Luxury hotel holidays to Grisons and the Engadine

Luxury holidays to Grisons and the Engadine: luxury hotel holidays, touring holidays and special interest holidays

Dotted with National Parks, Grisons and the Engadine are best known for the dramatic Alpine scenery and the major winter sports resorts; yet, in the spring, summer, and autumn months, the region has far more to offer. Historic towns, scenic lakes and glaciers, and chic villages packed with gourmet restaurants and boutique shops come into their own in the sunshine. The Ela Park, through which the world-famous Glacier Express and Bernina Express run, stretches between Chur and St Moritz. Passing through here by car or rail will introduce you to miles-upon-miles of quintessentially Swiss landscape: lush, natural fields are interspersed with evergreen forests, clusters of rustic wooden houses, and jagged mountain peaks such as the Lenzerhorn, Piz Vadret, Piz Platta, as well as Piz Bernina in the distance. Visitors to this region in the summer have these sublime panoramas as their object. The Engadine is known for its sporting possibilities. Hiking and walking trails take you up to the most sought-after and secluded vantage points, and the extensive network of cycling paths offer endless destinations; one route even leads to Budapest.

Frequently Asked Questions

The canton of Grisons, or Graubünden, is the largest in Switzerland, and the right base depends on whether you are drawn to elegant resort life, quiet traditional villages or a historic town. For most of our clients the Upper Engadine is the natural choice: a high, broad valley of lakes and larch forests at around 1,800 metres, with St Moritz at its centre. Here we offer two of the great hotels of the Alps, Suvretta House, set in its own grounds above the town, and the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, built in the nineteenth century at the source of St Moritz's mineral springs, as well as the comfortable Hotel Schweizerhof and Hotel Hauser in the centre. The Lower Engadine, further down the Inn valley towards Austria, is quieter and more traditional, with painted village houses and the spa town of Scuol. Davos, in a separate valley to the north, is a larger town with extensive walking, where Arabella Hotel Waldhuus sits on the edge of the forest. Chur, the cantonal capital, has a historic old town and is the starting point of the Bernina Express; Romantik Hotel Stern and Hotel ABC are both central. We know these hotels individually and will match the base to you.
Both are worth taking, and they are quite different journeys, so many clients include one or both in a holiday here. The Bernina Express runs from Chur or St Moritz over the Bernina Pass to Tirano in Italy, a journey of around four hours from Chur. It climbs past glaciers to the Ospizio Bernina at over 2,200 metres, the highest point, before descending steeply through the Poschiavo valley into the warmth of Italy, crossing the circular viaduct at Brusio on the way. The Albula and Bernina lines, with their spiral tunnels and stone viaducts such as the Landwasser Viaduct, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Glacier Express runs between St Moritz and Zermatt in around eight hours, crossing the Oberalp Pass and the Rhine Gorge, and is a full day of slow, panoramic travel, ideal as a link between two parts of a holiday. Both trains have panoramic carriages with large windows, and reservations are required; on the Glacier Express, Excellence Class offers a more spacious and refined experience. Our holidays include Glacier Express journeys in both classes, and Bernina Express routes to Lake Como and Venice. We arrange reservations as soon as booking opens.
The Upper Engadine is a landscape of high lakes and mountains with an unusual quality of light, which has drawn painters, writers and visitors for more than 150 years. St Moritz itself is a smart resort town with a lake, a fine collection at the Segantini Museum, devoted to the painter of the Engadine landscape, and a busy winter calendar. A short way south, the lakes of Silvaplana and Sils stretch towards the Maloja Pass; Sils-Maria, where Nietzsche spent his summers in a house that is now a small museum, is the starting point for walks or horse-drawn carriage rides into the car-free Val Fex. The funicular to Muottas Muragl gives one of the classic views down the valley and its chain of lakes. Near Pontresina, an easy walk leads up the valley to the Morteratsch Glacier, with signs marking how far the ice has retreated, while the cable car to Diavolezza opens views over the Bernina massif. Beyond the Maloja, the Bregaglia valley descends towards Italy, and the stone village of Soglio, high above it, makes a memorable excursion. Summer brings lake swimming, sailing and windsurfing, particularly at Silvaplana, and in winter the region is renowned for skiing and cross-country skiing.
