Discover Prättigau-Davos: Lake Davos, museums and mountain trails

For planning your trip, Davos offers different perspectives on Prättigau-Davos: Lake Davos combines scenery with seasonal activities, the trails bring nature and literature together, and the museums focus on local history, art and winter sports. This lets you plan your time around the things that interest you most.

Lake Davos and trails

Lake Davos is a natural mountain lake, fed by meltwater from the surrounding glaciers and by rainwater. The five-kilometre Lake Davos circular trail follows gravel paths close to the shore; the circuit is estimated to take about one hour and 15 minutes. Seasonal activities on the lake include sailing, stand-up paddleboarding and wakeboarding. Check the conditions for these activities before your trip.

The Thomas Mann Trail brings literature and landscape together: it leads from the Waldhotel Davos to Schatzalp and features ten stops with quotations from the novel “The Magic Mountain”. The architecture of the sanatorium has also been preserved on Schatzalp. If you plan to take the trail, check the local trail status before setting out. Another hiking option on Parsenn is the Felsenweg trail from Weissfluhjoch to the Strelapass; here too, it is worth checking the trail conditions.

Rinerhorn has easy, family-friendly trails. These include a high-altitude trail to the traditional Walser village of Monstein and a trail down into the Sertigtal. The main consideration when choosing is which destination you would like to reach. For mountain bikers, the Alps Epic Trail offers a different challenge: The route is 45 kilometres long and requires cycling experience, as some sections include steps and rocks. The Bahnentour links five mountain railways that carry bicycles and, in combination, allows for almost 10,000 metres of descent. Operating details may vary by season.

Museums and Davos history

The Davos Local History Museum offers an insight into local history, everyday life in the past, customs and crafts. Its collection is on display in the Grosses Jenatschhaus. The Thomas Mann Trail also has a literary connection to Davos history: Quotations from “The Magic Mountain” make the route a trail with ten stops devoted to the novel.

The Kirchner Museum Davos houses the world’s largest collection of works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. It includes around 40 paintings, more than 700 drawings and numerous woodcuts. The museum building also contributes to the cultural focus: designed by Gigon/Guyer in glass, concrete and steel, it is considered a milestone in museum architecture. The Winter Sports Museum offers a different perspective on Davos. It explores how and when the first skis, bobsleighs and ice skates arrived in Davos, and focuses on the town’s ice hockey history. For more than three decades, it has collected exhibits as well as authentic stories from eyewitnesses and local residents. Objects on display include a trophy donated by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and crystal globes won by World Cup champions from the region.

Schatzalp and seasonal experiences

The Alpinum Schatzalp is situated at an average altitude of more than 1,800 metres and covers about five hectares. Around 5,500 plant species and varieties from mountain ranges around the world are cultivated there. Another kind of seasonal attraction is the Schatzalp summer toboggan run: It is 550 metres long and winds through eight bends and a tunnel. Check the operating conditions before your trip.

In winter, the activities also differ in character. The Schatzalp sledging run is just under three kilometres long, leads back to Davos Platz through 18 bends and is illuminated in the evening. Its width also allows children to descend at a leisurely pace; check snow and operating conditions before making plans. The Schatzalp-Strela ski area operates on natural snow without artificial snowmaking. For cross-country skiing technique, Davos Nordic Park has twelve free stations for fun practice. Their availability depends on snow conditions.

Getting here and finding your way around

If you travel to Davos by train, take the Swiss Federal Railways to Landquart and change there to the Rhaetian Railway. It is a good idea to check the timetable and service updates for your travel day. The local bus network in Davos and Klosters is free for holders of a Davos Klosters Guest Card; check the applicable guest card conditions before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Davos, Pragg-Jenaz, Davos Platz, Klosters Platz, Klosters Serneus, Küblis, Arosa, Conters Im Prättigau, Clavadel, Pany, Sankt Antönien, Fideris, Valzeina, Davos Wolfgang, Schiers, Furna, Grüsch, Seewis Im Prättigau, Luzein, Jenaz, Saas.

For the overarching travel overview: Graubünden.