With skating, hockey, and curling on offer, visitors to the Engadin have plenty of opportunities to take to the seriously smooth ice. There are 17 incredible ice rinks in the region. Some are beautifully natural and others have been prepared to perfection. You can usually rent all the equipment you need while you’re there. engadin.ch/ice-sports

Black ice

The lakes in the Engadin freeze when the temperatures drop low enough. And then Lake St. Moritz and Lej da Staz become the most popular ice rinks around. If it doesn’t snow during the days when the lakes are frozen over, a magical natural phenomenon occurs. The frozen surface remains transparent and looks mysteriously black as it shimmers in the sun. There are only around two chances to admire the rare black ice in every decade. engadin.ch/black-ice

Ice fishing

Sils – Between January and March, fishing firsttimers and fanatics alike can enjoy a unique experience on frozen Lake Sils. engadin.ch/ice-fishing

1 Ice climbing

Pontresina – If you’re keen to challenge yourself with ice climbing, you have options in the Engadin. You can try out the highest irrigated ice climbing wall at Corvatsch or head for the gorge in Pontresina, where mighty ice walls form when the waterfalls freeze. Alternatively, brave beginners can try ice climbing for the first time with the help of a professional instructor at the mountaineering school.

Ice baths

Sils – Ice baths work wonders on your immune system and make you feel happy thanks to all the endorphins. You can experience the freezing cold shock for yourself close to the riding hall in St. Moritz. Or why not take the plunge at an ice bathing spot with a sauna? Head to the Plaun da Lej at Lake Sils. engadin.ch/ice-bathing

More info? engadin.ch/ice-sports

Cultural attractions

Cultural highlights

Unique architecture, exceptional museums, and a jam-packed calendar of concerts and events guarantee rich cultural experiences all year round. engadin.ch/culture

1 Guided village tours

Villages in the Engadin are steeped in history and filled with cultural and architectural highlights and historical tourist hotspots. A range of guided tours allows you to discover each of the villages. You can even make use of a virtual travel guide – in Sils, Bever, Samedan, and Celerina.

Mili Weber Museum

St. Moritz – Multi-talented artist Mili Weber produced watercolour paintings, oil paintings, and frescos. She also recorded her own philosophy of life in countless stories, illustrations, and songs. The museum above St. Moritz is in the house where the artist used to live, which is a beautifully colourful work of art in its own right engadin.ch/mili-weber-house

2 Stalletta

Madulain – The three exhibition spaces at the Stalla Madulain art gallery in the old village centre are located in an old stable dating back to 1488. A few years ago, an offshoot gallery called Stalletta opened up in a traditional building just a few steps away. engadin.ch/staletta-madulain

Events

Engadin Art Talks

Zuoz – International artists, talented architects, and renowned researchers come together in Zuoz at the end of January to enter into fascinating discussions against the tranquil mountain backdrop – much to the delight of the audience. engadin.ch/arttalks

SunIce Festival

St. Moritz – SunIce, the world-class techno and EDM festival, is an annual event that takes place in the middle of April every year – right at the end of the winter season and ahead of the summer festival season. engadin.ch/sunice-festival

More info? engadin.ch/arts-culture

Accommodation

A good night’s sleep

With 130 hotels and over 2,000 holiday homes to choose from, you’re sure to find somewhere to stay that suits your budget and lifestyle. Maybe you’re looking for a traditional touch of Belle Époque luxury? Or perhaps modern urban living is more your style? engadin.ch/accommodations

Golf Hotel Des Alpes

Samedan – The Hotel Des Alpes located less than 800 metres away from the golf club with the same name has reopened. There are 18 cosy rooms to stay in, including one that has enough space for the whole family.

1 Hotel Laudinella

St. Moritz – Relax in lavish luxury at Hotel Laudinella. Head to the wellness area on the fifth floor and admire the spectacular view from the comfort of the hot tub. The magnificent mountains almost seem close enough to touch from the rooms too, some of which even have their own balcony. The hotel is back with a brand-new look for summer 2025 following renovation work. laudinella.ch

Chesa Dimena

La Punt – This modern B&B that opened in 2021 has a charming wooden interior. Will you stay in a double, studio, or family room? chesadimena.ch

Hotel Station

Pontresina – Hotel Station is a cosy home from home right next to the train station. The hotel features rooms in a traditional rustic style, a small sauna, and its own pizzeria. It’s the perfect place to rest and recharge ready for your next adventure. station-pontresina.ch

Hotel Privata

Sils – You’re guaranteed a warm welcome and service with a smile at this hotel. The rooms are filled with the fragrance of Swiss stone pine and the restaurant serves up traditional Engadin dishes with an Italian twist. Accommodation is on a half-board basis. hotelprivata.ch

More info? engadin.ch/accommodations

Restaurants

Fine dining

With three language regions and all kinds of cultural influences coming together, the Engadin serves up exciting and delicious culinary delights.