The Lower Engadine is one of the most traditional parts of Switzerland, and it is well worth a day or two for those interested in architecture, nature and quieter walking. Here Romansh, Switzerland's fourth national language, is still spoken in daily life, and villages such as Guarda, Ftan and Sent are lined with massive old farmhouses decorated with sgraffito, patterns scratched into the plaster, and deep-set windows. Scuol is the main town and has a modern thermal bath fed by the region's mineral springs, while Tarasp Castle stands dramatically on a rocky hill across the river. The Swiss National Park, founded in 1914 and the oldest national park in the Alps, lies between Zernez and the Italian border; it is managed as a strict reserve, so visitors keep to marked trails, but walking there offers good chances of seeing ibex, chamois, red deer and marmots, and the visitor centre in Zernez is a useful start. Beyond the park, over the Ofen Pass, the Val Müstair holds the Benedictine Convent of St John, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with remarkable Carolingian wall paintings from around the year 800. We can arrange a guide for the park and include the Lower Engadine in a touring holiday or as day trips.
Both are worth including, each for different reasons. Chur, the capital of Grisons and among the oldest towns in Switzerland, has a compact, pedestrianised old town of painted houses, fountains and small squares, and stands at the start of the Bernina Express, which makes it a natural first or last night in the region. Its cathedral, on the hill of the bishop's court above the old town, dates largely from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and has a fine carved altarpiece, and the Bündner Kunstmuseum has a strong collection of art from the region, including works by Segantini, Giacometti and Kirchner. On a Saturday in summer, the old town hosts a farmers' market. Davos, at around 1,560 metres, is one of the highest towns in Europe, and was a celebrated health resort in the late nineteenth century, a setting immortalised in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. Today it is a lively year-round resort, with an extensive network of walking paths reached by railway and cable car, side valleys such as Sertig and Dischma for gentle walks, and the Kirchner Museum, devoted to the expressionist painter who lived in Davos. Romantik Hotel Stern and Hotel ABC in Chur, and Arabella Hotel Waldhuus in Davos, make comfortable bases.
Yes on both counts. Our By Rail to the Engadine holiday travels from London on the Eurostar to Paris, then by high-speed train to Zurich and on to Chur, before the final, scenic stretch on the Albula line to St Moritz, so that the journey becomes part of the holiday. For those who prefer to fly, Zurich is the most convenient airport, around three and a half hours from St Moritz by train. Once there, a car is unnecessary: the Rhaetian Railway, buses and mountain lifts link every valley, and we can arrange rail passes where they offer good value, along with luggage forwarding between hotels. The Engadine is excellent walking country, with well-marked paths for every ability and a sunny, relatively dry climate. Many walks are gentle and largely level, such as the paths around the Upper Engadine lakes or into the Val Fex and Val Roseg, while lifts give easy access to higher routes with views of the Bernina glaciers. The Via Engiadina, a high-level route along the valley between Maloja and Scuol, can be walked in stages. In winter, we offer a self-guided snowshoe walking holiday based in St Moritz, and the region's network of prepared winter walking paths is extensive.
The Engadine is rewarding throughout the year. Summer, from late June to September, is ideal for walking, with long, sunny days, Alpine flowers and comfortable temperatures at altitude, and in autumn the larch forests turn gold, usually in mid to late October, which many consider the most beautiful time of year. Some hotels and lifts close between seasons, in spring and late autumn, so we will check before you book. Winter, from December to March, brings skiing, cross-country skiing on the frozen lakes and a calendar of events: the St. Moritz Gourmet Festival in late January or early February, White Turf horse racing on the frozen lake of St Moritz on Sundays in February, and the Engadin Skimarathon in March. On 1 March, children in villages across the Engadine celebrate Chalandamarz, ringing bells to drive out the winter, and in summer the Engadin Festival presents classical concerts in churches and hotels across the valley. The food of Grisons is hearty and distinctive: capuns, dumplings wrapped in chard leaves; pizokel, a buckwheat pasta; maluns, a potato dish; air-dried Bündnerfleisch; barley soup; and the walnut-filled Engadiner Nusstorte. In the north of the canton, the Bündner Herrschaft produces some of Switzerland's finest Pinot Noir.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Switzerland and within Switzerland, combining flights, hire-car, rail and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Grisons and the Engadine

