Melnq8

Switzerland has long been a winter destination for us, often visiting in late November and December. We don’t go to ski, but to winter hike, soak up the snowy landscapes and enjoy the Christmas vibe. But, in 2019 we decided to give autumn a go, and much to our surprise, discovered that we liked Switzerland even more at that time of year; hence our past three visits to Switzerland have been in Sept/Oct.

This year was the first time I’d booked accommodation before flights, as a cursory look at accommodation back in March showed many apartments already booked for Sept/Oct. So, we quickly put together an itinerary and nabbed a few places with lenient cancellation policies.

Our flights were booked in May (using frequent flyer miles), the dates chosen to accommodate the booked apartments, instead of vice versa.

Those familiar with Switzerland will see our final itinerary as logistically awkward, and probably think that as seasoned travelers to Switzerland we should know better - and they’d be right. But, there was more than one reason for all that zig-zagging across the country.

The original plan was to base in Andermatt for five nights, between Vals and Thusis, but we were unable to find an apartment with a reasonable cancellation policy. There was a time I’d not worry too much about cancellation policies, but since the advent of COVID, well…

This threw a spanner in the works, forcing us to switch gears. Instead of cancelling, shifting and rebooking everything, we did the next best thing and looked for a village that made logistical sense within the existing itinerary.

Contenders were Disentis (which we've visited once before on a day trip) or San Bernadino/Splugen/Sufers, which also met our criteria for exploring a new area.

This change meant that we’d be spending 12 nights in two areas only 25 minutes apart, but after a bit of research, we discovered we’d have no trouble filling our time.

The itinerary was also based on seasonal bus schedules in Grimentz and a particular apartment in Thusis - finding an apartment there was no small feat and we selected our dates based on availability, which forced us into a specific timeframe. Hence, the less than logistically sound itinerary.

As for Grimentz...definitely the outlier and a major effort to get there, but Bill was disappointed we couldn't walk to the Moiry Glacier last time (poor weather), so we thought we'd give it another go. I’d compiled a list of more than we could possibly accomplish in our four days there, so it might be seeing us in 2023 as well.

We’d not normally spend a night in Zurich before departure either, especially since the airport is so easy to access from Luzern…but we had a reason for that too.

I would be traveling from Zurich to Barcelona to meet a friend in Spain for two weeks, while Bill would return from Zurich to the US, so we needed to coordinate three separate travel itineraries. It made sense for us to take the train together to Zurich from Luzern the day I flew to Barcelona. He then spent that night at a hotel near the airport to await his flight the next day; I flew to Barcelona that afternoon.

So, the final logistically bizarre itinerary:

Arrive Zurich

Vals - three nights

Sufers - five nights

Thusis - seven nights

Grimentz - five nights

Bellinzona - five nights

Chiavenna, Italy - five nights

Luzern - two nights

Zurich - one night

A few weeks before we departed the US for Switzerland, we booked discounted train tickets on a few our set-in-stone routes, which saved us considerable francs.

We saved 48 chf by booking Saver Day Passes on our travel day from Thusis to Grimentz (49 chf each, half fare).

We saved 52 chf by booking Saver Day Passes on our travel day from Grimentz to Bellinzona (49 chf each, half fare). Weirdly, the Super Saver Pass, which limits travel to specific trains on a specific day, was 10.40 chf more than the less restrictive Saver Day Pass, so a no brainer.

We saved 15.20 chf by booking Super Saver tickets for the bus between Bellinzona and Chiavenna, Italy (13.40 chf each, half fare).

We saved 32 chf by booking Saver Day Passes for our travel day from Chiavenna to Luzern (49 chf each, half fare). The Super Saver ticket was 6 chf each less, but limited us to specific trains/buses, and the Saver Day Pass would allow us to travel a bit in Luzern if needed, so it made more sense.

All told, we spent $1,317.73 on train, bus, funicular and cable car transport during our 33 night stay, inclusive of our Half Fare Cards.

Sept 19 & 20 -

Our flights went well (COS-ORD-BRU-ZRH), and were mostly on time. We both had an empty seat next to us on the first two flights (United), always a good thing, but neither of us got much sleep; the food was actually edible.

