St. Moritz & The Engadine Valley

The attractive village of Zernez is located at the doorstep to the first (and only!) Swiss National Park, in the sun-blessed Engadine valley. With over 80km of walking trails meandering through the park’s 170sqkm, this area is a magnet for walkers eager to soak up the alpine scenery in what is often known as Switzerland’s ‘secret’ valley. 

Hotel Baer & Post  is located at the heart of the small village of Zernez.  Enjoy a warm welcome from hosts Christian & Andrea and their family. The hotel started life as a post office, then became the village’s first guesthouse accommodating travellers from the Ofenpass. Having worked up an appetite from all that fresh mountain air, enjoy a hearty meal at the restaurant, or why not indulge in a shiatsu or stone massage to ease yourself into your walking tour.

Begin your day with a short bus ride through a steep alpine pass to Buffalora, where you start your walk. Join the Nationalpark Panoramaweg, initially walking through pastureland on the lower slopes of Munt Chavagl. Continue along the high route beside Munt La Schera, overlooking Lago di Livigno in Italy. Descend through wooded slopes, catching views over the valley and passing by ancient landslides to the Nationalpark Hotel at Il Fuorn. After a wonderful first day’s walking in the pure mountain air, take the bus back to Zernez.

Take the bus to S-Chanf and then follow the trail climbing through cool dense forest to Alp Trupchun. Keep your eyes peeled and tread softly as this is a grazing area for local ibex and deer. Return downwards over alpine fields, reaching and then following the river to the Varusch cabin. Continue to the car park at Prasuras, where you catch the bus back to Zernez.

Today you will continue your exploration of the Engadine Valley not only on foot, but by bus, funicular and cable car as you travel further along the valley to the historic village of Pontresina. Starting from Zernez, take the bus to Pontresina, where you can collect your mountain pass and take the chair lift up to Alp Languard. You can then choose to walk either the higher and more challenging Klimaweg, or the easier Panoramaweg.

Walking at almost 2,500m altitude you’ll enjoy far reaching views over verdant alpine forests and to the glistening Morteratsch glacier. Revel in the outstanding views as the lower Engadine valley opens up with the shining lakes of St Moritz and beyond. Reach the cable car station at Muottas Muragl with further amazing vistas to Val Roseg and Silvaplana. At the base of the cable car return either by bus or take an easy riverside walk back to the traditional Engadine village of Pontresina, with its pretty painted houses.

From Pontresina, take the UNESCO World Heritage listed Bernina Bahn railway deep into the mountains. The 61km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges, and is a fascinating testimony to the use of the railway to link previously isolated settlements in the Alps in the 20th century. You will experience some of this magical feat of engineering as you journey deep into the mountains, with the 4,000m high Bianograt ridge looming high overhead. Disembarking at Bernina Hospiz station, follow the easy circular walking route skirting Lago Bianco to Alp Grum and hike up to the mountain hut at Sassat Mason. The peace and tranquillity of this area is humbling. Return to Pontresina by train.

Bid farewell to Pontresina this morning, ready for a scenic walk along the valley to St. Mortiz. Follow the path as it stretches along the Val Roseg, past shady pine forests and through flower-filled meadows as you trace the bubbling river. Next comes a protracted, more challenging climb up to Fuorcla Surlej with its mountain restaurant —the perfect spot for a relaxed lunch. Continue to Corvatsch Mittelstation Murtel where you can descend with the cable car to Corvatsch Talstation. Descend to the valley where you then take the bus onwards to St. Moritz.

There are plenty of easier, lower level walking routes between Pontresina and St. Moritz to choose from, if you would prefer a shorter forest walk (avoiding the challenging climb up to Fuorcla Surlej during this suggested walk).

Start today with a short walk or bus ride to the Surlej Talstation, where you’ll board the cable car taking you 900m up to Mittelstation Murtel and the start of the ‘Wasserweg’ (Water Way). Turn around to admire wonderful views of the Engadine Lakes, whilst ahead you will see the peaks of Piz Murtel and Piz Corvatsch. On disembarking from the cable car the route descends steeply to the main gravel track above the valley floor, passing through off-season ski pistes until you reach the view point at Curtinella. From there you will cross a minor valley to the first of the “Lejins”, a series of mirror-like mountain tarns. Finally you will descend through a major ski complex to the cable car station at Furtschellas La Chudera and another cable car trip down to Sils. Return by bus to St Mortiz Bad.

After breakfast take the train from St. Moritz to Zurich Airport.