Location: Poschiavo
Top Things to do in Poschiavo
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What to do and see in Poschiavo, Swiss Alps: The Best Nature & Parks
Poschiavo (Italian: Poschiavo, Lombard: Pusciaaf, German: Puschlav, Romansh: Puschlav) is a municipality in the Bernina Region in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland.
Restaurants in Poschiavo
1. Bernina Pass
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 309 reviews
Reviewed By CathyAquilla - Budleigh Salterton, United Kingdom
Despite the day being a bit grey and damp, we boarded the Bernina Express in Chur and were soon passing through beautiful mountain scenery. The journey was very interesting and the views stunning until we got to Alp Grum when the clouds descended and the views were minimal due to the weather. Having said that, we met a young couple from Honduras, Central America, who had not seen snow before, and at Alp Grum the train halted so that we could go into the snow on the platform - snowballs were gently hurled, and we gazed into the gloom to try and see the mountains. The recorded travelogue which was obviously good when the weather was good (Summer and Autumn) said that we would see a beautiful turquoise lake into which a glacier poured - we had to imagine this! Really enjoyed this trip and preferred it to the Glacier Express.
2. Lago Di Saoseo
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 44 reviews
Reviewed By saronic - Zurich, Switzerland
An activity not to be missed, when in Poschiavo, is a hike to the Lago di Saoseo in the side valley Val di Campo. Start is in Sfazú with a restaurant and with a stop of the yellow Swiss postbus between Bernina and Poschiavo. From here a small bus can take one up to the Alp Camp, from where it is only a half hour walk to the lake. Since this is a very popular excursion reservations have to be made in advance for the small bus and when there we saw that it was packed with people. My wife and me though had chosen to hike from Sfazú to the lake and then walk down another way, thus making a loop. For this one has to count with about 4 hours, but naturally some time has to be added spent at the beautiful little mountain lake. En route one passes through meadows, through forests and past mountain huts. Up we went on the Val di Camp river's lefthand side, down - mostly on a small road - on the righthand side. On the way down, with great views of the Palü glacier in front, one will encounter at a spot called Lungacqua the Rifugio Saoseo of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), which also functions as a restaurant. The Lago ('Lagh' in the local Lombardian dialect) is surrounded by forest with plenty of rocks around and mountains at the back. The lake's water is crystal clear and one can well see the bottom, but most special are its colours in varying shades of blue and green, depending on the light. The lake is at an altitude of 2028m, thus almost exactly 400m higher than Sfazú by the main road, the start and end of our hike.
3. Val Viola Pass
4. Gletschergarten Cavaglia
5. Lago di Poschiavo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
Reviewed By gtrkitek2017 - Quezon City, Philippines
All around the lake were mountain and dots of houses in white. The leaves of trees were green turning brown to yellow. Even the snow caps of mountain alps were visible at the distant background that adds beauty to the whole landscape. Very memorable.
6. Marmites des Geants
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 103 reviews
Reviewed By saronic - Zurich, Switzerland
Quite a spectacular natural phenomenon are the 'Giant's cauldrons', the glacial potholes near Cavaglia at an altitude of a bit more than 1700m asl. From the railway station of the Rhätische Bahn it is an about 500m walk to get here, but most time will be spent at the 'Giardino dei Ghiacciai', the Glacier Garden, itself. There are several glacial potholes, formed, when most of the Poschiavo valley had been covered by the Palü glacier. Water, gravel and stones under the ice did mill these holes into the bedrock. On one of several information boards - Italian and German only - is explained, why this happened just here. In the 1990's a group of friends decided to free these holes from debris and water, so that the whole sculpture garden can be admired by visitors. The trail goes past many of these 'marmitte dei giganti' with protective railings and information on each numbered pothole about its depth, its diameter and its capacity. Some holes go to a depth of 14m with a capacity of up to 135 cubic meters. A visit of the Glacier Garden is free and possible between May and October. Just below it a new project gets opened with an additional trail through a canyon. The glacial potholes of Cavaglia must be one of the most special geological formations of this type, especially for the sheer number of holes close to each other. In Switzerland many will know the 'Gletschergarten' of Lucerne, but the same phenomenon can also be encountered at Zermatt and Maloja. Elsewhere such 'giant's kettles' are to be seen in Bavaria, Austria, Scandinavia, North America, northern South America (Venezuela, Colombia) and in South Africa (Blyde River).
7. Val Poschiavo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By saronic - Zurich, Switzerland
Some will just travel through the Val di Poschiavo, sitting in one of the red passenger cars of the Bernina Express on the way from St.Moritz to Tirano in Italy's Valtellina. This already is quite a spectacular experience with views of glaciers and lakes and while descending from 2300m to about 400m asl with an ever changing vegetation and scenery. As good as this trip is, a lot will be missed, since the Poschiavo valley offers a lot more to visitors and if possible it makes sense to spend a few days in the pretty little town of Poschiavo with its already quite Italian character. The about 25km long Val di Poschiavo is one of four Italian speaking regions (besides Mesolcino, Calanca and Bregaglia valleys) of the canton of Graubünden (Grisons), although in fact an alpine form of the Lombardian dialect is spoken. The quite unique character of this valley can also be found in its cuisine, which is different from the rest of Switzerland. Very typical for example are dishes based on buckwheat, like Pizzoccheri, Sciatt or Crespelle. What we especially liked here were the wonderful hiking opportunities like going from the Bernina pass and its Lago Bianco towards Sassal Mason with its 'Crotti', these unique for this area stone huts for food and wine storage. From here one can continue to Alp Grüm railway station or - as we did - past the Lago di Palü with views of the glacier of that name to Cavaglia with its Glacier Garden. Superb hikes can also be done in the Val di Poschiavo's biggest side valley Val di Camp towards the green-blue waters of Lake Saoseo or around the Lago di Poschiavo further south. For the culturally interested there are museums, churches and the Spanish quarter to be visited in Poschiavo.
