Upper Engadine / Sils-Maria experiences, comments

  • Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    28 November 2022 at 13:25:34 #828680

    Have you stayed in Sils-Maria or that general area? We’re looking for comments, experiences (favorable, or not), and advice about anything and everything (other than accommodations; we have that part confirmed). We’re in our mid to late 60’s, like to walk / hike, and to explore… not so much just to look and see, but instead to especially immerse ourselves. What did you enjoy? What should we avoid? How helpful is public transportation to trailheads or other great locations? (We won’t have a car.) We’ll be there during the first half of September and would love to absorb your wisdom.

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    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    29 November 2022 at 0:14:27 #948575

    Your phrase “how helpful is public transportation to trailheads or other great locations? (We won’t have a car.)” will sound funny to most Switzerland enthusiasts because Switzerland is generally known as the country with the most comprehensive and efficient public transport system anywhere in the world!

    Sils Maria is right amongst the mountains so local walking will be available direct from the village. Otherwise use the famous Swiss Travel system for all your transportation. In Switzerland, moving around is catered for from your own feet up to air travel and everything in between!

    The only drawback of Sils is that it is not on the railway, so you will have to get a bus to St Moritz before being able to enjoy the fabulous efficient Rhaetische Bahn railway network – which is essentially a ‘state railway’ for Canton Graubunden

    Use Schweizmobil / Switzerland Mobility web site to see the completely integrated network of walking paths, roads with bus routes, railways, mountain railways, cableways etc:

    map.wanderland.ch/?lang=en&photos=yes&logo=yes&detours=yes&season=summer&resolution=250&E=2631750&N=1189000&bgLayer=pk

    Traditional hard copy walking maps will be available in newsagents and bookshops locally

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    29 November 2022 at 1:30:05 #948576

    Thanks for that specific information, 1960man. We got so spoiled by the fabulous public transportation in and around Wengen and that whole Bernese Oberland area, I didn’t dare hope for anything similar in Sils. Too bad about the railway, but I agree, you really can’t beat the Swiss system! And hiking from our doorstep sounds terrific, too, of course.

    I’m assuming Sils is in the Swiss-German speaking part of Switzerland. Is that correct? As a non-German speaker, do you anticipate any problems being understood in the Upper Engadine?

    Many thanks for responding. I really am very grateful.

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    29 November 2022 at 7:54:12 #948577

    Hi Caroline679,

    If you enjoy exploring small villages and nature, Sils Maria will offer you both and plenty of peace and quiet. The regional language is Romansch but most people in the hospitality and tourism industry speak English.

    You can find more information about the Upper Engadine here: http://www.myswissalps.com/upperengadine

    Regards,

    Anna

    Maloja_Snake
    Participant
    82 posts
    29 November 2022 at 9:53:40 #948578

    Hi Caroline679

    I’m one of the most enthusiastic proponents of Sils on this forum (at least in the last few years). I travelled to Sils three times in 2018-19, and in love with it. I did have a car, but took the bus several times and found it convenient. It is only 10km to St Moritz. I am an academic philosopher, and my draw to Sils, originally, was due to the fact that Friederich Nietzsche summered here, and wrote some of his best works here in the 1880s. Many famous admirers of his, including Carl Jung, Hermann Hesse, and Thomas Manne, have made numerous visits to Sils to soak up his inspiration. Nietzsche wrote, or thought, while walking (he often hiked6-8 hours a day around Sils). A book was written a few years ago about where specifically around Sils Nietzsche hiked, called, “Hiking With Nietzsche”.

    But all that aside, Sils is still my favorite town and region in Switzerland. A few of my favorite hiking destinations are Val Fex and the Chaste. Most people, especially merchants, speak English. Check out (ie Google) my screen name for a Sils reference

    Lastly, I know you stated that your lodging choice was decided, but I stayed all three times at the Waldhaus, and found it to be the most beautiful, and friendliest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Enjoy!

    Mark
    Participant
    794 posts
    29 November 2022 at 14:14:31 #948579

    I think you had a thread on this subject previously. We stayed in Sils this past Sept and liked it very much. It is a little different transportation wise than the Jungfrau area as we took the free busses to our hiking destinations rather than trains. This however worked fine and you should have no problem going anywhere in the area via bus. St Moritz is similar to Zermatt except on a hillside. I would much prefer Sils to St Moritz. We found plenty of scenic day hikes within 20 min bus rides of Sils but you could easily go further by way of trains from St moritz to other hiking trailheads.

    I agree totally with Maloja Snake that the Waldhaus is a first rate hotel and without doubt the bast accommodation in Sils area. Also the hiking in Val Fex is especially nice.

    Mark

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    29 November 2022 at 22:23:01 #948580

    Sils and the upper Engadine are in the region where the local language is Rumantsch (aka Romansch) – the fourth official language of Switzerland. Announcements on public transport in the area can be (depending on the vehicle) in between three and five languages (Rumatsch and/or German and/or English and/or Italian and /or French!).

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romansh_language

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    30 November 2022 at 8:47:03 #948581

    Hi Caroline679,

    You can learn more about the langugaes used in Switzerland here: http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/culturehistory/languages.

    Mark’s trip report from their stay in Sils Maria is here: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/trip-report-wengen-and-sils-maria-in-september.

    Take care,

    Ildiko

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    30 November 2022 at 18:18:11 #948582

    Thank you, Anna. It’s such fun to dig into this information. Thanks for the handy link!

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    30 November 2022 at 18:27:14 #948583

    You all are wonderful to respond so thoroughly. I so appreciate all of this information.

