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A day out in Chur
(originally published in the July 2009 issue of Expat In Switzerland)
The Alpine city of Chur is located at 600-1,000 metres above sea-level, in the northern part of canton Graubünden. Chur has a modern part with approximately 500 shops, a historical old town and it’s very own mountains, the Brambrüesch/Dreibündenstein, which can be reached directly from the old town by cableway. It has 35,000 inhabitants and with 5,000 years of settlement history it is the oldest town in Switzerland.
We drove to Chur from Zurich in about one and a half hours by car. On our way we went past lake Walensee which you can see while driving through the tunnels. It looked absolutely stunning. Imagine a blue lake and on top of it these massive mountains. This looks like a great trip out for another day.
Arriving in Chur.... We parked in the centre at Coop City and then headed towards the old town. At first Chur did not seem so attractive but the mountains and the old town with it’s winding streets and historical buildings revealed Chur’s real beauty. For lunch we decided to go to the restaurant Hofkellerei. As it was a bit hidden, we asked an elderly lady from one of the shops for the way and she was very helpful. We walked past the church St. Martin and at the gate tower we went up the stairs to the restaurant. The restaurant Hofkellerei is believed to be Chur’s oldest restaurant built in the 16th century. From inside there is a great view over Chur’s old town and you can enjoy the gothic style vaulted, beamed ceiling. We ate Capuns which is a Bündner speciality, a hearty meal of meat, cheese and salad leaves. It was delicious and very filling. After lunch we explored some more side streets in Chur. Sometimes it seemed like we would enter some house as the alleys were so tiny. When you are exploring the backstreets try going in the tiny alleyways. They really are a treat.
Restaurant Hofkellerei
Address: Hof 1, 7000 Chur
Tel: +41 (0) 81 252 32 30
Closed on Mondays.
On the city map it is at the tower B3.
You may click here to visit the site of Chur Tourism which has information in English about Chur and you can find brochures.
Additional tip for Chur
This summer the Rhaetian Railway and PostAuto Graubuenden have a special offer which is called the Ruinaulta-Ticket. With this ticket you can see the Swiss Grand Canyon. The ticket gives you one day unlimited access to all 2nd class tours with the Rhätischen Bahn and PostAuto around the area of Ruinaulta. You can discover the monumental Rheinschlucht Gorge between Ilanz and Reichenau, visit the "Mauersegler" viewing platform near Conn or go for a hike or cycle along the stunning paths. Click here for the ticket or here for more information.
Christina Schmidt
Christina is a German national who relocated to Zurich in May 2008 and writes regularly for ExpatInCH.com
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