Region

Graubünden

Base in Chur or the Engadin; use the RhB railway and PostBus, not a car, to reach the valleys.

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Key facts · Switzerland

Best months: May–Jun, Sep
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Language: German, French, Italian and Romansh
Plugs: J · C · 230 V
Time zone: CET, UTC+1

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…

Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
Switzerland ↗Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not the EU: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
Switzerland ↗Switzerland is outside the EU customs area: allowances on meat, alcohol and tobacco are strict and checked at borders.
Switzerland ↗Motorways need a vignette (sticker or e-vignette) before you drive on them.

Graubünden is Switzerland's largest canton and its most spread out: 7,106 km² of valleys, 2,200 km of ski pistes and 150-plus valleys, most of them reached by train or PostBus rather than by car. Sleep in Chur for the Rhine valley and the Albula line, in the Engadin (St. Moritz, Pontresina) for the high lakes and the Bernina railway, or in Davos/Klosters for the Prättigau. Two bases in a week is realistic; three is transit.

Sleep

Which bed, for how many nights, and what to do from it

Where to sleep

9 places in this region

Sleep base

ChurCity guide
Canton capital since Roman times; cobbled old town, Rhine valley wine villages, gateway to the Albula line.
Best Jun–Sep, Jan–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
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St. MoritzCity guide
Engadin base; Bernina and Albula railways, high lakes, ski lifts.
Best Jul–Sep, Dec–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
Open St. Moritz →
DavosCity guide
Prättigau valley; skiing, hiking, Klosters next door.
Best Feb–Mar, Jul–Sep, Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Davos →

Day trip

ArosaPlanned
End of the line from Chur; lifts and lake, good as a day or a night.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
LenzerheideCity guide
Between Chur and the Albula; lifts and a lake, linked to Arosa by cable car.
Best Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Lenzerheide →
SurselvaPlanned
Vorderrhein valley west of Chur; Romansh villages, Flims Laax Falera skiing.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
Val MesolcinaPlanned
Italian-speaking valley toward Bellinzona; San Bernardino pass.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
TujetschPlanned
Upper Surselva around Sedrun; Oberalp pass and the Rhine source country.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
KlostersPlanned
Prättigau village next to Davos; same ski area, quieter.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Night sequences

4 nights: Chur 2 + Engadin 2 (Bernina line as the day trip)
6 nights: Chur 2 + Davos/Klosters 2 + Engadin 2
7 nights: Chur 2 + Surselva 2 + Engadin 3

Chur + Davos + St. Moritz + Arosa in 3 days is four half-days of transit.
High passes and some side-valley roads close in winter; check before driving.
Chur has a few areas that feel less safe after dark; the canton is otherwise among the safest in Switzerland.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Arosa	Chur	60 min	check	Train from Chur; lifts and lake, half to full day.
Lenzerheide	Chur	45 min	check	PostBus or train; linked to Arosa by cable car.
Surselva (Flims Laax Falera)	Chur	75 min	check	RhB to Ilanz then PostBus; big ski area in winter.
Klosters	Davos	25 min	check	Same ski area as Davos, quieter village.
Val Mesolcina	Chur	90 min	check	Italian-speaking valley; San Bernardino pass road and rail.
Tujetsch (Sedrun)	Chur	120 min	check	Upper Surselva; Oberalp pass, Rhine source country.

Bags between cities

Luggage forwarding between Graubünden bases is usually next-day (D+1); the receiving hotel must accept it.

When and how

Months, arrival and passes

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Chur	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	×	×	ok
St. Moritz	go	go	go	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	×	go
Davos	ok	go	go	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	×	go
Lenzerheide	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	go	go	ok	×	go
Switzerland (country-wide)	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	go	go	ok	ok	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Chur / Rhine valleyCanton capital and the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein valleys	cold	cold	ok	best	best	ok	hot	hot	best	best	ok	cold
Engadin / St. MoritzHigh valley in the south-east, 1,800 m and up	cold	cold	cold	ok	best	best	best	best	best	ok	cold	cold
Davos / PrättigauNorth-east valleys	cold	cold	cold	ok	best	best	best	best	ok	ok	cold	cold

best: dry, mildok: workablehot: short walking windows

Chur / Rhine valley: Lowest and mildest part of the canton; valley heat in July–August, snow rare on the floor.
Engadin / St. Moritz: High and dry; cold nights even in summer, reliable snow December–March, long sunny days.
Davos / Prättigau: Ski season December–April; summer hiking from June; afternoon storms in July–August.

Best months are also the crowd peaks: ski weeks in February and the Engadin summer in July–August fill beds months ahead.

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Zurich Airport (ZRH)	Chur	SBB train via Zurich HB	~1 h 30	Direct trains; change at Zurich HB if your flight lands late.
Zurich HB	Chur	SBB InterCity	~1 h 15	Hourly or better; the gateway to the RhB network.
Milan	Chur / St. Moritz	Train via Tirano and the Bernina line, or via Zurich	~4–6 h	The Bernina route crosses into Italy at Tirano; check connections and border timing.
Chur	St. Moritz	RhB Albula line	~2 h	UNESCO-listed Albula/Bernina landscapes; reserve seats in peak season.
Chur	Davos	RhB via Landquart	~1 h 30	Change at Landquart; hourly.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Swiss Travel Pass

check

Covers SBB and many RhB lines; run the fares for your legs before buying.

GraubündenPass

check

2 days out of 5 or 5 days out of 14; pays only if you ride several lines in that window.

Allegra 1-day Travel Pass

check

One-day network ticket; worth it for a long multi-line day.

BÜGA

check

Monthly or yearly network ticket; only for longer stays.

Half-Fare card

check

Halves most tickets; pays off on two or three long rides.

Eat and move on

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Capuns	Surselva and Engadin	Chard or cabbage leaves wrapped around a dough and often bacon; ask for the meat-free version.
Pizokel	Across the canton	Spätzle-like dumplings; often served with cheese or cabbage.
Rösti	Across the canton	Shredded fried potato with melted cheese; bacon and a fried egg are common add-ons.
Calanda beer	Chur	Brewed in Chur; the default local beer.
Von Salis wine	Malans, Jenins, Maienfeld	Rhine valley vineyards; unusual for Switzerland.
Valser mineral water	Vals	Bottled in Vals; Calanda Wasser is bottled in Lenzerheide.
Apfelmost	Across the canton	Apple drink, alcoholic or not, similar to cider.

Go next

Engadin

planned

RhB Albula line from Chur, ~2 h

High valley lakes and the Bernina railway.

St. Moritz

RhB from Chur, ~2 h

Engadin base; ski lifts and the Bernina line.

Davos

RhB via Landquart, ~1 h 30

Prättigau skiing and hiking; Klosters next door.

Chur

planned

SBB from Zurich, ~1 h 15

Canton capital and the RhB gateway.

Valais

Train via Zurich or via the Bernina and Milan

Zermatt and the Rhône valley; a long transfer day.

Western Switzerland

planned

Train via Zurich or Bern

Geneva, Lausanne and Lake Geneva.

Open Switzerland Up to Switzerland

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Sources

officialGraubünden Tourism
officialRhätische Bahn (RhB)
officialSwiss Federal Railways (SBB)
officialSwitzerland Tourism
officialMeteoSwiss
secondaryWikivoyage: Graubünden, revision 5290337 (CC BY-SA 4.0)