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Voykit pocket guide · Switzerland
Chur
Stay one night in Chur: old town in the evening, then the Albula line or a Brambrüesch walk next morning if the lift is running. Two nights only for an Arosa or Lenzerheide day.
Chur is the rail gateway to Graubünden: the junction where SBB mainline trains from Zurich meet the RhB narrow-gauge lines to Davos, St. Moritz and Arosa, plus PostBus routes into the side valleys. The car-free old town is small enough to walk in two hours, so most travellers use it as a night between Zurich and the mountains rather than a destination. Add a second night only for a mountain day on Brambrüesch, Arosa or Lenzerheide.
- Country
- Switzerland
- Best months
- Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- Avoid
- Nov (quiet, lifts closed), late Oct–early Dec
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CHF
- Money
- Currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere; euros are sometimes taken with change in francs.
- Daily spend
- Budget CHF 90–130 excl. bed · Mid CHF 150–230 excl. bed · High CHF 250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt sell prepaid SIMs (ID needed); Swisscom covers the most mountain terrain.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Ambulance 144 · Fire 118 · European emergency 112 · Rega air rescue 1414
- Plugs
- Types J, C · 230 V · 50 Hz · Swiss three-pin sockets are recessed: thin two-pin (type C) plugs fit, but thick German Schuko plugs do not — bring a Swiss adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Service included; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.; Café or bar: Round up.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel: Optional; CHF 2–5 for porters.; Mountain guide: CHF 20–50 for a day, optional.
- Water
- Tap and fountain water is excellent. Restaurants usually charge for bottled water; ask for 'Hahnenwasser' / 'eau du robinet'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost CHF 1–2; restaurants and department stores are free for customers.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | CHF 4–6 |
| Plate of Capuns or a bowl of soup | CHF 18–28 |
| Main course in an old-town restaurant | CHF 28–45 |
| Beer, 0.5 l draught / supermarket can | CHF 7–9 / CHF 2–3 |
| Supermarket sandwich or picnic lunch | CHF 8–14 |
| City bus single ride | CHF 3–4 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | CHF 15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ZRH · Zurich Airport
- Direct SBB trains to Chur, about 1 h 50 min; no change needed.
Typical fares
- Zurich Airport → Chur, SBB
- about CHF 40, about 1 h 50 min (check)
- Chur → Arosa, RhB
- about CHF 15–20, about 1 h (check)
- Chur → St. Moritz, RhB via Albula
- about CHF 40–50, about 2 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk. The old town is car-free and the station to cathedral is about 10 minutes on foot. City buses run five routes; buy a single ticket or a day pass from the machine. Trains reach Chur West and Chur Wiesental, and the Brambrüesch cable car base is a short bus or 20-minute walk from the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Old town and cathedral
- Brambrüesch cable car
- Rail hub for Graubünden
- Bündnerfleisch and Capuns
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Arosa | RhB train from Chur, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Lenzerheide | PostBus from Chur station via Churwalden, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| Davos | RhB train from Chur, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 40 min |
| St. Moritz | RhB via the Albula line, about 2 h | About 2 h 15 min |
| Klosters | RhB from Chur with a change at Landquart, about 1 h 15 min total | About 1 h 30 min |
| Tujetsch | RhB to Disentis, then bus or train onward | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Old town (Altstadt)
- Car-free lanes, cathedral and restaurants on foot; quiet at night, few beds.
- Bahnhofstrasse and station area
- Shops, supermarkets and the platform for early trains; 5–10 min walk to the old town.
- Welschdörfli
- Bars and the hostel strip south of the centre; noisier on weekends.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | GrüeziGRUE-tsi |
| Thank you | Merci vilmalMER-si feel-mol |
| Excuse me | Exgüsiex-GUE-si |
| How much is it? | Was kostet das?vas KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Cha ich mit Karte zahle?kha ikh mit KAR-te TSA-le |
| Where is the station? | Wo isch de Bahnhof?vo ish de BAHN-hof |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; three cheek kisses among friends; avoid: Skipping the greeting in shops
- Punctuality: Be exactly on time; avoid: Running for the train expecting it to wait
- Language: Greet in the local language, then ask for English; avoid: Speaking German in Geneva as a default
- Quiet: Low voices in trains; quiet carriages are marked; avoid: Speakerphone calls
- Money: Keep financial talk discreet; avoid: Asking people's salaries
- Recycling: Separate PET, glass and cans; avoid: Leaving rubbish in hotel or flat bins unsorted
Scams and watch-outs
- Shops close on Sunday; buy food on Saturday.
- Old-town lanes are cobbled and steep in places: wheeled bags are awkward.
- Brambrüesch and mountain lifts close for maintenance outside season: check before you go up.
- Card is accepted almost everywhere, but small bakeries and market stalls may be cash only.
Chur is a low-risk town; the real issues are winter ice on old-town steps, fast e-bikes on the riverside path, and mountain weather that turns above the tree line.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Chur yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old town and cathedral
- Brambrüesch cable car
- Rail hub for Graubünden
- Bündnerfleisch and Capuns
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Chur Tourism: www.churtourismus.ch/
- SBB — Swiss Federal Railways: www.sbb.ch/en
- Rhätische Bahn (RhB): www.rhb.ch/en
- Zurich Airport: www.zurich-airport.com/
- Wikivoyage: Chur, revision 5241776 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241776
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Chur
Bitte uf die Adrässe
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Chur; the US and UK embassies are in Bern, most consulates-general in Zurich.
Swiss German here is the Graubünden dialect; standard German is understood everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/chur). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.