46.50° N · 9.84° E
The upper Inn valley in Graubünden, with lakes at around 1,800 m, houses decorated with sgraffito and Romansh as its own language. The Bernina Railway, a World Heritage Site, links it with Italy.
Part of Alps
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
The Bernina train from St. Moritz to Tirano over the Ospizio Bernina and the Brusio viaduct: 2 h 15, CHF 35 in second class, regional or Express.
A 2.9 km, 50-minute walk from Morteratsch station to the glacier tongue, with 16 panels on its retreat. Free.
The Albula section of the Glacier Express, with the Landwasser Viaduct and the spiral tunnels, on a regional train with no supplement.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
June to September for walking and heading up to the viewpoints; in autumn the larches turn golden. January to March for downhill and cross-country skiing. November and April are the dead season.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The Upper Engadine can be explored entirely without a car. The Rhaetian Railway train links St. Moritz, Celerina, Samedan, Punt Muragl, Pontresina and the Bernina stations, and buses reach Sils and Maloja. The cable cars and the funicular leave next to the track. The budget is set by the accommodation and the ascents: in summer, from the second night, many places to stay include transport and lifts.
The Engadine has no scheduled flights from Spain. The practical thing is to fly to Zurich, which has direct flights from several Spanish cities, and continue by train: from the airport to Zurich HB and from there to St. Moritz via Chur and the Albula line, about three and a quarter hours, or via Landquart and the Vereina tunnel. The other gateway is Milan: from the airport you take the train to Tirano and go up on the Bernina line.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The Upper Engadine lets you mix ages: the little ones enjoy the train and the flat walks, the older ones go up the Diavolezza or walk in the National Park.
For teenagers, the best of the Engadine is the big stuff: a train that loops over itself, a cable car at almost 3,000 m facing Piz Bernina and a valley where you can see ibex.
With small children, the Engadine works because of the train: getting on the red Bernina train is already the plan, and many excursions start from the same station.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Four-star superior family hotel in Pontresina, opened in 1865, with a 35,000 m² park, an indoor pool, the highest outdoor pool in the Engadine and a children's club.
Why we like it: Swiss Youth Hostels hostel opposite Pontresina station, with doubles, family rooms and rooms of 4 to 6 beds, breakfast included and dinner at CHF 19.50.
Why we like it: Grand hotel from 1908 above Sils Maria, between Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana, run by the fifth generation of the same family: 140 rooms and a 1,500 m² spa.
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: at lunchtime, the gratinéed capuns or the pizzoccheri; if there are several of you, the Graubünden platter of cured meats and cheese to share, and a slice of the house walnut tart with coffee.
What to order: a coffee with a slice of Engadiner Nusstorte, the house walnut and caramel tart; for the road, Birnbrot, the pear bread of Graubünden.
What to order: at lunchtime, the Valtellina pizzoccheri or the rösti with egg and bacon, and the Engadiner Nusstorte for dessert; for dinner, book a window table at sunset.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
The Bernina and Albula lines can be travelled on the regional train over the same track, with no supplement and with windows that open on the Bernina line.
If you sleep two nights or more in a participating property, the summer cable cars of the Upper Engadine are free.
Get off at Morteratsch for the glacier or at Alp Grüm for the Palü, and continue on the next train.
It is about eight hours seated and CHF 54 for the reservation. The Albula stretch, on the regional train, shows the best of it.
Fly to Zurich and continue by train via Chur to St. Moritz: the last stretch is the Albula line, the one with the Landwasser Viaduct, so the journey is already an excursion. Another option is to fly to Milan and enter via Tirano on the Bernina train. By car you arrive over the Julier Pass or through the Vereina tunnel, with a car-carrying shuttle train.
The villages of the Upper Engadine (St. Moritz, Pontresina, Samedan, Celerina, Sils) are linked by train and bus, and the cable car stations are right beside the line. With the Swiss Travel Pass the train is included, but note: it is not accepted at Diavolezza, and at Muottas Muragl neither the Half Fare Card nor the GA are valid. In summer, many hotels and apartments in the Upper Engadine include the lifts free from the second night: ask when you book.
What fills up is the Bernina Express in summer: book in good time or take the same journey on the regional train. The rest is bought on the spot. Out of season, from mid-October to December and in April and May, many lifts and hotels close.
Questions
The same route. The Bernina Express has panoramic carriages and a compulsory reservation of CHF 32 from St. Moritz; the regional runs more often and its reservation is optional, at CHF 5.
For the Rhätische Bahn trains, yes. It is not accepted at Diavolezza, and at Muottas Muragl neither are the Swiss discount cards.
St. Moritz or Pontresina to be close to the trains and cable cars. Sils and Maloja, quieter, beside the lakes.
Yes. The Morteratsch glacier trail is flat and the cable cars have family discounts.
In June and September, with everything open and fewer visitors than in July and August.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/switzerland/graubunden/engadine
