Savognin and Val Surses (Savognin, Cunter, Tinizong, Salouf, Parsonz, Mons)
Most of our properties in this region are in Savognin or the villages just around it. The ski area rises straight from the village on the sunny side of the valley and suits beginners and intermediates. In summer there are walks, mountain bike trails and the Lai da Marmorera reservoir further up the valley. The painter Giovanni Segantini lived here in the 1880s. Zurich airport is around two hours by car.
Best for: Families who want a mid-sized ski area and easy walks in summer
Not for you if: You want lively après-ski: evenings in Savognin are quiet and most restaurants close early.
Bivio (top of the Surses valley)
Bivio sits at nearly 1,800 metres, the last village before the Julier Pass, so snow tends to arrive earlier and last longer than lower down. It has a small ski area of its own and cross-country trails along the valley floor. The Julier road stays open in winter, and St Moritz is around 30 to 40 minutes over the pass, which makes Bivio a cheaper base for Engadin days out.
Best for: Snow at altitude and cross-country skiing below the Julier Pass
Not for you if: You want shops and restaurants close by: Bivio is a small village with very little in it.
Bergün and the Albula valley (Bergün, Filisur, Schmitten, Surava, Alvaschein)
The Albula line of the Rhaetian Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage route, climbs through spiral tunnels above Bergün, and the Landwasser Viaduct is a short walk from Filisur. In winter the old pass road from Preda to Bergün becomes a long sledge run, lit at night on most evenings, and the train brings you back up. Bergün has a railway museum. Zurich is about two hours away.
Best for: Railway fans and families who want sledging rather than big skiing
Not for you if: Skiing is your main reason to go: the Darlux slopes above Bergün are small.
Splügen and the Rheinwald (Splügen, Sufers)
Splügen is a village of heavy stone merchants' houses on the old trade route over the Splügen and San Bernardino passes. The ski area of Splügen-Tambo sits above it, with cross-country trails along the upper Rhine, and Sufers has a small reservoir. The A13 motorway runs through the valley, so Zurich is under two hours away and Milan Malpensa about the same through the San Bernardino tunnel.
Best for: Cross-country skiers and anyone driving on towards Italy
Not for you if: You want a big ski area: Splügen-Tambo is small, and the bigger resorts are an hour or more away.
Andeer, Zillis and the Avers valley (Andeer, Lohn, Zillis, Innerferrera, Avers)
Andeer has a mineral thermal bath open all year. In Zillis, the church of St Martin has a twelfth-century wooden ceiling painted in panels, and the Viamala gorge, with steps down to the river, is a few minutes north. Lohn is on the sunny Schamserberg terrace above. The Avers valley runs south to Juf, one of the highest villages in Europe lived in all year. Zurich is around an hour and a half away.
Best for: Walkers and couples who want thermal baths and old churches
Not for you if: You want ski lifts nearby: you'll drive to Splügen or Savognin for those.
Thusis, the Heinzenberg and Domleschg (Thusis, Urmein, Tschappina, Flerden, Dalin, Sils, Tomils)
Thusis is the small market town at the north end of the Viamala, with shops, a railway station on the Rhaetian Railway and the A13 on the doorstep. Above it, Urmein, Tschappina and Flerden sit on the Heinzenberg, a south-east-facing slope known for sunshine and views. Across the valley, the Domleschg is dotted with castles and orchards. This is the closest part of the region to Zurich, at around an hour and a half.
Best for: Easy access, sunny hillside villages and short transfers
Not for you if: You want to step out of the door onto a ski slope: only Tschappina has small lifts.
