Graubünden, Switzerland

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

SwitzerlandEurope
Introduction
Graubünden (Romansh: Grischun; Italian: Grigioni) is Switzerland's largest canton by area — a high-Alpine territory of 7,105 square kilometres in the south-eastern corner of the country, bordering Austria, Liechtenstein, and Italy. It is the only officially trilingual Swiss canton, with German, Romansh, and Italian as co-equal official languages. The landscape ranges from the Rhine gorge (Ruinaulta, known as the Swiss Grand Canyon) in the north to the Bernina massif on the Italian border, encompassing the Engadin valley, the Prättigau, the Surselva, and dozens of lateral valleys. For travellers, Graubünden is best known for three things: world-class Alpine skiing (St. Moritz, Davos, Laax, Arosa, Lenzerheide), the Rhätische Bahn UNESCO World Heritage railway (Albula and Bernina lines — the most scenically dramatic mountain railways in Europe), and the upper Engadin valley, whose combination of high-altitude lakes, larch forests, and glacier approaches produces some of the most distinctive mountain landscapes on the continent. Chur, the canton capital and oldest city in Switzerland (settled since 3000 BC), is 2 hours from Zurich by direct train and serves as the gateway for all rail routes into the canton.

Discover Graubünden

St. Moritz (1,856 m, population ~5,000) in the upper Engadin sits at the eastern end of Lake St. Moritz on a broad south-facing terrace, giving it more sunshine hours per year than Rome — the key claim behind 19th-century hotelier Johannes Badrutt's promotional bet in 1864 that persuaded his English guests to return in winter. The result was the invention of Alpine winter tourism. Today the resort covers two ski areas: Corviglia (accessible from St. Moritz-Dorf by funicular, good for intermediates) and Signal/Piz Nair (panoramic summit at 3,057 m). The Cresta Run, the original skeleton bobsled track opened in 1884 — 1,212 metres of ice from Start to Finish, open to members and guests of the St. Moritz Tobogganing Club only — descends through 10 banked curves to a bottom straight. St. Moritz also hosts the White Turf race meeting in February (horse racing and polo on the frozen lake), ski jumping, and the World Ski Championships. In summer, the Engadin lakes (St. Moritz, Silvaplana, Sils) are surrounded by walking trails and accessible by postbus along the valley; the Segantini Museum houses the largest collection of works by Giovanni Segantini, the Symbolist painter who spent his last decade painting the Engadin.

Travel Types

Rhätische Bahn — UNESCO Mountain Railway

Albula line (55 tunnels, 196 bridges, Landwasser Viaduct) and Bernina line (highest open-air Alpine crossing at 2,253 m, no rack-and-pinion). UNESCO World Heritage since 2008. Bernina Express to Tirano (4h) and Glacier Express to Zermatt (7h30) require reservations.

St. Moritz and Upper Engadin

World's original Alpine resort (1864): Corviglia/Piz Nair skiing, Cresta Run, White Turf horse racing on frozen lake. Summer: Engadin lake circuit, Diavolezza (2,978 m) cable car, Morteratsch glacier approach trail, Val Roseg horse carriage.

Davos and the Parsenn

Highest city in the Alps (1,560 m), largest ski area in Graubünden: Parsenn–Klosters (Weissfluhjoch 2,844 m to Küblis 1,124 m, one of Switzerland's longest vertical descents). WEF setting in January; Magic Mountain literary heritage; summer mountain biking.

Rhine Gorge (Ruinaulta)

Switzerland's Grand Canyon — 13 km of white limestone walls up to 400 m deep on the Anterior Rhine. Accessible by RhB train, riverside trail (7 km, car-free), or bicycle. Flims-Laax ski area on the northern rim (largest halfpipe in Europe).

Laax — Europe's Largest Halfpipe

Flims-Laax-Falera: 224 km of pistes, largest halfpipe in Europe, dedicated freestyle mountain (Crap Sogn Gion), premier slopestyle events. Also: Arosa Lenzerheide (225 km pistes, connected by gondola) and Arosa Bear Sanctuary.

Romansh Language Country

The only place in the world where Romansh is a living daily language — five regional dialects, trilingual signage throughout the canton. Key Romansh-speaking areas: Surselva (Ilanz district), upper Engadin (allegra = hello). Romansh place names co-exist with German and Italian.

Graubünden — Practical Travel Notes
  • •The Bernina Express (Chur/Davos–Tirano) and Glacier Express (St. Moritz–Zermatt) require a reservation supplement in addition to the Swiss Travel Pass (approximately CHF 13–49 depending on train and season). Book at least 2 weeks in advance in peak season (July–August and December–March). Regular RhB trains on the same routes run without reservation and are fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.
  • •The Albula line (Chur–St. Moritz via the Albula Tunnel) is a UNESCO World Heritage railway — it is worth timing the outbound journey to pass through Bergün and the Albula spiral loops in daylight. On the return, the late-afternoon light over the Engadin lakes from the train window between Bever and Samedan is exceptional.
  • •St. Moritz has two rail stations: St. Moritz (for the town centre and Corviglia funicular) and Pontresina (for the Bernina line, Morteratsch, and Val Roseg). They are one stop apart on the RhB. The two ski areas (Corviglia/Piz Nair and Diavolezza/Lagalb) are not interconnected by lift — allow a full day for each.
  • •Davos is divided into Davos Platz (main station, more residential, larger supermarkets) and Davos Dorf (Parsenn Bahn funicular, closer to the Weissfluhgipfel summit). Intercity trains stop at Davos Platz. A free shuttle bus connects the two within the resort.
  • •Chur Altstadt is a 10-minute walk from Chur HB: exit the station, cross the Grabenstrasse, and enter through the Obertor gate. The RhB Museum at Chur is the starting point for understanding the network's engineering history; it is located 15 minutes from the station.
  • •The Rhine Gorge hiking trail (Ruinaulta) from Valendas-Sagogn to Versam-Safien (7 km) requires comfortable shoes and about 2–3 hours. The trail crosses the river twice on suspension bridges and involves some exposed sections on the cliff-face path. Not suitable for strollers. Take the RhB to Valendas-Sagogn and return from Versam-Safien.
  • •Romansh is protected under Swiss federal law (Article 4 of the Federal Constitution). When in the Engadin, the greeting allegra (from the Latin for cheerful/lively) is used in all contexts — responding in kind is universally appreciated. Written communications and menus in the lower Engadin (Scuol district) will often be in Vallader dialect.
  • •Currency: Swiss franc (CHF). Graubünden borders Italy; the Bernina Express crosses into Italian territory (Tirano) — Italian euro prices apply from the Italian border station. Carry CHF for the Swiss portion; Tirano village accepts euros and cards equally. The bus from Tirano to Lugano accepts cash and cards.
  • •Ski passes: St. Moritz (Corviglia) and Diavolezza are NOT on the same area pass — each requires its own pass or a multi-area 4-valley pass. Davos-Klosters has a single area pass covering all six mountains. Flims-Laax (LAAX) has its own pass. The Swiss Travel Pass does not cover any ski lifts in Graubünden.
  • •Summer hiking: Graubünden has 11,000 km of marked walking trails. The Engadin Ski Marathon route (42 km around the Engadin lakes) is walkable in summer as a multi-day itinerary. The Via Engiadina trail (120 km) follows the eastern face of the valley with constant Bernina views. Most trail heads are accessible by postbus.