● Food and wine holidays
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Visits to local music festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Walking holidays
● City breaks
● Spa breaks
● Family holidays
● Sports holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Highlights of Grisons and the Engadine

Between the peaks, valleys, and lakes of Grisons and the Engadine, towns and villages with hidden cultural treasures abound. Some of the oldest settlements in Switzerland are located here, still with the same medieval atmosphere. One of the most iconic images associated with Grisons is Tarasp Castle, built in the 11th century, perched on its hundred-metre-high rock in the centre of its surrounding valley. To see more of traditional Engadine style, visit the ancient villages of Guarda, Ftan, and Sent. The village of Zernez is known as the ‘Gateway to the Swiss National Park,' which also extends south into Italy. The Inn Valley is the perfect place to admire your surroundings. 60km of hiking trails wind their way across the landscape between Maloja and Scuol, believed to be the most rewarding trails in Switzerland because of the high-altitude views. Between the months of May and September, the Inn Valley gorges are ideal for rafting, as their calm turquoise waters bustle white. The Bains Engadine in Scuol were the first Roman-Irish baths in Switzerland, now providing saunas and pools with a very impressive backdrop.

Cultural highlights of Grisons and the Engadine

The three main towns of interest are Chur, Davos, and St Moritz. Chur is the oldest city in Switzerland, affectionately named the ‘Alpine City.’ Twisting streets and historic buildings, restaurants, bars, museums, galleries, boutiques, and a pedestrianised Old Town mean the city is abounding in charming character. A farmer's market is held in the main square of the Old Town every Saturday morning between the months of May and October. High above the town stands the Bishop's Palace. Fortified walls surround the central courtyard, which holds the Cathedral of the Assumption, dating back over 800 years. Chur is also home to the region's three largest museums. Explore its history in the Rhaetian Museum, the works of prestigious local artists at the Museum of Fine Art, and the flora, wildlife, and geological history at the Graubunden Natural History Museum. The two most popular mountain peaks in the area around Chur are the Branbruesch and the Dreibundenstein, both accessible by cable car and hiking routes. Chur has the highest concentration of restaurants and bars in Switzerland, making it an excellent destination for gastronomists and those who enjoy sampling a range of delicacies in a new restaurant each night. The highest ‘town’ in the Alps, at 1560m above sea level, is Davos, another popular destination with winter sports enthusiasts. In the summer, however, the snow melts to reveal over 700km of hiking paths. These can be accessed via cable cars up to the Jakobshorn (2590m), the Weissflujoch (2844m), and the Rinerhorn (2490m). Horse-drawn carriages take you along the narrower valleys of Sertig, Dischma, and Fluela. At Davos Lake, visitors can take a refreshing swim or enjoy the sports available at the sailing and surfing area. Alternatively, visit the Zugenschlucht gorge to follow the geology trail, the rocky path of the river, or to visit the mining museum. For something even more unusual, spend an hour at the Monstein Brewery, the highest brewery in Europe, and the first in Switzerland to be opened for tastings and tours. St Moritz is perhaps the best-loved Alpine winter destination in Switzerland, and possibly Europe. At 1822m above sea level, visitors are welcomed first by views across the Upper Engadine Valley. The local peaks, including the Piz Corvatsch, Chantarella, and Corviglia can be reached via mountainside railway, and from Corviglia, you can take a cable car up to Suvretta's most famous viewing point. Though St Moritz is not a waterside village, the nearby Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana are perfect for water sports, particularly the latter, which is known for being windy. The village of St Moritz itself is smattered with quaint cafes and stunning buildings with peaked roofs, and the central churches provide beautiful destinations after a morning of exploration on foot. Just outside St Moritz is Celerina, home to the Cresta Run, one of the area's most famous attributes. Celerina is also the first stop on the Glacier Express route from St Moritz to Zermatt: a journey of viaducts, steep inclines, spiralling declines, and some of Switzerland's most famous mountains.

