Switzerland Guide
Graubünden
Graubünden (www.graubuenden.ch), Switzerland's largest canton, occupies the entire southeast of the country, encompassing a sparsely populated area that borders Austria to the north and Italy to the east and south. Its folded landscape of deep, isolated valleys, sheer rocky summits and thick pine forests makes it the wildest and loneliest part of Switzerland, more difficult than most to get around, but also more rewarding, with some of the finest scenery in the Alps. Glaciers oozing from between the high mountains launch two of Europe's great rivers – the Rhine and the Inn – on their long journeys to the North Sea and the Black Sea respectively, while two smaller rivers water pomegranates, figs and chestnuts in secluded southern valleys en route to the Po and the Adriatic.
The canton's resorts – headed by St Moritz, Klosters and Davos – are some of the most famous names in the Alps and offer world-class skiing and top-quality hiking, but they're far from the whole story. The beautiful Engadine valley runs for almost 100km along a southern terrace of the Alps, bathed in glittering sunlight that pours from blue skies for well over 300 days a year.
Highlights
1 RhätischeBahn The local train company has a superbly scenic network.
2 Arosa Outstanding small resort, high in the mountains above Chur.
3 Flims-Laax Top destination for snowboarders.
4 Davos and Klosters Two of the biggest names in the Alps.
5 Lower Engadine Fairytale high-sided valley, lined with deep, dark forests.
6 Parc Naziunal Svizzer The country's only national park, with a network of fine walking trails.
7 Müstair Remote village huddled round a frescoed abbey.
8 Upper Engadine Perhaps the most beautiful valley in the Alps, with over 320 days of sunshine a year.
9 St Moritz One of Europe's best-known ski resorts, not just for the rich and famous.
10 Muottas Muragl Gaze on the mighty Bernina range and a string of valley-floor lakes from this lofty viewpoint.