Our connection in Brussels was short (55 minutes); we had to go through immigration and then through the duty free maze to get to the gates; duty free looked tempting, I’d have explored had we more time. We didn’t think we’d make it, but we did; due in part to our flight leaving 15 minutes late.

Our Swiss International flight to Zurich from Brussels was very full; we were automatically assigned seats when we checked in online; I was assigned a window seat in the back and Bill had an aisle seat a few rows behind me, no drama on such a short flight (about an hour).

We both felt pretty rotten by the time we landed in Zurich; despite having skipped breakfast on the plane neither of us was hungry.

Bill tried to purchase tickets on the SBB app for the 12:15 train to Vals, but, thanks to Verify by Visa - the advanced security feature that helps authenticate purchasers as authorized cardholders – was unable to do so.

Visa sent a code to our email, which we were then to use for the purchase, but we couldn’t access our email for some mysterious reason, so we were unable to get the code.

We were both tired and short-tempered, but Instead of throwing the phone across the station, we decided to take a deep breath, go upstairs, and take our time sorting out the problem; after all there was another train at 1:15.

I picked up some provisions at the Coop, while Bill sorted out the train ticket problem and then we had lattes at a coffee shop, which perked us up a bit (11 chf).

We’d purchased a 30 day Half Fare Card before leaving home (120 chf each) and had chosen September 23 as the start date because 1) our trip was longer than 30 days, 2) we’d already booked some Saver Day Passes and Super Saver tickets at half fare for later in the trip, and 3) we knew we’d not use much transportation for the days we were in Vals, but would later in the trip. But this meant we had to suck it up and pay full fare for the journey between Zurich and Vals – 144 chf. Ouch.

We’d worn our masks since leaving home - by choice. During the journey to Vals a train conductor pointed out that we didn’t need them in Switzerland, which we knew. We’d both had our fifth COVID jab and our flu jab a few weeks prior, and Bill had had COVID in July, so was presumably still within the ‘safe’ timeframe. We were feeling fairly confident; we eventually took off our masks - and left them off for the majority of the trip.

After various trains and buses, we arrived in Vals about 4:00 pm. The owner of our Air BNB just happened to be walking towards town as we, bleary-eyed and dazed, were trying to locate the apartment. He greeted us and led us up the hill (this is Switzerland, there’s always a hill).

What an inviting place. Two bedrooms, comfortable beds with red duvet covers just begging to be crawled into after our very long day, and a kitchen that was a cook’s dream. We wanted for nothing. So quiet and peaceful. I wanted to move in immediately ($673.22, three nights).

We’d later learn from the lovely owners that their architect daughter had restored the 170 year old building. It was clean and fresh, with a unique layout and fabulous views.

We got settled and opened the box of chocolates I’d ordered from Laderach’s online outlet and had delivered to the apartment prior to our arrival. What better welcome gift to oneself than Swiss chocolates?

We wandered the village (population 1,049), picked up a few more provisions at the tiny Volg grocery store, and then sought out dinner, choosing the nearby Hotel Alpina. We’d not eaten all day. Bill chose the Capuns (28 chf), I had the Gerstensuppe (Swiss barley soup, 11.80 chf) and we both had a glass of Pinot Noir (total 55.50 chf).

Our hostess came by that evening to introduce herself and give us a jar of honey from the locally grown and protected Alpen Rose. We were in bed by 7:45 pm.

To be continued...

Adelaidean

Nice start, Mel!

marg

Looking forward to the rest of the story.

Melnq8

Sept 21 -

We’d discovered Vals - in the Surselva region of our beloved Graubunden - a few years ago while staying in nearby Ilanz; I’d blown out my knee here in 2017 hiking up from the village to Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte, a tiny alpine restaurant overlooking the valley.

Since then Vals had been on our ‘must return’ list; partly to revisit Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte, partly to explore the Zervreilasee, which had been inaccessible due to time of year on our previous visits, and partly because Vals is just our kind of place.

The village’s claim to fame is its thermal baths - Therme Vals - the hotel/spa complex built over the only thermal springs in Graubünden. The structure is widely regarded as one of the most important projects of Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, and while I have no doubt it’s spectacular, that’s not what drew us to Vals, and we have yet to experience it (80 chf per person entry, 50 chf per person with guest card).

