Why on earth would anyone write about the town of Chur, Switzerland out of the clear blue? Well the reason is we just got back from visiting one of our sons who lives and works in Chur. Since the town is not well known outside of Switzerland, we thought to express our personal feelings about Chur.
Getting there is easy, an hour and a half pleasant train ride from Zürich along the Zürichsee. Chur is the capital of Graubünden the easternmost canton in Switzerland. Most people never heard of Graubünden either, but skiers know of Davos, St. Moritz and Arosa, the more famous of the canton’s towns. For skiers, Arosa is only a 40 minute train ride from Chur. You can buy the fare with a lift ticket included.Arriving in Chur and leaving the train station, right across the bus filled street is the old town, a huge car free section, full of shops, restaurants, outdoor cafes, museums, people enjoying life without the intense bustle we are used to. When we arrive, no matter how frequently, we immediately sink into the low key of the town, like pressure being released. That’s what we love about it. A couple of weeks in Chur is regenerative, a true vacation.
Historically, Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland. In fact settlements there can be traced back over 10,000 years. But despite it’s age, Chur is relatively unknown to vacationers so one of it’s blessings is it’s shortage of tourists. The town is full of things to see, if you like touring. For a detail of such touristic treats, google “Deborah Kade, First Time Visiting Chur.” Her article is as encompassing as you could possibly need. Our view of the town is much more personal. We like to walk so the old town is always on our list. We recently discovered Furstenwald, a forest with a network of walking trails in the hills overlooking the town. The trails are used by bikers and horses as well. We found it one day when we accidentally didn’t get off the #2 bus at the train station and wound up in the hills. The beauty and tranquility are overwhelming. They say that Swiss architecture is irrelevant because the background is so gorgeous.
So what else do we non-tourists do. I’m a swimmer so the swimming and fitness complex is a huge attraction. Besides the lap swimming pool and diving pools there are pools for parents with young kids and an outdoor heated pool. The restaurant is great and relatively inexpensive. But the big treat is the water slide which you can see from the network of blue tubes outside the building. In the summer there is a huge outdoor pool open. Then there is City-West, a huge mall and movie complex. There is a funicular right in town which goes up to the hill of Brambrüesh where the views are spectacular.
Chur is referred to as the car-free city. Even though there are plenty of cars, the town buses go everywhere and are scheduled and on time like everything Swiss. You can get to almost anywhere in Chur within 10 minutes by bus. For a tourist, you need only buy a day bus fare for 6 francs (which you can also buy with the available app) and you are set to go anywhere.
I wanted to express our feelings about the town and what it means to us. Next time you are in Switzerland, give it a try and let us know if you get the same vibes. When we leave, we know we will be returning which makes it easier to leave.
