Your typical day starts with a delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel - a feast of freshly baked bread and croissants, local meats and cheeses, cereal, fruit, eggs, coffee and freshly squeezed juice - which gives you the energy needed for the day ahead. Before setting out on your hike, visit a bakery and market for lunch supplies, or bring some money for a stop in one of the alpine restaurants along your route. Soon, you'll be out on the trail for 6-8 hours, with many hiking options to choose from.

You should finish your hike around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax, perhaps settle into the pool, or just gaze upon the outside panorama from your room balcony. After that, you'll enjoy dinner at your hotel restaurant. These are multi-course feasts, often centered on local specialties like bratwurst, rösti, or cheese fondue, but may also feature chicken, fish, or other continental specialties. Our hotels all serve fabulous food, and dinners will be hearty, filling, well-earned and very delicious.

You'll have many hikes to choose from, but here are some of our favorites:

With charming villages, lofty trails, and flexible hikes, the Engadine tour is an excellent introduction to one of the world's greatest hiking areas.

Day 1 Arrive in Switzerland, and transfer by train to Guarda. There is a train station in the Zurich airport, and transferring to Guarda will be an easy introduction to Switzerland. The trip itself is incredibly scenic, and takes about 3 hours from Zurich. Perhaps you'll arrive a few days early, with time to take the famous Glacier Express between Zermatt and the Engadine valley. After you arrive, take a short walk through town, enjoy the crisp mountain air, and settle in for dinner at your lovely hotel.
Day 2 There are a number of lovely hikes in the area, including an energetic climb to the rugged mountain views of the upper Tuoi valley. Here you can visit a small alpine hut, delight in the myriad wildflowers, and enjoy dramatic views of the local peak, Piz Buin. The nearby village of Scuol is also a noted spa resort, and makes a great rainy day destination.
Day 3 In the morning, transfer by train to the small, lakeside village of Sils Maria. The hiking in this region is amazingly varied, and you might enjoy a mellow lakeside walk to the Maloja pass, followed by a short climb up to a pretty alpine lake. We'll stay in a very friendly 3-star hotel in Sils Maria.
Day 4 Starting your inn-to-inn hike, a steep climb brings you to the high Fuorcla Surlej pass, ringed by breathtaking views of the glacier-draped Piz Bernina massif. Continue on to the back of the valley to Coaz hut for a remote and memorable night high in the Alps.
Day 5 A gentle, forested descent through the Roseg valley leads to Pontresina, a pretty and low-key village that will be your base for the final two nights. In the evening, enjoy the luxurious pool and spa at our fantastic 3-star hotel.
Day 6 One of our favorite hikes anywhere is the panoramic Muragl traverse above Pontresina. Boasting quiet wooded stretches, abundant wildlife, and surprising views of the giant Piz Bernina and the paternoster lakes of St. Moritz, this hike makes a fitting finale to a wonderful week.
Day 7 Today you say adieu, and depart for your post-tour destinations.

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Our self-guided prices are per person, based on two people sharing a standard double room. This tour includes 5 nights prepaid hotels in Guarda, Sils Maria, and Pontresina, breakfast and dinner each day, reservations for a night and meals at Coaz hut, a Transfer Ticket railpass for 2 free days of rail travel, optional luggage transfer from Sils Maria to Pontresina, hiking maps, detailed route descriptions (including longer, shorter, and rainy day options), train schedules, sightseeing suggestions, and lots of useful information to help ensure a successful trip.

Our preferred 3-star hotel in Pontresina is very good, with great food and a wonderful pool and spa, but there is also a very nice 2-star hotel for a more budget tour, or excellent 4-star hotels for a more deluxe finish. Please ask if you're interested. We also offer a self-guided, village-based tour to the same region, our Engadine Dayhikes tour.

Not included are lunches, drinks with dinners, extras (such as laundry, phone calls from the room, etc), the cost of the night or meals at Coaz hut (about CHF 80-100 per person), or transportation not covered by your railpass.

If you'd like to lengthen or shorten this tour, add destinations, or create a customized tour of Switzerland from scratch, let us know. We have extensive experience all over Switzerland, and will be happy to work with you to build the hiking vacation that best suits your needs.

Learn more about custom and self-guided tours