It was 42 F when we strolled down to the visitor’s center to get some information and verify that what we wanted to do was doable.

We then walked to the Vals cable car station…we heard footsteps behind us and turned to see a goat following us… he continued to follow us all the way to the cable car station, seeming particularly keen on Bill.


Bill and his shadow

Bill and his shadow

Bill and his shadow

We took the cable car up to Gadastatt (1,809 meters, free) and then set out on the hike to Zervreila via the panorama trail. The trail was hilly, rocky and muddy in spots, the views gorgeous. We eventually made the short but steep descent down to the dam – the water a glacial blue. The views of the Zervreilahorn - aka the Matterhorn of Graubunden - spectacular.


Hike to Zervreila via Panorama Trail

Hike to Zervreila via Panorama Trail

Hike to Zervreila via Panorama Trail

Hike to Zervreila via Panorama Trail

Hike to Zervreila via Panorama Trail

Zervreilasee

Zervreilasee

Zervreilahorn

We crossed the dam and had a nice alfresco lunch at the Zervreila Restaurant; Capuns for Bill (28 chf - not as good as the night before but still good), Pizokels for me (28 chf) a shared ½ liter of Sylvaner Riesling (29 chf) and a shared a slice of their house specialty - Heidelbeer Kuchen (blueberry cake, 8.60 chf. A splash out lunch, 96 chf.


Zervreila Restaurant

We then caught the bus back to Vals (16.40 chf – full price), which was a bit of a thrill ride, the bus barely squeaking through several hair pin turns, inches from the guardrail on both sides, long drop offs below. We also drove through a very long and skinny tunnel, our driver blasting his horn as we rounded the tight corners, yep, we were back in Switzerland!


Back in Vals, we returned to the visitor’s center and sought out directions to the Tomul Tobel waterfall, which I’d run across during my research. We walked along the river towards the Therme, found the waterfall, poked around a wooded area for a bit and then backtracked to town. It’d been a beautiful day; we’d logged just under 7.5 miles.


Vals

Vals

Walk to Tomul Tobel waterfall, Vals

We picked up a pizza from the Volg, some croissants for our breakfast from the bakery, and then returned to the apartment to sip wine on the patio and swat the wasps.

To be continued...

lavandula

I love a good story, settling in for this one ...

Lavandula

Melnq8

Sept 22 -

After a leisurely morning, we walked back to the cable car station (sans goat) and took the cable car up to Gadastatt again, and then walked to Stafelti. I’m not sure why, but we expected it to be downhill, but no, it was a narrow, steep uphill path.


Walking to cable car station

Walking to cable car station

Walking to cable car station

Thirty minutes later we were in Stafelti, which consisted of a few structures, and then continued on to Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte, situated at 1,800 meters above Vals, scoring the same table on their sun terrace that we’d had back in 2017. This tiny establishment is run by a mother-daughter team; they have no electricity; any cooking is done on a wood stove. It’s gorgeous up here, and obviously a labor of love.


Walking to Stafelti

Walking to Stafelti

Stafelti

Stafelti

Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte

Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte

Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte

Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte

Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte

Bergwirtschaft Hanglahütte

They also offer rustic accommodation in the hut and two yurts; I’d love to spend a few nights up here.


Yurts

We shared a meat platter, a cheese platter, and a ½ liter of Riesling while taking in the fabulous views (45 chf).


Lunch with a view

Lunch with a view

Lunch

We eventually tore ourselves away and walked back to town via the long meandering road, me not wanting to go cross country, given my past history.

We could see the Tomul Tobel waterfall from our perch on the opposite side of the valley, and wondered if we’d ever find our way back to town. We finally cut down to the Therme via a narrow trail, and explored the pretty grounds for a bit before working our way back to our apartment (we’d logged six miles, although it felt much longer), for more wine and wasps on the terrace, and a nice chat with our Air BNB hosts (who we learned are an energetic 80 and 85). It had been yet another beautiful day, and we regretted not planning to stay longer.

Later that evening we walked to La Cucina in the Rovanda Hotel for dinner, two pizzas, one glass of wine, one bottled water – 54.40 chf, and really good).

