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Voykit pocket guide · Switzerland
Chur
Stay one night in Chur: old town in the evening, then the Albula line or a Brambrüesch walk next morning if the lift is running. Two nights only for an Arosa or Lenzerheide day.
Chur is the rail gateway to Graubünden: the junction where SBB mainline trains from Zurich meet the RhB narrow-gauge lines to Davos, St. Moritz and Arosa, plus PostBus routes into the side valleys. The car-free old town is small enough to walk in two hours, so most travellers use it as a night between Zurich and the mountains rather than a destination. Add a second night only for a mountain day on Brambrüesch, Arosa or Lenzerheide.
- Country
- Switzerland
- Best months
- Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- Avoid
- Nov (quiet, lifts closed), late Oct–early Dec
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CHF
- Money
- Currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere; euros are sometimes taken with change in francs.
- Daily spend
- Budget CHF 90–130 excl. bed · Mid CHF 150–230 excl. bed · High CHF 250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt sell prepaid SIMs (ID needed); Swisscom covers the most mountain terrain.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Ambulance 144 · Fire 118 · European emergency 112 · Rega air rescue 1414
- Plugs
- Types J, C · 230 V · 50 Hz · Swiss three-pin sockets are recessed: thin two-pin (type C) plugs fit, but thick German Schuko plugs do not — bring a Swiss adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Service included; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.; Café or bar: Round up.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel: Optional; CHF 2–5 for porters.; Mountain guide: CHF 20–50 for a day, optional.
- Water
- Tap and fountain water is excellent. Restaurants usually charge for bottled water; ask for 'Hahnenwasser' / 'eau du robinet'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost CHF 1–2; restaurants and department stores are free for customers.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | CHF 4–6 |
| Plate of Capuns or a bowl of soup | CHF 18–28 |
| Main course in an old-town restaurant | CHF 28–45 |
| Beer, 0.5 l draught / supermarket can | CHF 7–9 / CHF 2–3 |
| Supermarket sandwich or picnic lunch | CHF 8–14 |
| City bus single ride | CHF 3–4 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | CHF 15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ZRH · Zurich Airport
- Direct SBB trains to Chur, about 1 h 50 min; no change needed.
Typical fares
- Zurich Airport → Chur, SBB
- about CHF 40, about 1 h 50 min (check)
- Chur → Arosa, RhB
- about CHF 15–20, about 1 h (check)
- Chur → St. Moritz, RhB via Albula
- about CHF 40–50, about 2 h (check)
Get around
Walk. The old town is car-free and the station to cathedral is about 10 minutes on foot. City buses run five routes; buy a single ticket or a day pass from the machine. Trains reach Chur West and Chur Wiesental, and the Brambrüesch cable car base is a short bus or 20-minute walk from the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Old town and cathedral
- Brambrüesch cable car
- Rail hub for Graubünden
- Bündnerfleisch and Capuns
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Arosa | RhB train from Chur, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Lenzerheide | PostBus from Chur station via Churwalden, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| Davos | RhB train from Chur, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 40 min |
| St. Moritz | RhB via the Albula line, about 2 h | About 2 h 15 min |
| Klosters | RhB from Chur with a change at Landquart, about 1 h 15 min total | About 1 h 30 min |
| Tujetsch | RhB to Disentis, then bus or train onward | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Old town (Altstadt)
- Car-free lanes, cathedral and restaurants on foot; quiet at night, few beds.
- Bahnhofstrasse and station area
- Shops, supermarkets and the platform for early trains; 5–10 min walk to the old town.
- Welschdörfli
- Bars and the hostel strip south of the centre; noisier on weekends.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | GrüeziGRUE-tsi |
| Thank you | Merci vilmalMER-si feel-mol |
| Excuse me | Exgüsiex-GUE-si |
| How much is it? | Was kostet das?vas KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Cha ich mit Karte zahle?kha ikh mit KAR-te TSA-le |
| Where is the station? | Wo isch de Bahnhof?vo ish de BAHN-hof |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; three cheek kisses among friends; avoid: Skipping the greeting in shops
- Punctuality: Be exactly on time; avoid: Running for the train expecting it to wait
- Language: Greet in the local language, then ask for English; avoid: Speaking German in Geneva as a default
- Quiet: Low voices in trains; quiet carriages are marked; avoid: Speakerphone calls
- Money: Keep financial talk discreet; avoid: Asking people's salaries
- Recycling: Separate PET, glass and cans; avoid: Leaving rubbish in hotel or flat bins unsorted
Scams and watch-outs
- Shops close on Sunday; buy food on Saturday.
- Old-town lanes are cobbled and steep in places: wheeled bags are awkward.
- Brambrüesch and mountain lifts close for maintenance outside season: check before you go up.
- Card is accepted almost everywhere, but small bakeries and market stalls may be cash only.
Chur is a low-risk town; the real issues are winter ice on old-town steps, fast e-bikes on the riverside path, and mountain weather that turns above the tree line.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Chur yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old town and cathedral
- Brambrüesch cable car
- Rail hub for Graubünden
- Bündnerfleisch and Capuns
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Chur Tourism: www.churtourismus.ch/
- SBB — Swiss Federal Railways: www.sbb.ch/en
- Rhätische Bahn (RhB): www.rhb.ch/en
- Zurich Airport: www.zurich-airport.com/
- Wikivoyage: Chur, revision 5241776 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241776
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Chur
Bitte uf die Adrässe
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Chur; the US and UK embassies are in Bern, most consulates-general in Zurich.
Swiss German here is the Graubünden dialect; standard German is understood everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/chur). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.