Welcome to Chur! The capital of Graubünden, Switzerland. The city of Chur is in the eastern part of Switzerland, and it’s known for being the gateway to Graubünden Mountains. You’ll have plenty to do if you want to spend one day or two exploring Chur. Around 500 shops, 130 restaurants, numerous museums, and more make this alpine city a great destination for tourists.
Chur is only 75 minutes from Zurich. It is a starting point for one of the most scenic train rides in Switzerland: the Bernina Express. It also has a historic old town that you won’t want to miss out on.
Are you in Chur? Or do you want to visit there soon and are not aware of visiting the spot? This blog post will discuss one-day activities that you can do in Chur. So without further ado, here are some ideas if you wish to spend one day in Chur, Switzerland.
Chur One Day Itinerary: What can you do?
1. Visit Chur’s Old Town
After having your breakfast, you can walk around the old town leisurely. There are few cities in Europe with as much history and culture as Chur. Over the years, the old town has been preserved, making it one of Switzerland’s best-preserved historic districts – full stop.
In Chur, you can have a great day by walking through the old town and visiting the various churches such as the St. Mariae Himmelfahrt Cathedral and the St. Martin Church. In addition to that, there are many other activities in this picturesque city.
Chur Tourism offers a free city e-guide on their website: http://www.chur.graubuenden.ch/en/offer/city-e-guide. Using the map view, you can explore the city on your own.
Among the suggested routes of the free city e-guide are as follows:
- Best of Chur
- Cathedral Treasure Museum
- Churches route
- StreetArt tour
- Hidden Chur
- Complete route
There are also guided city tours every Wednesday afternoon and every last Saturday per month. You can visit the tourist office at the Chur train station to join the city tour.
2. Hike or Ski on Chur’s local mountain – Brambrüesch
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From 8:30 AM onwards, you can take the cable car up to the high plateau of Brambrüesch, where gorgeous summer meadows await. And in winter, go skiing for a memorable experience.
The mountain adventures of summer come complete with hikes to nearby Dreibündstein, Feldis, and Pradaschier. You can also make a circular hike on Brambrüesch itself via Spundisköpfe or Brambiweg. There are also paths from Brambrüesch to Känzeli, Malix, and all the way down to Chur that provide an extremely varied hiking experience.
For those who want something else aside from hiking, there are also fun scooter rides and bike paths for the young and old. There’s also a fast toboggan run at the end that will be sure to excite any sports fan.
For culinary delights, Brambrüesch has its selection of restaurants. Whether you eat inside or out on a terrace overlooking the valley, they have got your fix. Numerous options cater to all tastes in Brambrüesch. After having your meal, you can head back down to Chur for more activities.
If you would like to discover other mountains near Chur after visiting Brambrüesch, check out this list – Closest Mountains To Chur in Switzerland.
3. Pick a Museum: Rhaetian, Art, or Natural History
You probably still have some time to spare before the day is over. How about you visit a museum? If you’re looking for a dose of history and culture, Chur has its fair share. This small city is home to a wealth of history and art museums. Some of the museums include the following:
| Museum | Description | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Rätisches Museum | Rhaetian Museum presents Bündner history from the ancient days to the present day | Hofstrasse 1, 7000 Chur |
| Bündner Kunstmuseum | Museum of local modern & contemporary art | Bahnhofstrasse 35, 7000 Chur |
| Forum Würth Chur | Modern art and culture museum that is free to visit | Aspermontstrasse 1, 7004 Chur |
| Bündner Naturmuseum | Natural History Museum with changing exhibits | Masanserstrasse 31, 7000 Chur |
If we talk about museums in Chur, I think one worth visiting is the Rhaetian Museum. This fascinating museum is dedicated to the culture and art of the Romans who once ruled this region, the archeological findings in the canton, as well as traces of the Chur-Marsöl settlement.
The Dreibündenstein Stone shown above used to be on the Dreibündenstein elevation (2,156 meters above sea level). This was not a mountain peak per se, rather it was the triple border point of the former Drei Bünde (La Republica da las Trais Lias), which was a Free State of Three Alliances in the area now known as Graubünden.
If you want to learn more about Chur’s history and culture, then be sure to add the Rhaetian Museum to your list of things to do in Switzerland.
4. End with a nice meal for dinner
Whenever we travel to a new place, we love trying the food. Usually, we go for local food or a cuisine we know like Italian or Chinese.
If you are the same and if you want to have a nice meal in Chur, we recommend the following restaurants:
| Wirtschaft zum Kornplatz | An excellent Michelin-starred restaurant with sumptuous food and superb wines | Kornplatz 1, 7000 Chur |
| Va Bene | An upscale restaurant that is open daily with seasonal offerings and a fantastic wine list. Awarded 14 Gault-Millau points. | Gäuggelistrasse 60, 7000 Chur |
| Die Veltliner Weinstube zum Stern | A good choice for vegetarians, Die Veltliner Weinstube offers superb service and great seasonal food as well | Reichsgasse 11, 7000 Chur |
| Restaurant Drei Bunde | A highly-rated restaurant in Chur’s old town, Restaurant Drei Bunde has excellent local cuisine and big portions | Rabengasse 2, 7000 Chur |
| Da Noi | Priced higher than the rest, this restaurant located in the old town has fantastic pasta and friendly staff. | Vazerolgasse 12, 7000 Chur |
| Restaurant zum Metzgertor | A restaurant serving local cuisine with reasonable prices and homemade quality food. | Arcas 3, 7000 Chur |
Consider visiting Pur Suisse gourmet market (Bahnhofstrasse 4, 7000 Chur) if you’re looking for some food souvenirs; it features 2,000 quality products from various regions of Switzerland, primarily small manufacturers and businesses. You can find nut cakes, teas, coffee beans, polenta, chocolates, alpine herbs, salts, etc. here.
Summary: 1 Day in Chur, Switzerland
In this blog post, I tried to cover a few visiting points or activities in Chur during one day tour, but that’s not all Chur has to offer; the surrounding area is full of natural wonders waiting to be explored.
If you would like a summary of all ideas on what to do in Chur in one day, here is a short list:
- Visit Chur’s Old Town
- Hike or Ski on Brambrüesch
- Pick a Museum: Rhaetian, Art, or Natural History
- Stroll at Fontana Park
- Check out the Giger Bar by H. R. Giger
- Discover the Haldenstein Castle with its romantic gardens and ruins
- Concerts and plays may run at Theater Chur, Klibühni, or Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden
- Visit the ruins with a protective roof designed by Peter Zumthor
- Swim at the Aquamarine wellness pool with its indoor pools and heated outdoor pool.
- Climb one of Switzerland’s most modern indoor climbing halls Kletterzentrum Ap ‘n Daun. Bouldering and route climbing terrain as well as outdoor climbing are also possible here.
- Try to escape the Adventure rooms before time runs out.
- Have a Boccia experience in Oberen Au.
- Go bowling at Rock’n Bowl Chur, especially when the weather is bad
- Learn more about Science at Emsorama in nearby Domat/Ems.
- Experience a challenging special agent game or a scavenger hunt in Chur’s Old Town with Magic Portal or Operation Mindfall.
- Master the 9-hole Urban Golf course in the city.
From Chur, I highly recommend also booking a Bernina Express ride or visiting the nearby charming village of Tschiertschen. Don’t miss out and book a tour as soon as you can.
As you can see, you will not run out of options on what to do in Chur within one full day. In fact, you can stretch the Chur One Day Itinerary offered here easily to another 1 or 2 more days. And if you would like to find more ideas on what to do in the Graubünden region, check out our related articles below.
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