To be continued...

zebec

Danke schon for this Mel. Autumnal hiking in a perfect spot. So many of those locales are unknown to the casual Switzerlandist.
My fave shot was the final foodic one.
I am done. the mountain high

Melnq8

Thank you zebec and all who have commented and are following along (all but zebec are Aussies if I'm not mistaken?)

FYI - every installment so far has gone into moderation and I'm told the others probably will too, which is going to slow things down a bit.

Melnq8

Sept 23 -

Sadly, it was time to leave Vals. We caught the 10:35 am bus to Ilanz, the drive beautiful again – especially from the left side of the bus where we could look into the abyss. There was a lot of heavy equipment on the road, several trucks had to back down to let our bus pass; one getting so close to the edge that our bus driver tooted his horn to warn him; it was stressful to watch. The driving skills of the Swiss never cease to amaze me; I wouldn’t want to drive on the majority of the roads we find ourselves traversing on our trips to Switzerland.

We got off at the Ilanz Obertor stop, hoping for lunch at the Hotel Obertor, our all-time favorite place for Pizokels, a Graubünden specialty similar to Spätzli, but better, and made from buckwheat.

We were met with a construction zone; the street had been replaced with a massive hole with a wood plank walkway acting as a bridge, which separated us from the Hotel Obertor. Bill stayed with the luggage, while I got the workers blessing to cross the narrow walkway, only to promptly stumble on a raised section and face plant, the workers my audience, hurting my pride and adding to my already colorful and abundant collection of travel bruises, but fortunately not falling into the massive hole.

After all that, I found the Obertor closed, despite having checked operating times a few weeks prior and having not stopped on the way to Vals knowing they were closed on Monday and Tuesday; ARGH. Oh, the disappointment!

So, we walked down to the Bahnhof and looked for the Restaurant Todi, a place we knew from a previous visit, hoping for a consolation prize. Alas, it too was a construction zone. Double ARGH. So, we did the next best thing and rolled our luggage into the Migros cafeteria, and took turns perusing the options. Bill chose a beef and noodle dish with a side of spinach (priced by weight) and I settled for cake and coffee (his 11.70 chf, mine 7.50 chf). It certainly wasn’t Pizokels at the Hotel Obertor, but it did the trick.

We eventually took a train to Reichenau Tamins, the journey taking us through the Rheinschlucht Gorge, aka the Grand Canyon of Switzerland, a journey we’ve made several times; it never gets old. In Reichenau Tamins we switched to a train to Thusis, choosing this route intentionally so that we could stop at the massive Coop grocery store there. We knew that food options at our next destination - Sufers, population 127 - would be thin on the ground. (Bus/train/bus tickets from Vals to Sufers via Thusis 23.70 each, half fare, our half fare card kicking in today).

While I shopped for provisions, Bill sat with the luggage and had a beer at an outdoor table at the neighboring pub. I’m told the conversation went something like this. “Erdinger Weiss?” Response: “Calanda”. “Calanda Weiss?” Response: “Calanda”. “Okay, I’ll have a Calanda”.

When we arrived in Sufers, we walked up the hill from the bus stop into town, following the GPS on my phone. But…we couldn’t find the apartment. After some faffing about, I called the owner, who tried to explain how to get there, but instead his partner came to fetch us, me and my suitcase hitching a ride, Bill following behind, both feeling very much like idiots, unable to find an apartment in the metropolis of Sufers.

Soon we were settling into one of the oldest houses in Sufers – the apartment situated on the upper level of a 300 year old building a stone’s throw from a stream, which had everything we needed, except an oven or microwave – there would be no heating that pizza we bought at the Coop. Yes, this would do nicely ($489.81, five nights).

After chilling on the patio overlooking our host family's chooks and rabbits, we walked down the hill to the only restaurant in town at Hotel Seeblick, situated near the highway. Our expectations were low, but dinner was surprisingly good - the best Capuns of the trip to date for Bill, Rösti with cheese for me (61 chf with Möhl cider).


Sufers after dark

Sufers after dark

Sufers after dark

To be continued...

Adelaidean

Mel, I’ve long been waiting for this! Wonderful photos, new areas explored, great food and weather, perfect!