Festivals in Grisons and the Engadine

In Switzerland there is only one nationally celebrated day, the Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation on the 1st August, aside from Christmas, advent and New Year. Apart from these, festivals and holidays are determined by the canton and the town. The residents of Grisons see in the first day of March with Chalanda Marz, in which bells are rung to chase out the winter. In Disentis on July 11th, a religious procession takes place to honour Saint Placidus. In Pontresina, St Moritz, and across the canton, the BSI Engadine Festival brings the region to life with performances of classical music in August. The most unusual of the major festivals in Grisons and the Engadine may well be in Chur, at the Chur City Festival and Alpine Beard Festival in August. In the autumn, Chur Theatre performs a diverse international theatre and dance programme, and in August every two years open-air opera is performed at the Haldenstein Castle.

Gastronomy in Grisons and the Engadine

As Grisons is still comprised of three language areas (Italian, German, and Romansh), the cuisine remains eclectic and varied. Many ingredients, prominent in the Alpine terrain are recombined in new ways to create different, flavoursome dishes. Three popular dishes in particular are maluns, capuns, and pizokels. Maluns are made from boiled potatoes, which are then grated, rolled in flour, and then roasted in butter. Often eaten by farmers for breakfast, maluns are also popular snacks to accompany a cup of coffee or served with Alpine cheese at dinner. Capuns come in a range of varieties, but are always wrapped in savoy cabbage leaves, spinach leaves, or Swiss chard. Inside, they have some combination of dough, meat, fish, and vegetables. Pizokels are baked dishes of special dough and vegetables topped with cheese.

Grisons and the Engadine travel information

Grisons and the Engadine is reached very easily from the UK by air and rail. We can arrange for you to travel by train with overnight stops. Some clients choose to take their own car all the way.

By air

Flights from the UK into Geneva or Zurich are regular, providing a quicker alternative for those who would like to spend their entire trip in Switzerland. From Grisons and the Engadine continue your holiday northwest in Zurich, west in the Bernese Oberland and Saanenland, or southwest in Ticino.

Rail travel

Due to the excellent rail service available in Switzerland, we always recommend navigating your tour, while in the country, by rail. Trains are known for being punctual and comfortable, and offer an excellent way of viewing the sublime scenery as you pass. Many of the most picturesque villages and towns in Switzerland are also traffic-free, or have complex, winding roads as their only access-point by car; yet, you will find they almost unfailingly have a rail station. Many iconic rail journeys allow travel from the UK direct through France into Switzerland, which we have always found adds a new dimension to your trip.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Switzerland and within Switzerland, combining flights, hire-car, rail and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Grisons and the Engadine

● Food and wine holidays
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Visits to local music festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Walking holidays
● City breaks
● Spa breaks
● Family holidays
● Sports holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Here you will find a map of Grisons and the Engadine showing the locations of the hotels that we offer

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Switzerland and within Switzerland, combining flights, hire-car, rail and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Grisons and the Engadine

● Food and wine holidays
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Visits to local music festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Walking holidays
● City breaks
● Spa breaks
● Family holidays
● Sports holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

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THE GRAND, GRAND SWITZERLAND RAIL TOUR

BY RAIL OR FLY-RAIL. 15-night grandest of grand ultimate Swiss rail touring holiday visiting dramatic mountains and serene lakes of Switzerland, from Lake Geneva to Zermatt, Lugano to Lucerne, St Moritz and the Bernese Oberland. From £5,320 per person.
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GLACIER EXPRESS EXCELLENCE CLASS HOLIDAY

