[Anni]

16 October 2023 at 20:14:14 #830905

In late September I returned to the wonderful Hotel Maria in Sils. I was greeted warmly by the staff who remembered my visit last year. The accommodations and the food were as excellent as ever. For several nights I enjoyed the company of a couple from California who had read my trip report from last year and decided to visit Sils. We shared travel stories, hiking recommendations, and a love of good food! Some of my walks/hikes:

• I took the gondola to Furtschellas and did the hike to the viewpoint at Marmore and then the descent to Curtins in the Fex Valley. Once I reached the valley floor I walked the woodland trail to Crasta and headed to Hotel Sonne for warm chestnut cake.
• A bus ride over the Maloja pass and got off at Stampa. Found the Via Bregaglia trail through the forest and climbed up many stone steps to Soglio. A wonderful hike on a clear sunny day, so different from my visit to Soglio last year in the cold rain. I enjoyed a delicious lunch in the garden of the Hotel Palazzo Salis (accompanied by cake of course). I then continued on the trail down many stone steps, past waterfalls, and through the chestnut forest to Castasegna. A very rewarding day.
• Bus to St. Moritz, funicular to Corviglia, and the gondola to Piz Nair with incredible views. Descended back down to Corgivlia and for some reason I completely lost my sense of direction and headed off in the wrong direction twice and had to backtrack. Needless to say I covered a lot of the St. Moritz ski area! I finally found my way on to Via Engiadina for a fairly long but scenic walk back to Sils.
• Bus to Silvaplana and walked a loop trail around Lej Marsch and returned on foot to Sils along the Silvaplanersee.

This area is so beautiful and there are so many options for hikes and walks. The free transport card provided by the hotel is such a great value. I can see myself returning again and again!

The Appenzellerland Tourist Office was offering free arrival and departure within Switzerland if you booked an Appenzell hotel for 3 days or more. So I took them up on it and received a free bus/train ticket from Sils Maria all the way to Schwende which is a tiny village near the town of Appenzell. There are only 2 hotels and a pizzeria in the village and many cows and dairy farms. My brother who was traveling in Europe met me there and we stayed at the Hotel Alpenblick which was fantastic. We each had a single room with a balcony and half board. The owner is a chef and the 5 course dinners were delicious. The hotel provided a Holiday card for free transport within the region including several cable cars.

For me the hiking in this area was a bit more strenuous than the hikes I did in the Engadine.

• Cable car to Ebenalp. This is a very popular destination for tourists who walk the short descent to the Wildkirchli caves and the famous Aescher mountain inn. I think for many this is as far as they go. We hiked to Schafler Ridge with fantastic views and a stop for pear cake at the mountaintop restaurant. On the return we took a narrow rocky trail that led back to Aescher from the opposite direction. A very crowded cable car ride back down and then a nice walk back to the hotel through green pastures. We filled an empty water bottle with fresh milk from a vending machine at a dairy farm!
• Train to Weissbad, bus to Brulisau, and cable car to the summit of Hoher Kasten (several restaurants, viewing platform, and the start of many hiking trails). We set off towards Saxer Lucke. This was a strenuous hike for me with more ups and downs than I had anticipated but plenty of places to stop and rest. By the time we made it to the mountain restaurant at Staubern (more pear cake) it was doubtful I could continue on along the ridge and down to the Fahlensee. So we made a very steep descent from Staubern to a plateau above the Samtisersee and a long walk back to Brulisau. A very tiring day but the views were well worth it.
• A leisurely day walking along the river from Schwende to Appenzell and back. Yes, the town is a bit touristy but we enjoyed visiting the beautiful church, the local history museum, the craft brewery, and there was a goat show as well.

I also received a free train ticket from Schwende to Zurich Airport for my flight home. The only transportation I paid for was the Saver Day Pass for to get me from Zurich Airport to Sils Maria.

All in all a wonderful trip. I really love Switzerland! I’ll attach some pictures from the Appenzell region.

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[Anna]

17 October 2023 at 4:10:25 #958859

Hi Anni,

I’m glad you enjoyed your return visit to Sils Maria and trip to Schwende. Indeed there is so much to explore in Graübunden and Appenzell! Thanks fo sharing. Lovely photos too.

Regards,

Anna

[Annika]

18 October 2023 at 7:37:25 #958860

Hi Anni,

Thanks for sharing your travel experiences and your lovely pictures. Sils, the Engadine and the Bregaglia valley are indeed beautiful surroundings, and well worth a return trip. Your hikes in the Appenzell area sound great too. It’s nice that you got past the famous Aescher mountain restaurant and explored more of the hiking trails there! Would this be another region you’d like to get back to?

[traveljet]

23 October 2023 at 6:50:25 #958861

Hi Anni,

Glad to hear you had a great trip. We were in Sils a few years back and though we did not hike as much, the walks we had to the lake and also the horse carriage ride to the end of the Fex Valley was amazing. That was in late Sept. We also stayed at Pontresina for easier access to the other areas. The Engadine surroundings are certainly very nice and less crowded – great value for money esp with the hotel guest card which pays for the various mt rides in the area.

You certainly explored a lot of areas with your hikes – thanks for sharing your expriences..

Regards

[andrew]

23 October 2023 at 11:33:44 #958862

Hi Anni,

Lovely to read of someone enjoying the Appenzell area and particularly Hotel Alpenblick in Schwende. We haven’t stayed there since before Covid and it was great to hear it’s as good as ever. We remember well the superb food, friendly owners and staff and, “Anyone for seconds?”

it’s a pity we don’t read more about that part of Switzerland in these pages because, apart from Appenzell itself, it remains largely unspoilt and there’s wonderful walking.

Andrew