Things to do in St. Moritz, Graubünden & Ticino

Graubünden is panoramic-train country: the Glacier Express runs for about eight hours between Zermatt and St. Moritz over 291 bridges, and the Bernina Express travels from Chur to Tirano in Italy on the UNESCO-listed Albula and Bernina lines, past the Palü Glacier and the Brusio Circular Viaduct. Near Filisur, trains cross the 65-metre-high Landwasser Viaduct and run straight into a tunnel in the cliff. In Chur Old Town, one of Switzerland's oldest towns, follow the red signs from the Obertor through car-free alleys to Arcas Square, and from Flims Waldhaus walk past the turquoise Caumasee to the Il Spir platform above the Rhine Gorge (Ruinaulta). The Diavolezza cable car climbs in about seven minutes to views of Piz Bernina and Piz Palü, the Kirchner Museum Davos holds the world's largest collection of works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and visits to the Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, start at the National Park Centre in Zernez. In Ticino, see the UNESCO-listed Castles of Bellinzona, the medieval double-arched Ponte dei Salti over the turquoise Verzasca river at Lavertezzo and the Madonna del Sasso Sanctuary in Orselina, with views over the palms to Lake Maggiore.

Good to knowSeat reservations are mandatory on the Glacier Express, which pauses for an annual break in autumn, and a seat reservation supplement applies on the Bernina Express, where engineering works can cause diversions, so check the timetables before you book. The classic view of the Landwasser Viaduct is from the Hennings platform, reached by the summer shuttle from Filisur or on the Albula Railway Adventure Trail in good boots, and the Diavolezza cable car has gaps between seasons, so check its operating times. The trail to the Il Spir platform is well marked and child-friendly, taking about two hours there and back.