As part of our weekend in Chur, we had a hike planned for Sunday between two local peaks – Brambrüesch and Pradaschier. Although at first it looked like the weather was not going to be kind to us and we started our hike in thick fog, it eventually cleared up and we enjoyed a 6,5 km hike during which we enjoyed the culinary delights of the canton of Graubünden. The icing on the imaginary cake was a ride on the longest toboggan run in Switzerland.
Note: The culinary hike and the whole weekend program were sponsored by Chur Tourismus. Thank you for having us 🙂
Brambrüesch Gondola
The lower station of the Brambüesch gondola can be found at Kasernenstrasse 15. If you arrive in Chur by train, it is about a 15-minute walk from the train station or 5 minutes by bus line 1 (stop Chur, Brambrüeschb./Stadthalle).
If you would like to do this route without the culinary experience and the toboggan run, you need to buy a Dreibündenstein Wander-Kombi ticket. This includes a ride on the Chur – Brambrüesch gondola, Pradaschier – Churwalden chair lift, and a ride on the Churwalden – Chur Postbus. This ticket costs CHF 37,50 for an adult, CHF 20,80 with Half-fare Card, CHF 15,10 for children 6 – 15 years, and CHF 7 for children with Junior Card.
The Brambrüesch gondola operates daily from 10 June to 22 October 2023, Monday to Friday 8:30 am – 4 pm, and Friday and Saturday 8:30 am – 5 pm, on Saturdays between 10 June and 26 August until 8 pm. In the low season (i.e. 1 April to 5 November) it is open only on weekends.
Culinary hike
The route between Brambrüesch and Pradaschier can be combined with a tasting of regional culinary specialties. How does it work? You can book your trip for a culinary tour with a three-course menu at churtourismus.ch/kulinariktouren. The price of CHF 116 (CHF 101 with Halbtax/GA) includes a gondola ride to Brambrüesch, a three-course menu at restaurants along the way (see below), a ride on the longest toboggan run in Switzerland, and a return to Chur with Postauto.
First stop on the culinary hike: Bergbaiz Restaurant
It takes less than 10 minutes to reach the Bergbaiz restaurant from the Brambrüesch top station. Here you will find the first course of your menu: either a salad or the typical Bündner Gerstensuppe soup. There is also a nice children’s playground with a slide and a zip line and a goat pen. Before you head further along the trail towards Pradaschier, you can take a short detour of about 300 meters to the Moor-parcours, a short loop nature trail that starts just below the restaurant, where you can learn about the local peat bog ecosystem.
The main part of the trail
From the Bergbaiz restaurant, walk past the Brambus-Center sports rental shop and turn right after a few meters. The asphalt road starts to climb slightly and soon you will reach the edge of the forest. At the clearing, you pass the Edelweisshütte mountain hut and continue on the path further uphill, which soon leads into the forest again.
Shortly afterward, the asphalt road ends and you will now follow a hiking trail that continues to the left towards Pradaschier. The path soon turns into a narrow path – it is not difficult, it follows the contour and you enjoy the views of the Lenzerheide massif (if the clouds are not chasing you 🙂 )
Erlebnisberg Pradaschier
Soon you will reach the top of the Alp Pradaschier, from where it is only a short walk to the Pradaschier Restaurant. Erlebnisberg Pradaschier translates as experience mountain and is rightly proud of this name. Here you will find a rope park and the longest toboggan run in Switzerland. But first, you need to refresh yourself in the Pradaschier restaurant, where we enjoy another specialty of the canton of Graubünden – capuns. These are pieces of dried meat (e.g. Bündnerfleisch, Landjäger, and/or Salsiz) coated in batter and wrapped in chard leaves, and served in a cheese and cream sauce.
The longest toboggan run in Switzerland
After a very filling meal, a toboggan run adventure awaits us. With its 3100 meters and 31 turns, it’s quite a ride! Safe, of course! The bob goes on a rail and you have to be fastened in your seatbelt for the whole ride. You control the speed of your bob with the lever brake, but the more adventurous among you can go at speeds of up to 40 km/h. The ride takes 7 and 10 minutes and is a nice adrenaline rush 🙂 The less adventurous can take the chairlift down to the valley (the fare is the same as one ride on the bobsled included in the price of the culinary tour).
Restaurant Portal
From the valley station of the Pradaschier chairlift, where the toboggan run ends, it’s just a few steps to Restaurant Portal, where you can enjoy a dessert at the end of your culinary hike. We can only recommend the Coupe Dänemark ice cream sundae here. A 0.3 dl soft drink or coffee is also included.
Summary
- The trail is 6.5 km long and not suitable for strollers.
- At first glance, the price for a culinary hike will seem high to some, but trust me, it’s really worth it.
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