Donatz Restaurant

Samedan – Local specialities and classic fish, mushroom, and venison dishes are served at this traditional establishment. The Donatz is also known for its excellent wine bar with a selection of over 500 different wines. engadin.ch/lapadella

1 Segelhaus St. Moritz

St. Moritz – You don’t have to be coming back from a day of sailing on St. Moritz Lake to enjoy a delicious meal here. Find a table by the water and admire the unbelievable view of the mountains as you tuck into a hearty brunch, local fish dish, or delicious ice cream from Gelateria di Berna. engadin.ch/segelhaus

2 Murtaröl

Plaun da Lej – Murtaröl on the shore of Lake Sils is one of the most traditional fish restaurants in Switzerland. They serve skilfully crafted dishes made with fish fresh from the lakes of the Engadin as well as fish and crustaceans sourced from the fish market in Milan. Visit the Boutique du poisson next door to pick out your own oysters or buy fish and seafood to take home with you engadin.ch/plaundalej

Culinary e-bike tour

Looking for the perfect pairing of foodie indulgence and adventure in nature? Pedal your way through the beautiful landscape of the Engadin and stop to eat exquisite food along the way. You can book onto this special culinary e-bike tour from the middle of June. The route takes you from Celerina to Lej da Staz via St. Moritz and then onto Zuoz via the Stazerwald forest and Pontresina. engadin.ch/culinary-e-bike-tour

Chalet Speciale

Celerina – Refuel after a long day of skiing with a “Speciale” club sandwich at the cosy Chalet Speciale. engadin.ch/chalet-speciale

Croce Samedan

Samedan – Croce bar is a place to meet and a venue for events. Live music gets the good times flowing –and so do the snacks, with tasty treats like pretzels and sausages on the menu. croce-samedan.ch

More info? engadin.ch/culinary

Photo: Angelina Denk

Wellness

Bellavita pool complex in Pontresina

Pontresina – The Black Hole water slide at the Pontresina indoor pool is an exhilarating 75 metres long: just one descent is enough to have swimmers of all ages hooked! Adults enjoy working out in the 25-metre sports pool or relaxing in the pleasantly warm outdoor pool and in the attractive sauna section. engadin.ch/bellavita-pool

Mineral baths & spa in Samedan

Samedan – Guests seeking pure relaxation find a bathing ritual of mystical beauty in the historical village heart of Samedan. The mineral baths are a work of art sculpted from colour, light, and water, extending over five storeys. One of the many highlights is the rooftop pool, from which visitors enjoy an uplifting view of the surrounding mountains. engadin.ch/mineral-bath

1 Body and mind

Pontresina – Recharge physically and mentally at Hotel Maistra 160. The wide range of courses on offer could help you manage your stress levels, enjoy a healthier and more mindful lifestyle, and find inner peace maistra160.ch

MTZ Heilbad St. Moritz

St. Moritz – From treating minor or more serious injuries to preventing injury or simply offering guests a spot of pampering: the MTZ Heilbad in St. Moritz is the perfect spot for boosting health

in every way. Here, the latest medical expertise meets traditional spa culture for all-round wellbeing. The wide range of services and facilities on offer includes medical wellness, physiotherapy, mineral baths, moor mud body packs, and massages. engadin.ch/medical-therapy

Day spas in the Engadin

The spas in the following Engadin hotels welcome non-residents as well as hotel guests to enjoy the facilities to the full:

→ Saratz Day Spa, Pontresina

→ Palace Wellness, St. Moritz

→ Kempinski The SPA, St. Moritz

→ Kulm Spa, St. Moritz

→ Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina

→ Hammam at the Hotel Castell, Zuoz

→ Arenas Resort Schweizerhof, Sils

→ Waldhaus Spa, Sils

→ Maistra 160, Pontresina

More info? engadin.ch/wellness/en

Travelling to the Engadin

St.Gallen

B 2 h 30

Zurich B 2 h 40

Bern

B 4 h

HGeneva

B 5 h 40

Chiavenna Lugano

Tiefencastel

Landquart

Klosters

Davos

Preda

Landeck

B 1  h 50 ENGADIN

Munich

B 4 h 20

Milan B 3 h 20

As a pioneering piece of railway history and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 120-year-old Albula Railway promises an incredible train journey with unforgettable views. The new tunnel opened in 2024, making the experience even better and faster.

Further information

Check departure and journey times for the Rhaetian Railway at engadin.ch/get-here

B

The times above indicate how long it takes to get from the starting point to the Engadin. Prepare for an exciting experience when over various passes. If you’re not keen on twists and turns, it might be a good idea to take the car transporter through the Vereina Tunnel.

Further information

See current reports on the traffic situation in the Engadin and info on car shuttle waiting times at engadin.ch/get-here

Zernez

Scuol

Switzerland

Grisons

From Chiavenna (in Italy) or Lugano, you can get to St. Moritz on the PostBus and enjoy the twists, turns, and views along the way. Another PostBus route runs from Chur via Savognin and the Julier Pass.

Further information

Check departure and journey times for the PostBus at engadin.ch/get-here

Publisher: Engadin Tourismus AG, engadin.ch — Contact: Sereina Jost, sereina.jost@engadin.ch — Production / Concept / Text / Editing /

Copyediting: Transhelvetica/Passaport AG, transhelvetica.ch; Jon & Pia Bollmann, Claudius Wirz, Claudia Walder, Stephanie Elmer, Karin Dehmer, Lisa Savenberg, Jonas Morgenthaler, Angelika Overath — Layout: Transhelvetica/Passaport AG; Franca Sidler — Photographs: Nico Schaerer, nicoschaerer.com; Filip Zuan, Federico Sette; unless specified otherwise, made available by Engadin Tourismus AG and partners — Translation & proofreading: Supertext — Printer: Multicolor Print AG, Baar — Copyright: All rights reserved. Reprint of all or part of this magazine only by express permission of the tourism organisation Engadin Tourismus AG and with acknowledgement. Retail price: CHF 20