Cycling in Switzerland
Graubünden Route
Stage 5, Thusis–Splügen
rotate your device for slideshow
Graubünden Route
Stage 5, Thusis–Splügen
A 300-meter chasm: that’s Via Mala, once the most dreadful gorge in Rhaetia. The floating mythical creatures in the famous church of Zillis are delightful, and in the Walser village of Splügen it is the stately houses of stone and wood that make you look twice.
In Thusis, at the table where the locals meet, the subject of wolf and bear seems to be an irritant. Like crocodiles in Lake Zurich, some say. But the masterpiece of the Rhaetian Railways seems to please everyone. No wonder. After all, the Albula and Bernina route has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The legendary Via Mala Gorge is another marvel. Especially the lowest part, the so-called Lost Hole, is wild and untamed. It was impassable until the road was built in 1822. The visitor’s centre is at the heart of the gorge. Precisely 359 steps lead down from here to the Posterior Rhine. For safety reasons, the Via Mala, which means Bad Path, is closed in winter. Bike riders interested in gorges, sophisticated safety tunnels and strongholds get their money’s worth. It all appears a little antiquated, similar to the Schöllenen Gorge in Uri.
But the area on the Posterior Rhine has more to offer: there is lovely Val Schons, for example. A stop at St. Martin’s Church in Zillis is a good idea. It is famous because of its painted, almost completely preserved ceiling from the 12th century. Colourful butterflies are dancing around the bikers as they continue. And then a relaxing soak in the mineral waters of the Andeer resort, amid strontium, magnesium and calcium – what could be more soothing!
Another must-see is the rock gallery at the historic Rofflaschlucht tavern (admission CHF 4): the entrance is inside the restaurant. When the water of the Posterior Rhine is high and thundering through the rocks the power of the water is said to be so strong that the walls in the restaurant are shaking. Sufers is the only village on small Lake Sufner. The dam was completed in 1962. There are peaceful and pleasant spots on the shore of the lake. The views of the water, the village and the Rundhorn (2549 m) are amazing. Once you leave the reservoir, the view opens up to reveal the mountain ridge of the Rhine Forest and pyramid-shaped Pizzo Tambo. From an altitude of 3279 m, it majestically looks down to wonderful Splügen, whose stately wooden houses are covered by heavy slabs of gneiss.
But the area on the Posterior Rhine has more to offer: there is lovely Val Schons, for example. A stop at St. Martin’s Church in Zillis is a good idea. It is famous because of its painted, almost completely preserved ceiling from the 12th century. Colourful butterflies are dancing around the bikers as they continue. And then a relaxing soak in the mineral waters of the Andeer resort, amid strontium, magnesium and calcium – what could be more soothing!
Another must-see is the rock gallery at the historic Rofflaschlucht tavern (admission CHF 4): the entrance is inside the restaurant. When the water of the Posterior Rhine is high and thundering through the rocks the power of the water is said to be so strong that the walls in the restaurant are shaking. Sufers is the only village on small Lake Sufner. The dam was completed in 1962. There are peaceful and pleasant spots on the shore of the lake. The views of the water, the village and the Rundhorn (2549 m) are amazing. Once you leave the reservoir, the view opens up to reveal the mountain ridge of the Rhine Forest and pyramid-shaped Pizzo Tambo. From an altitude of 3279 m, it majestically looks down to wonderful Splügen, whose stately wooden houses are covered by heavy slabs of gneiss.
A 300-meter chasm: that’s Via Mala, once the most dreadful gorge in Rhaetia. The floating mythical creatures in the famous church of Zillis are delightful, and in the Walser village of Splügen it is the stately houses of stone and wood that make you look twice.
In Thusis, at the table where the locals meet, the subject of wolf and bear seems to be an irritant. Like crocodiles in Lake Zurich, some say. But the masterpiece of the Rhaetian Railways seems to please everyone. No wonder. After all, the Albula and Bernina route has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The legendary Via Mala Gorge is another marvel. Especially the lowest part, the so-called Lost Hole, is wild and untamed. It was impassable until the road was built in 1822. The visitor’s centre is at the heart of the gorge. Precisely 359 steps lead down from here to the Posterior Rhine. For safety reasons, the Via Mala, which means Bad Path, is closed in winter. Bike riders interested in gorges, sophisticated safety tunnels and strongholds get their money’s worth. It all appears a little antiquated, similar to the Schöllenen Gorge in Uri.
But the area on the Posterior Rhine has more to offer: there is lovely Val Schons, for example. A stop at St. Martin’s Church in Zillis is a good idea. It is famous because of its painted, almost completely preserved ceiling from the 12th century. Colourful butterflies are dancing around the bikers as they continue. And then a relaxing soak in the mineral waters of the Andeer resort, amid strontium, magnesium and calcium – what could be more soothing!
Another must-see is the rock gallery at the historic Rofflaschlucht tavern (admission CHF 4): the entrance is inside the restaurant. When the water of the Posterior Rhine is high and thundering through the rocks the power of the water is said to be so strong that the walls in the restaurant are shaking. Sufers is the only village on small Lake Sufner. The dam was completed in 1962. There are peaceful and pleasant spots on the shore of the lake. The views of the water, the village and the Rundhorn (2549 m) are amazing. Once you leave the reservoir, the view opens up to reveal the mountain ridge of the Rhine Forest and pyramid-shaped Pizzo Tambo. From an altitude of 3279 m, it majestically looks down to wonderful Splügen, whose stately wooden houses are covered by heavy slabs of gneiss.
But the area on the Posterior Rhine has more to offer: there is lovely Val Schons, for example. A stop at St. Martin’s Church in Zillis is a good idea. It is famous because of its painted, almost completely preserved ceiling from the 12th century. Colourful butterflies are dancing around the bikers as they continue. And then a relaxing soak in the mineral waters of the Andeer resort, amid strontium, magnesium and calcium – what could be more soothing!
Another must-see is the rock gallery at the historic Rofflaschlucht tavern (admission CHF 4): the entrance is inside the restaurant. When the water of the Posterior Rhine is high and thundering through the rocks the power of the water is said to be so strong that the walls in the restaurant are shaking. Sufers is the only village on small Lake Sufner. The dam was completed in 1962. There are peaceful and pleasant spots on the shore of the lake. The views of the water, the village and the Rundhorn (2549 m) are amazing. Once you leave the reservoir, the view opens up to reveal the mountain ridge of the Rhine Forest and pyramid-shaped Pizzo Tambo. From an altitude of 3279 m, it majestically looks down to wonderful Splügen, whose stately wooden houses are covered by heavy slabs of gneiss.
Length
27 km
Roads and trails
Asphalted: 25 km
Natural surface: 2 km
Natural surface: 2 km
Ascent | Descent
950 m | 140 m
Fitness level
difficult
Arrival | return travel
More …
Traffic volume
Beware: busy main road Thusis–Rongellen (dangerous tunnels switch on bike lights)
Hints
Biking in swiss parks
The nature park begins just after the Viamala, the most notorious gorge in the Grisons. It stretches form the Roman Schons (in German Schams) over Piz Beverin to Safiental with its Walser settlements. Shortly after Andeer we leave the nature park.
More
