Chur

Chur is generally considered to be the oldest town in Switzerland. The population of Chur is around 35,000. Chur is the capital of the canton of Graubünden. The Chur railway station is used both by SBB (serving most of Switzerland) and Rhätische Bahn (serving most of Graubünden) SBB uses the standard gauge, 1435 mm, while Rhätische Bahn uses the narrow gauge, 1000 mm.

 

Chur is a splendid starting point for the railway enthusiast. Both the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express stop in Chur. Here you can read about the Glacier Express and here is a review of the Bernina Express. Rhätische Bahn has many scenic routes, all of them easily reachable from Chur.

 

Here is a map of the railway network of Rhätische Bahn This includes all stations in Grabünden, plus Tirano.

 

The 26 kilometre journey from Chur up to Arosa takes about an hour. Note that the train leaves just outside the main entrance of the railway station, not from the main platforms inside the station. The short journey includes a lot of nice views and the famous Langwies bridge (length of 287 metres) All together, the 26 kilometre track include 21 tunnels and 41 bridges. The line was opened in December 1914. The trains from Chur climb 1150 metres up to Arosa without using a tracking system.

 

The Langwies bridge is the longest of the railway bridges in Graubünden. The bridge is supposed to been the longest iron-concrete bridge in the world when it was completed in 1914.

 

In Arosa you can take the cable car up to Weisshorn (2653 m elevation) all year. On a clear day, the view from the top of the Weisshorn is breathtaking. There is a restaurant at the summit and a few others on the way down to Arosa as well. In winter, Arosa is a popular place for skiing and snowboarding. In summer, biking and walking are the main activities. It is possible to walk all year, some of the paths are kept open all the time, except for just after heavy snow fall.

 

From Chur you can make a small loop by taking the train to Davos. You can either take the train to Filisur or go in the other direction and take a train to Davos. Note that you have to change trains to get to Davos from Chur. It is easiest to change in Landquart. But a place like Klosters is more picturesque. It is a nice train ride from Klosters up to Davos, if you have time you may want to walk part of the track. In this case it is easier to walk back to the previous station, so you can walk downhill.

 

In Davos Platz you have to change trains again. If the weather permits, it is well worth disembarking at Wiesen and walk down to Filisur. Note that Wiesen is a request stop, the train will only stop on request. You have to press the stop button inside the carriage if you want to jump off at Wiesen or any other of the request stops.

 

The famous Wiesen Bridge is just after the Wiesen station. You can walk across the bridge. The walk to Filisur takes about 1.5 - 2 hours. You can also get a good look at the famous Landwasser viaduct before you take the train back to Chur.

 

The larger loop, taking the train to Samedan and Sagliains, includes the famous Albula tunnel and the new Vereina tunnel. The Albula tunnel (length 5865 metres) is located between Preda and Spinas. It was opened in 1903 and completed the train connection between Chur and St. Moritz. Thanks to the railway, St. Moritz became a famous winter resort. The Verina tunnel (length 19.1 kilometres) between Klosters and Sagliains was officially opened on the 19th of November 1999.