DH is retired now, so he’ll be reading (lurking) too.

Melnq8

Adelaidean - nice to see you here. I hope you and your newly retired spouse have a lot of wonderful trips planned!

KarenWoo

I am enjoying your report and photos. The photos are gorgeous: the lakes, the mountains, the flowers, the food, and of course, the goat! We haven't visited Switzerland yet except to change planes in Zurich a couple times. The autumn seems like a nice time to visit. I couldn't handle the winter. I hate the cold as I get older.

Paqngo

Love the goat pictures and really enjoying your report.

swandav2000

Oh, this is SO fun!! Thanks, Mel!

s

Melnq8

Thank you all for joining me!

Melnq8

Sept 24 -

After a rooster wake-up call, we opened the curtains to gloom; rain was expected for the next few days. We’d slept great; falling asleep to the sound of rushing water from the stream next door. Sufers is situated slightly above the A13 motorway that leads from northeastern Switzerland through to Ascona in southern Switzerland, yet the apartment is next to a stream, so the road noise was barely discernable.

Sufers is the northernmost village in the Rheinwald; it’s situated at 1,428 meters above sea level and is a stone’s throw from the 36 km Splugen Pass, which runs south-north from Chiavenna, Italy to Splügen in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, or about 27 kilometers from Italy as the crow flies. It’s also home to Sufnersee, a reservoir on the Hinterrhein River.

We’d first heard of Sufers when we rode through on a bus from Chur to Thusis last year. We found the area interesting, and had made a mental note to perhaps explore it on our next trip.

We decided an easy excursion was fitting on such a wet day, so we walked the Via Spluga trail from Sufers to Splügen which practically started right outside our door. Evidently they’d just applied a fresh layer of cow dung, it smelled to high heaven.

It took us about an hour to reach Splügen, passing some castle ruins then detouring past the church and down beyond town. We then worked our way back towards the village, and popped into the visitor’s center for some walking/hiking tips. An extremely helpful man, whom we both recognized from the Thusis visitors center from last year (thanks to a distinctive eye brow) gave us some great suggestions. He told us he speaks three languages, none of them French, yet French visitors often refuse to speak the one language they share – English, so he is unable to help them.


Via Spluga trail from Sufers to Splügen

Castle ruins, Via Spluga trail from Sufers to Splügen

Splügen cemetery

Splügen

The skies opened, it began to rain in earnest. We chose the very busy Hotel Restaurant Suretta for lunch, the menu huge; it was hard to decide. Bill chose the Raclette Teller (21.50 chf), which turned out to be even better than expected; I instantly regretted not ordering it myself.


Raclette Teller

After yesterday’s misadventure I was craving Pizokels, so I ordered the Rheinwalder Pizokel (22.50 chf), expecting the heavenly cheese and cream sauce covered pillows I’ve become so fond of, but getting pizzoccheri instead (dark flat noodles) this version with savoy cabbage, potatoes and cheese. This tourist was confused.

Pizokel is a pasta known throughout Graubünden; it comes in countless variations, but I’ve never seen it like this. Pizzoccheri is a type of short tagliatelle, a flat ribbon pasta, made with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour. The color can range from grey to black or even light with black specks.

I don’t like pizzoccheri, the color puts me off, but being a tourist, I assumed the mistake had been mine.


Pizokel???

Bill devoured his Raclette and ate most of my pizzoccheri (22.50 chf). We’d also made a mistake with the wine, a too sweet Jeniser Sylvaner Reisling (25 chf for 5 dl, 69 chf total for lunch).

This incident was later hashed out on Trip Advisor – me asking if Pizokels mean different things in different parts of Switzerland, the Swiss contributors seeming confused as well and concluding that the chef, or the restaurant had meant Rheinwalder Pizzoccheri, instead of Rheinwalder Pizokel.

We considered walking back to Sufers, but we’d already logged over four miles and I was a wee bit sore from yesterday’s spill in IIanz, so we decided to save our toes for another day.

We took the bus back to Sufers (2.20 each half fare), then walked up to the apartment to dry off, have a hot beverage, listen to the stream and plot our course for the coming days.

To be continued...

