Help! Plans for 5 day trip in Graubunden / Engadine area of Switzerland

I suppose eticad wants to visit the scenic village of Guarda and not the desolate railway station some 250 m deeper in the valley

Well, we can agree to disagree neckervd. As I said, I like the Engadine but I do not think it is the picture postcard Switzerland that most visitors expect to see. Also as I said, there is a reason why places that get more tourists get more tourists.

I'm just not convinced that the OP and her/his parents would not find the more touristy places were what they expect to see. Even though asking for somewhat off the main tourist track, I'm not convinced the main tourist track is not exactly what would meet their expectations.

However, all I wanted to do was present alternatives and raise the question of expectations. The OP is of course free to do as s/he wants.

I well recall my parents visiting Switzerland for 5 days and their telling me that the highlight of their trip was Lucerne and Mount Pilatus. Neither of which has ever been a highlight of my own numerous visits to Switzerland. But their interests and mine are not the same. They saw Switzerland through typical tourist eyes. For me it has always been about small villages and hiking/climbing in the mountains.

The OP has never been to Switzerland and the parents 'passed through'. To me that puts them in the first trip to Switzerland category and typical tourists. What the OP thinks s/he wants (off the main tourist track) may be right or may not. I just can't see reccommending the Engadine as a first visit to Switzerland to anyone.

I will add that I do not agree that the places I have mentioned are good for nothing else than seeing hordes of tourists. No one can say the Bernese Oberland is good for nothing but seeing hordes of tourists. That is a statement I think you should retract neckervd.

In my eyes, the glaciers and villages around Piz Bernina are not less Swiss than those around Jungfrau.
Mais les goûts sont différents!
Ascona is a nice place, but very touristy (famous with German tourists). But as eticat wants to proceed to Tirano - St. Moritz, Lugano would be the much better choice (direct buses to Tirano and Chiavenna - St. Moritz). Both Ticino towns are well known all over Europe as tourist resorts with a perfect infrastructure since more than 100 years.

Hello everyone,
Thank you for all of your responses and thoughts on the itinerary.

My parents actually visited Lucerne and did a lake cruise there, they also visited Mt Titlis and did the 'ice flyer' and Engelberg when they passed through Switzerland on a bus tour a few years ago.

I guess I selected the Engadine for this trip because think it looks stunning and that it might offer a slower pace of travel for us to enjoy time together in a beautiful setting rather than rushing from one tourist 'must see' to the next. I think I'll stick with this area.

Things I'm still questioning are:

• My thought on flying into Milan MPX (to get to Tirano to do the Bernina Express to St Moritz) and out of Zurich.
  I've now looked at the train connections from MPX - Milan Central - Tirano - Bernina Express and they'll mean a lot of waiting around. Perhaps it would be better to fly both in and out of Zurich and do the St Moritz - Tirano leg (return)of the Bernina express as a day trip as someone has suggested.

• To hire a car or use public transport.
  It seems that so long as we're not too worried about spending some time in towns in between busses/towns and dont try to fit too much into each day, we'll be ok without a car.
  BUT hiring a car at Zurich airport and driving to the St Moritz area and then returning the car to the airport before flying out would save a lot of time and hassle (3.5hrs drive VS 4hrs train waiting time for connections + train changes) and would mean that we have more flexibility in terms of places we want togo times. Between 4 of us (my partner is coming too) it shouldn't be too uneconomical either.

• To spend all 4 nights in one location in the Engadine or to spend 2 nights in the upper Engadine and 2 nights in the lower Engadine.

Finally, does anyone have any tips on cheesemakers to visit in the area? (My dad is a dairy farmer and cheese maker in Australia so will be keen to sample some wonderful Swiss varieties)

Many thanks in advance!

Fair enough Eticat. I would not split your nights up as you only really have 3 full days and to lose another half day to moving from one hotel to another really isn't necessary.

Car or public transport both have pluses and minuses as you suggest. It's really a personal decision which you prefer. Driving is always the most flexible way to travel as you can stop when and where you wish.

There is a relatively new cheesmaker in Pontresina who demonstrates his craft to visitors. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1005_051005_swisscheese.html

A train ride from Malpensa to Berninapas - St. Moritz would look like this:
Malpensa dp 11.22 - Milano Centrale 12.05/12.20 - Tirano 14.50/15.40 - St. Moritz ar 18.08. If you would travel via Malojapass instead of Berninapass, you would arrive at St. Moritz at 16.51.

If there's 4 of you, it will be much cheaper to rent a car and will also give you a lot more flexibility. Although the public transport system is good, it is a hassle to travel between small towns and villages - especially if you don`t have much time.

Engadin is great, but be aware that it is quite rough. Not as picturesque with green hills like in the Bernese Oberland. My personal recommendation in Engadine would be Scuol: cute town, not overrun with tourists despite the excellent hotels and restaurants, thermal baths.

You can find cheesemakers all over Switzerland, also in Engadine. Google for "Käserei" + name of town.

Thank you.

What do you mean by "the Engadine is quite rough?" Wakey?

I seem to have a number of people telling me that the Bernese Oberland area is more beautiful than the Engadine now which is making me nervous about my selection of the latter area...

Can anyone give me pros and cons of each area so that I can make an informed decision before booking the trip?

I havent been to Switzerland but from my research, it all looks stunning. My wish list includes: stunning mountains, rural settings (traditional cheese makers / villages rather than cities), an iconic train ride (hence thinking the Bernina express), minimal crowds and tourists.

Can anyone give me pros for the Engadin.

Yes Engadin is more scenic than Bernese Oberland when driving with a car, alpine landscape, green, snowy mountains and blue lakes and villages. In St.Moritz you can walk around a small lake in the evening,

on my proposed loop according to your preferences in the opening post you may visit also cheese maker 30 min. after leaving St.Moritz to Berninapass.
It is not possible to miss the singpost "Morterascht" and do the left-turn.
you may also go by train but then it is possible a half day excursion as you have to walk from train station to the hut otherwise it is 5 minutes from car parking lot

Btw I do this loop on a day trip on a motorbike every other year and I have to make 270 km first to St. Moritz and 270 km back to my house but the Engadin-Italian loop is beautiful. You go up to an Italian national park and cross also the Swiss national park.

Eticat, don't worry about your selection. Engadine is stunning and you won't regret it. I just wanted to make you aware of the differences.

The reason I am calling it 'rough' is because it is quite unspoilt, and you will be surrounded by mountains and pine trees. Many houses are made of grey concrete or stone, with beautiful paintings, but not the woodwork type of houses you might expect in Switzerland.

The atmosphere is very different from the Bernese Oberland, which I would rather describe as cute and lovely - Woodwork houses, cows, green hills, blue lakes, snowcapped mountains, i.e. the 'typical Switzerland' in the eyes of tourists.

I have lived in Thun (Bernese Oberland) and spent a lot of holidays in Scuol (Engadine). I still love going to Engadine, it is my favourite place to relax and get away from everything. But most (elderly) foreigners I know are more impressed by the Bernese Oberland, because it is picture perfect and the infrastructure is more tourist-friendly - many attractions, short walkingtrails and cablecars.