    Maloja Snake, don’t hesitate to pass along anything else you may think of, as I’m so glad you love this area as much as you clearly do! We’ve been wanting to explore Switzerland beyond the Bernese Oberland and the Valais, but haven’t really known where else could possibly measure up. We know it will be different, but we just plain haven’t heard as much about the Upper Engadine. We love your enthusiasm!

    It’s heartening that English is spoken enough to get oneself around. I’m a huge believer in learning / speaking the local language when we travel. I do speak French, but unfortunately not the other languages of the Upper Engadine.

    I’m having fun following your nudge to google “Majola Snake”. I’m learning lots! And I can appreciate that I need to brush up on Nietzsche as well!

    I’m envious of your three trips to Sils in 1989-90. Lucky you!

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    30 November 2022 at 18:50:54 #948584

    Mark,

    Thanks so much for your response. Your comments about the available hiking opportunities from Sils is getting me very excited, give or take a necessary bus ride. The Swiss transportation system is so wonderful, though, I’m suspecting grabbing a bus at either end of a hike won’t be too difficult. I’m encouraged to hear you found it worked very well. (We do always check the local schedules before we ever start out, for obvious reasons!). I’m glad the Val Fex has such nice hiking choices.

    I was heartened to hear that you prefer Sils over St. Moritz. There’s lots written about St. Moritz, of course, but we’re not particularly into glitz and tend to try to seek out quieter surroundings. We’ve been to Zermatt, but even in September, it was a tourist mob scene, with one huge tour group after another clogging the streets and overtaking the restaurants. We were disappointed, as we’d heard Zermatt was nice. We headed for the hills (mountains!) as much as we could (we had lousy weather for five days); but still, it was not a town that felt particularly welcoming to hang out in.

    I’m not quite clear about to what degree cars are allowed in Sils. (We won’t have one ourselves. We prefer to be on foot.) I’ve read about the horse-drawn wagons. Is it otherwise a pedestrian town?

    Again, thanks for creating the time you spent replying to my earlier post!

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    30 November 2022 at 18:55:02 #948585

    1960man,

    Whew, I’m not sure I can master much Rumantsch before we head to Sils, but it’s fun to learn that it’s not the only language we’ll hear there. Thanks for your reply about that. Perhaps I’ll be more successful miming my way along!

    Thanks for your help, as always. : )

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    30 November 2022 at 18:56:42 #948586

    Ildiko,

    You are always ready with good links to check out. Thank you! The advance reading and research is always at least half the fun. We’re getting very excited!

    Maloja_Snake
    Participant
    82 posts
    30 November 2022 at 23:07:24 #948587

    that’s 2018-2019! There is huge Sils Maria news beyond my post. I am just scratching the surface…Look at Freud’s comments during the Vienna psychoantilytic society around 1908 when the moderater said that Freud said that there is no other thinker in the Western cannon that knows their own mind as thouougly as Niertszche, and their probably never will be…

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    1 December 2022 at 0:04:44 #948588

    Oops! So sorry about my wildly-wrong transcription of your Sils dates! ‘Not sure where my head was when I did that. (insert red face here)

    Whoa, Freud certainly didn’t hold back re. his perspective on Nietzsche. That *is* huge Sils Maria news! : ) I’m afraid I am poorly-read on Nietzsche. As an undergraduate, I think I must’ve decided philosophy was way, way beyond me. It’s too bad that, at least at that age, I was allowed to skirt around courses that would’ve been absolutely fascinating, but which I assumed would demolish what little academic confidence I had. (In those days, there were few, if any, distribution requirements at many New England liberal arts schools… something I now really regret.) Maybe when we’re in Sils, some of Nietzsche will finally rub off on me.

    Thanks for your fun take on our new-found interest in Sils and the Engadin. We adore Switzerland, and both love to hike, so we’re really looking forward to getting to know this area; it’s completely unfamiliar to us.

    Mark
    Participant
    794 posts
    1 December 2022 at 0:38:57 #948589

    You will have no problem with the language. Everyone we met in the tourist industry spoke English (transportation,restaurants,hotels, shops, etc)and most were fluent. Actually I don’t recall meeting anyone who was not at least conversant in English. It’s a quite good testament to the multilingual education in Switzerland.

    Cars are allowed in Sils but there were few on the roads in Sils. We were more likely to see a horse drawn carriage than a car in Sils. That is not true of St Moritz which was mildly congested with cars. We took the bus to St Moritz for lunch one day just to say we had been there. We looked around for maybe 30 minutes after lunch before we had enough and returned to Sils.

    While Sils has restaurants,hotels ,and shops, there are not very many. Commercially it is smaller than Murren. It’s attraction is its proximity to the natural beauty of the lake, mountains, and Val Fex.

    Mark

    Caroline679
    Participant
    47 posts
    1 December 2022 at 1:07:01 #948590

    Hi Mark,

    Bravo to Switzerland for arming their populace with broad-based language skills. I only wish the United States did the same! On another note, it’s fun to hear about the number of horse drawn carriages in Sils. We actually own (and care for) our own horses here, at home, in Vermont, so we’ll heartily welcome their good company in Sils. And your comparison with Murren is very helpful, since we know Murren quite well. Thanks for that. I suspect 30 minutes in St. Moritz may well be plenty for us, too. We may need it if the railroad there can get us to hikes a bit farther afield, but we’ll leave the shops for others to frequent. The mountains are our love. We just can’t seem to ever get our fill of time in their majestic presence. Their magnificence is such great nourishment for the soul. And from what I’ve seen in people’s Val Fex pictures, I think that lovely valley will ‘speak’ to us as well. We already feel so lucky to be anticipating the journey ahead of us.

    Thanks for whetting our appetite!

    Caroline

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