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.
Overview
Graubünden is the canton that rewards Alpine travellers most comprehensively: it combines the social infrastructure of world-class winter resorts (St. Moritz, Davos) with some of Europe's most significant mountain railway engineering and a landscape character — high Engadin plateau, glacier-carved valleys, Italian-influenced architecture in the south — that distinguishes it clearly from the Bernese Oberland or Valais Alps to the west. The Rhätische Bahn (RhB) is the engineering centrepiece. Its Albula line (Thusis to St. Moritz, with 55 tunnels and 196 bridges, opened 1904) and Bernina line (Pontresina to Tirano, crossing from Switzerland into Italy at 2,253 m altitude without a tunnel) were jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 — one of only two railway lines to hold this designation. The Glacier Express (St. Moritz to Zermatt, 7h30) begins in Graubünden; the Bernina Express (Chur or Davos to Tirano, 4h) is regarded as the finest mountain railway journey in Europe. Both require reservations. St. Moritz (1,856 m) has hosted the Winter Olympics twice (1928, 1948) and remains the reference point for luxury Alpine tourism: the Cresta Run toboggan course (invitation only), frozen lake horse racing, polo on snow, and hotel names (Badrutt's Palace, Kulm Hotel) that have appeared in travel writing since the 1860s. Davos (1,560 m) draws an entirely different demographic — the World Economic Forum in January, the Parsenn ski area (largest in Graubünden), and a literary association with Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain (set in the Waldsanatorium). The Upper Engadin valley, shared between St. Moritz and Pontresina, is the summer counterpart: walking the Engadin Ski Marathon course around the frozen lakes in July, exploring the Val Roseg glacier on horse-drawn carriage, and accessing the Diavolezza (2,978 m) and Piz Nair viewpoints by cable car.
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.
Ways to Experience This Destination
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Tourism & destination guides
graubuenden.ch — accommodation, activity booking, and regional guides for Graubünden. Resort-by-resort ski area information (piste maps, lift status), summer hiking trail finder, and the official Rhätische Bahn scenic route planner.
stmoritz.ch — accommodation, ski area maps, and event calendar for St. Moritz and the upper Engadin. White Turf horse-racing programme, summer hiking routes, and the Segantini Museum visitor information. Corviglia and Diavolezza lift status.
davos.ch — six ski areas, piste maps, and lift status for Davos-Klosters. Summer mountain biking trail maps, the Thomas Mann literature walk, and practical information on the Congress Centre. WEF dates and public access information.
laax.com — piste maps, snow reports, and lift status for the Flims-Laax-Falera area. Halfpipe and terrain park specifications, Audi Nines event schedule, and the LAAX app for real-time mountain conditions.
Treat this Visaja page as your starting point: verify the current rules directly with the official source before you submit an application.