BY RAIL OR FLY-RAIL. 5-night Glacier Express iconic Swiss rail holiday staying in Lausanne, Zermatt and St Moritz with a journey on the iconic Glacier Express in Excellence Class from Zermatt to St Moritz. From £5,200 per person.
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GLACIER EXPRESS HOLIDAY

BY RAIL OR FLY-RAIL. 5-night Glacier Express iconic Swiss rail holiday staying in Zermatt and St Moritz with a journey on the iconic Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz. From £3,200 per person.
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LAKE COMO THROUGH THE ALPS ON THE BERNINA EXPRESS BY RAIL TOUR

BY TRAIN. 6-night holiday by train to Italian Lake Como via Switzerland including a journey on the iconic, scenic train, the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano. From £3,990 per person.
Pink marble ornate exterior of Doge's Palace in Venice

VENICE THROUGH THE ALPS ON THE BERNINA EXPRESS BY TRAIN TOUR

BY TRAIN. 7-night holiday by train to Venice with stops in Zurich and St Moritz and a journey on the iconic Bernina Express from St Moritz to Tirano. From £3,900 per person.
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SWISS SCENIC AND AUSTRIAN CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS BY TRAIN

RAIL TOUR 11-night grand tour of Swiss lakes and mountains with Glacier Express and Bernina Express and stays in Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna. Return from Vienna to Cologne on the sleeper train. From £3,820 per person.
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BY RAIL TO THE ENGADINE HOLIDAY

BY RAIL. 7-night rail holiday to the Swiss Engadine and the chic mountain resort of St Moritz with rail travel from London via Paris, Zurich and Chur. Stay in one hotel and explore the Engadine in depth. Prices from £3,200 per person.
Dusk winter view of St Moritz town, lake and mountains

ST MORITZ WINTER SNOW-SHOE WALKING HOLIDAY

7-night winter, self-guided, snow-shoe walking and winter hiking holiday for individuals in St Moritz in the Swiss Grisons. Travel by air and/or train. From £1,830 per person.
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KEMPINSKI GRAND HOTEL LES BAINS St Moritz

A grand hotel, 5-star, with about 170 rooms, dating from the mid 19th century and built at the source of therapeutic springs. Lots of sporting activities with golf, tennis, fitness. Facilities for children too.
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ARABELLA HOTEL WALDHUUS Davos

This is a 4-star, boutique hotel in a beautiful Alpine location. Welcoming guests year-round, it offers excellent golf and mountain biking facilities, a spa and delicious local cuisine, for a true taste of Swiss hospitality.
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HOTEL ABC Chur

This is a modern, 4-star boutique hotel in an excellent central location. Comfortable, modern accommodation makes this an ideal spot to recuperate after enjoying the wealth of natural, cultural and sporting opportunities in the area.
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HOTEL HAUSER St Moritz

This is a welcoming and comfortable establishment in the centre of St Moritz. Delicious cuisine and confectionary and comfortable, modern accommodation make it an ideal spot to recuperate after enjoying the delights of the region.
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HOTEL SCHWEIZERHOF ST MORITZ St Moritz

This is a 4-star boutique hotel in a beautiful location on the mountain slopes, and is an excellent base for enjoying the scenery of Grisons and the Engadine. It offers stunning views, gourmet dining and exceptional service.
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ROMANTIK HOTEL STERN Chur

This is a 4-star hotel offering both Swiss authentic style and modern comforts in the historic town of Chur. Supremely comfortable accommodation and a traditional, rustic restaurant afford guests a relaxing and restorative experience.
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SUVRETTA HOUSE St Moritz

This is a 5-star hotel offering uncompromised quality in a stunning location. This grand and luxurious hotel boasts stunning grounds and views, gourmet cuisine, indulgent spa facilities and outstanding service.