[Removed user]

8 January 2019 at 16:40:52 #819404

Hello — We are planning a trip with our 8 and 10 year old kids in mid-April. We will spend Easter weekend in Bern and are looking to spend 4 or 5 days somewhere we can hike and explore in the days before. We settled on Vallemaggia because it seemed the most likely to have multiple open hiking trails (also because it looks great).

A few specific questions:

Any advice on staying Bosco-Gurin or a valley town? Is either place easier to just walk out to hiking?

Best food in the valley (bakery, specialty shop, or restaurant that is decent for kids with reasonably sophisticated palates)?

Best hikes? Best hiking trail sites or maps (I have been using Outdoor Active and the Hiking Project).

Is it possible to hike up to Robiei when the cable car is not running?

I’ve been emailing tourist boards to find out what is open and what is not. Any other ways to figure that out?

Any other advice?

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[Removed user]

9 January 2019 at 8:54:07 #901731

Hi Araghf and welcome to MySwissAlps!

You’ve picked a fairly remote region of Switzerland – should be an interesting trip! This is one region of Switzerland where a car would be useful due to the remoteness and size of the villages. Most are accessed by bus only. Do you know how you are getting around?

I agree the Ticino region is a good bet for hikes at that time of year – should have the best weather in Switzerland. That being said I haven’t been to the smaller towns/ areas that you mention (Bosco-Gurin). My experience is limited to the larger towns of Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona in the Ticino region.

Funivia San Carlo-Robiei is at 1900 meters and in mid-April a hike wouldn’t be advisable I would think.

I would suggest waiting to see what the local tourist boards say as they are the local experts. Bosco-Gurin is your best bet for restaurant selection from my understanding (small ski resort there) but it has a population of 50(!). You are visiting in shoulder season (too late to ski and too early to hike…mostly) so the larger restaurants may be closed etc. but smaller cafes etc would be open…something to keep in mind. 🙂

[Arno]

9 January 2019 at 10:58:03 #901732

Hi Araghf,

I agree with Lucas that you should not count on that trail to be (safely) accessible. We were in the region (not Valle Maggia) late April/early May last year. North facing slopes were still snow covered from about 1600 m. Personally I’d stay at a lower altitude than Bosco/Gurin at that time of year. Maggia perhaps, or Locarno if you don’t travel by car.

[Arno]

15 January 2019 at 18:27:57 #901733

Hi Araghf,

Were you able to pick a base town that suits your needs?

[Removed user]

15 January 2019 at 22:22:19 #901734

We are staying in Moghegno, right near Maggia.

[Arno]

16 January 2019 at 8:27:10 #901735

At an altitude of just over 300 m that should be wonderful in April!

[Removed user]

17 January 2019 at 0:31:00 #901736

Don’t forget the Contra dam, where Pierce Brosnan (as James Bond) ‘jumped off’