Plessur: Between Chur’s Old Town and the Alpine World
Accommodation in Plessur
Plessur connects urban and tourist areas, extending from urban to alpine landscapes. For planning your trip, this means that culture and city life are just as much in focus as valleys and activities in alpine terrain. Chur is considered the region’s economic, administrative and educational centre; Arosa and Churwalden are regarded as municipalities with a wide range of leisure and sports opportunities.
Between the City and Alpine Terrain
The region covers approximately 285.30 square kilometres and ranges from 537 to 2,979 metres above sea level. Its landscape includes striking mountain ranges and valleys such as the Schanfigg, as well as forests, alpine meadows and fields. Hiking and mountain-focused outdoor activities are among the options in alpine terrain. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip, you can first consider whether Chur’s culture and city life or activities in the mountain towns should be the main focus.
Chur: Old Town, Markets and Cultural History
Chur’s Old Town is almost entirely traffic-free. Its winding lanes can be explored on foot or on a guided Old Town tour; boutiques, restaurants, bars, museums and galleries are also part of the cityscape. Markets offer regular reasons to visit, too: the weekly market takes place every Saturday morning between May and October. A flea market is held monthly on Arcas Square, in addition to the traditional Christmas market on the first weekend of Advent.
The Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, more than 800 years old, was built between 1150 and 1272. It has a late Gothic high altar, reflects the influence of all the great Western cultural spheres, and is counted among Switzerland’s most significant cultural monuments. The Rhaetian Museum presents the history of Graubünden in a Baroque patrician house built in 1675. Its permanent exhibition includes archaeological, cultural-historical and ethnographic objects from Graubünden—from prehistory and early history to the present day.
Another glimpse into architectural history is offered by the Antistitium, a late-medieval secular building and one of Chur’s oldest residential buildings. The house survived the city fire of 1574. In the adjoining Hasenstube is an art-historically significant cycle of paintings dating from 1580.
Rail Connection and Viaduct History
The regional rail connection between Chur and Arosa serves the stops Chur Altstadt, LĂĽen-Castiel, St. Peter-Molinis, Peist, Langwies GR and LitzirĂĽti along the way. If you are planning to travel by train, check the stops and timetables before your trip. The Viaduct Museum is located at Langwies station. Designed as a museum with several stations, it presents the history of the Langwies Viaduct from different perspectives. It uses original station rooms, including the goods shed and railway service depot, as well as a concrete pier of the viaduct as exhibition spaces; installations may change over time.
The structure itself also tells a story: when it was built, the Langwies Viaduct was the world’s largest and longest-span reinforced-concrete railway bridge. The museum and viaduct offer a distinct focus alongside the city and museum experiences in Chur.
Trails and Activities in Arosa and Churwalden
On Arosa’s Eichhörnliweg (Squirrel Trail), children can feed squirrels and learn about the animals. Squirrels can be observed and fed there year-round; animal behaviour and conditions for visitors may vary. Visitors with visual impairments can experience the trail independently with the MyWay Pro app. It helps with finding the way and provides information about the squirrels; check current app support before your trip.
The 10-Seen-Plausch (10-Lake Tour) visits ten mountain lakes and can be spread over several days. The red route runs from the Hörnli valley station to Älplisee and then on to Schwellisee. The black route leads to Untersee, Stausee, Grüenseeli and Alteinsee; on the way back, it passes the Altein waterfalls. The routes therefore differ in their listed stops and the course of the return journey.
The Ricola Experience Trail combines ten stations about Ricola products and Swiss mountain herbs with an interactive sensory trail designed for families. The easy walk takes about an hour. You can start at the Golf- und Sporthotel Hof Maran or at Arosa Bärenland; check the route before setting out, as details may be adjusted.
In Churwalden, a chairlift takes visitors to Pradaschier at 1,740 metres in seven minutes; a ski lift continues to Windegga at 2,230 metres. The Pradaschier toboggan run is over three kilometres long, has 31 turns and covers 480 metres of elevation. The zipline on Erlebnisberg Pradaschier is considered the first zipline in the GraubĂĽnden mountains and can be used in both summer and winter. Lift operations, the season and safety requirements may change; check the latest conditions before visiting.
When choosing where to stay, it helps to weigh up your planned priorities: Chur offers an Old Town, markets and museums; Langwies connects the station with the Viaduct Museum; Arosa and Churwalden are known for the leisure and mountain activities described here. The experiences mentioned vary considerably in subject and time required—from a walk of about an hour to a lake trail that can be spread over several days.
Discover more destinations: Chur, Molinis, Tschiertschen, Sankt Peter, Langwies, LitzirĂĽti, Malix, Churwalden, Parpan, Praden, Castiel, Peist, Pagig.
View the regional travel overview: GraubĂĽnden.
