Grand Tour Photo Spots in Graubünden

At 4049 metres, Piz Bernina is the only four-thousand-metre peak in the Eastern Alps and thus the highest mountain in the canton of Graubünden and the municipality of Samedan. The first ascent of the peak was made on 13 September 1850 by Johann Wilhelm Coaz with his two companions Jon and Lorenz Ragt Tscharner.

Bavegna - welcome to the Val Surses holiday region. With its two tourist centres Savognin and Bivio, our valley lies in the heart of Graubünden, surrounded by Switzerland's largest nature park, Parc Ela. Val Surses is home to 11 villages that joined together in 2016 to form the municipality of Surses. Wide landscapes, crystal-clear mountain lakes, a wide range of sports and cultural activities and the Romansh language characterise our valley. Val Surses - so close to another world.

The Maloja Pass is a high Swiss Alpine pass that connects Val Bregaglia with Engadin. It lies at the foot of the unique triple watershed of the Piz Lunghin. From here, one drop of rain can flow into the North Sea (Rhine), the Black Sea (Inn) or the Adriatic Sea (Maira). The Maloja Pass is of great importance for traffic and transport. What makes this alpine pass so unusual is that it is very flat on its northern side, but to the south it drops steeply and abruptly into Val Bregaglia.

Welcome to the Grisons, home of Heidi. Here, the author Johanna Spyri was inspired to write the world-famous children’s story of the same name. The wine region’s capital is Maienfeld. In Bad Ragaz, the neighbouring spa and health resort, thermal waters spring from the imposing Tamina Gorge. For hundreds of years, people have flocked to this destination seeking convalescence. The ‘Heidiland’ holiday region also delights visitors with its numerous offers for hikers, cyclists, and winter-sports enthusiasts.

Finds of spearheads show that the Flüela Pass (2,383 m.a.s.l. | 7,818 ft) connecting the Landwasser and Lower Engadine valleys was already crossed during the Bronze Age. For a long time, the Walser people used the route to take their products to the surrounding valleys – from Vinschgau to Tyrol. The mountain pass road, which opened in 1867 and also featured a hospice, is now a starting point for ski mountaineers in winter as well as for summer rides with the historic stagecoach, racing bikes or motorcycles.

St. Moritz ranks amongst the world’s top holiday destinations. Steeped in tradition, it is the birthplace of winter tourism in the Alps (1864) and the venue of two Winter Olympic Games. St. Moritz came to prominence through its hot springs, which have been known for 3,000 years and have long helped establish the village as a summer spa. World-class leisure, culture, shopping, events, hospitality and gastronomy: the name St. Moritz promises – and delivers – much.

Chesa Merleda, which is studded with battlements, is the landmark of proud La Punt. The impressive ensemble of splendid patrician and guest houses dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries is a historic witness to a flourishing trade and tourism history at the Albula Pass. With the construction of a bridge over the Inn river in the 16th century, the lords of the Albertini family, also known as the ‘Lords of the Bridge’, laid the foundations for development and prosperity in La Punt.

As St. Moritz's first mountain railroad, the Chantarella funicular has played its part in the success story of Switzerland's oldest winter sports resort. In operation since 1913 and originally intended as a feeder to a high-altitude health resort, it has opened the door to the Engadin mountains for many guests over the last 100 years. Until 1938, there were still three intermediate stops on the short journey of approx. 3 minutes. This was followed in 1928 by the construction of the 2nd section from Chantarella directly to the Corviglia ski area.

The San Bernardino mountain pass, built between 1817 and 1823, was the first road for wheeled vehicles over a Grisons pass. It connected Bellinzona with Chur or – on a larger scope – the port of Genoa with southern Germany. Some decades ago, the route was carefully restored. Set in the magnificent mountain scenery between Hinterrhein and San Bernardino, examples of impressive road building skills from the 19th century can still be admired today.

The church in Obermutten is one of the most unusual sacred buildings in Switzerland. It is the only place of worship built entirely of wood. The surrounding larch forests provided the material for this unique building. A wooden plaque above the entrance states that the church was built in 1718. Only the belfry on ridge, which houses two bells, dates from 1930. As well as the church, the picturesque Valais village of Obermutten can be seen in a breathtaking landscape. The sun-kissed wooden houses provide the perfect contrast.

Wildly romantic, sunny and sheltered: Pontresina is nestled amongst mountains – a place for leisure as well as recreation. Arguably the best vantage point is the world-famous Montebello hairpin bend, at the point where the Bernina section of the Rhaetian Railway crosses the road. You can see the tallest peaks of the Eastern Alps behind the Morteratsch Glacier, including Piz Bernina (4,049 m), Piz Palü (3,901 m), Piz Roseg (3,937 m) and Bellavista. Fancy cooling down a little? The glacier trail from Morteratsch station takes you to where the ice is eternal.

The Viamala gorge lies near the historical viaSpluga transit route, one of the many roads that led to Rome in ancient times. With its rugged cliffs, the kaleidoscopic play of colours on the water, and the potholes that have been cut into the rock over thousands of years, this gorge offers an unforgettable nature experience. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was one of many who were fascinated by the gorge: “I shall not write about the tremendous grandeur of the Viamala. I feel as if I had not known Switzerland at all!”