Melnq8

Sept 25 -

We’d planned to take the bus to San Bernardino today but had gotten a late start. As we ate breakfast we checked the bus schedule, discovering there was a bus at 8:58, the next not until 10:06. We decided to make a run for the 8:58, egged on by a promising sliver of sunshine. We hurriedly got ready, me buying the bus tickets on the SBB app as Bill put on his shoes; then we were out the door, running down the hill to the bus, making it with about 10 seconds to spare, wanting to make hay while the sun was shining (7.60 each, one way, half fare)

Soon we were driving through the San Bernardino tunnel, which runs under the San Bernardino Pass between the towns of San Bernardino and Hinterrhein, forming part of the A13 motorway.

The 4.1 mile tunnel was completed in 1967, and connects the Val Mesolcina, one of the Italian speaking southern valleys of Graubünden, with the rest of the canton year round.

It was beautiful and sunny when we arrived; I took many photos knowing it was short lived; the rain was on the way. We popped into the visitor’s center, surprised to find it open on a Sunday, and picked the brains of a helpful woman.


San Bernardino

San Bernardino

San Bernardino

San Bernardino

San Bernardino

We then set out on the trail to Lagh de Pian Doss, which I’d scoped out in advance with the help of a Swiss poster on TA. En route we passed some beautiful houses, trying to guess how much they cost; most were boarded up, probably second homes.


Walking to Lagh de Pian Doss

Walking to Lagh de Pian Doss

Walking to Lagh de Pian Doss

Walking to Lagh de Pian Doss

Walking to Lagh de Pian Doss

We walked to the lake and then around it, (not flat as one might expect), passing the Hotel Restaurant LIDO, and then followed the sign uphill to Alpe Pian Doss, finding a closed restaurant. Now raining, we continued on towards Ospizo S Bernardino, eventually coming upon an unhelpful, completely blank trail sign.


Lagh de Pian Doss & Hotel LIDO

Unhelpful trail sign

We had a few tense minutes when we heard what sounded like canons going off, and the electrical wires above us began to buzz. We think this might have been somehow related to ‘the event’ and the bus line closures the SBB app had referred to this morning, although we never did figure out what was going on.

Unsure what to do, we worked our way back to where we thought town was, ending up at the visitor’s center as originally planned. We found out later that we’d missed Ospizo San Bernardino, which is evidently a restaurant, but not by much. We’d logged just under five miles, 2:44 on this nice and varied trek, and only saw one other person.

Back in San Bernardino, I checked my restaurant short list and we called into Central San Bernardino for lunch, opting to share a pizza and save room for an early dinner of shared Raclette Teller in Splügen. Central was an excellent choice, probably the best pizza we had on the trip (and there were many) - salami and olive (22 chf) and two glasses of wine each – 48 chf, I loved the crust on the pizza. The restaurant was hopping when we left.



We decided to walk to the artificial Lago d’Isola, which was about 30 minutes from town. Another not-so-flat lake walk - the trail led through a park, and then along an undulating track, above the lake, and then over the dam, and then through the forest and eventually back to town. We’d logged 8.6 miles and I was getting tired.


So many trails, so little energy

Interesting vehicle

Lago d’Isola



So, it was back to the San Bernardino bus stop to await our bus (7.60 chf each to Sufers), getting off in Splügen for the aforementioned cheese orgy at Restaurant Suretta, where we shared a plate of Raclette Teller (21.50 chf), well worth the effort - and it felt good to sit down.

Then back to the Splügen bus stop for the five minute bus journey to Sufers (runs once an hour), where we popped into the Kirche St Salvator before returning to the apartment.


Sufers

It’d been a very good day – exercise, fresh air, good food, 45 minutes of sunshine....and lots of rain.

To be continued...

Adelaidean

Loving this!

We missed our bus ride from Thusis to Chiavenna via the Splügen route one time due to a landslide, had so wanted to get a taste of the landscape.
We will take the bus from Bellinzona to Splügen to Thusis this trip, though, love the bus rides.

twk

Love the photos

Melnq8

Adelaidean - are you referring to the drive over Splugen pass from Splugen to Chiavenna? It's a trip...we made it three times this visit...that bit coming up.

Thank you twk!