Filisur is a ribbon village with many attractive houses in typical Engadine style. The culture in the Upper Albulatal is strongly marked by the Engadine influences that came over the Albulapass with the Reformation at the end of the 16th century. These are seen in the architecture and many traditions as well as other things. The hamlet of Jenisberg, a former Walser settlement on the southeast slope of the Landwassertal valley, also belongs to Filisur.

The construction of the Rhaetian Railway (1898 to 1909) into the Engadine and to Davos transformed Filisur into a regional traffic hub. To the north of the village, the Albula Railway crosses the famous Landwasser viaduct. The 65-metre-high viaduct curves with a 100-metre radius directly into a tunnel.

Another spectacular section with many civil engineering structures is found on the route towards Davos through the rugged and romantic Zügenschlucht (gorge), with the «Bärentritt» passage, a worthwhile detour for hikers and bikers (with signposted educational rock trail, Schmelzboden Mining Museum and appealing churches).

The spectacular Albula Railway with loop tunnels, galleries and viaducts is an engineering masterpiece and ought to be admitted to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Preda - Bergün educational historic railway trail and the Bergün – Filisur educational railway trail follow the line of the track. And in nearby Bergün, an (almost) to scale model railway exhibition fascinates railway fans and children alike.

Filisur is the starting point for excursions in the surrounding area: the Parc Ela offers hikers a wide variety of hiking and theme trails. The Albula and Julier Passes provide bikers with enough challenges on their doorstep. The Filisur open-air swimming pool offers a welcome cool-down session. Winter-sports fans can travel to the nearby winter-sport areas of Bergün (with sledge run), Davos, Savognin and Lenzerheide.