Chur’s old town and cathedral hill, with vineyards and the Calanda range behind.

Where to stay in Chur

Stay in Chur for Switzerland’s oldest historic centre, a rail hub that puts the Bernina Express, the Glacier Express and the Arosa Line at the same station, and a base for day trips into the rest of Graubünden. Looking for a ski village with lifts at the door instead, sleep in Arosa, an hour away by direct train.

584metres above sea level, at the Bahnhofplatz13,000years of settlement, per the Chur tourist office1 h 15by direct train from Zurich HB

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Chur at a glance

Why Chur

Because Chur pairs a genuinely old centre, settled continuously since the Pfyn culture around 3900 to 3500 BC, with the rail junction for the rest of Graubünden: the Bernina Express, the Glacier Express and the Arosa Line all leave from the same platforms. That combination lets you sleep somewhere with real history and still reach Arosa or the high valleys the next morning without a transfer across town.

Where to sleep

First stay or want the old town at your door: Reichsgasse and the streets around the cathedral hill, traffic-free. Arriving with luggage or catching an early train: Ottostrasse or Welschdorfli, both a few minutes from the platforms. Here on business: Comercialstrasse in City-West, near the Chur-Süd motorway exit.

Watch out

The Chur-Brambrüesch cableway does not run year round: it closes between the winter season, which ends 15 March, and the weekend-only summer season, which starts 2 May, and again between the daily summer season, which ends 25 October, and the next winter opening. If the local mountain is part of your plan, check churbergbahnen.ch before booking a stay in those gaps.

Chur, before you book

Chur presents itself as Switzerland’s oldest town, with evidence of settlement going back some 13,000 years and continuous habitation since the Pfyn culture, around 3900 to 3500 BC. The Roman town of Curia Rhaetorum, founded in 15 BC, later became an important episcopal see, and that layered history is still visible above the old town, where the episcopal court and the cathedral stand on their own hill. You arrive by train: the modern station is central and well connected, the starting point for the Bernina Express, the Glacier Express and the Arosa Line.

The town splits cleanly into three places to sleep. The Altstadt, traffic-free around Reichsgasse and Kupfergasse, sits below the cathedral hill and holds the oldest addresses. A shorter walk from the platforms, Ottostrasse and Welschdorfli form the practical, station-side centre. Further out, Comercialstrasse in City-West lies near the Chur-Süd motorway exit, a business district about five minutes’ drive from the centre rather than a place to base a sightseeing stay.

The hotels themselves range from a four-star house that has served food and wine on Reichsgasse for over 300 years to a three-star address in a building from 1575, both inside the pedestrian old town. By the station, Hotel ABC describes itself as the only four-star hotel right by the platforms, while Hotel Chur sits at the entrance to the old town, eight minutes on foot from the trains. Out in City-West, the Mercure gives Comercialstrasse a business address with meeting rooms for up to 350 people.

The Chur-Brambrüesch cableway reaches 1600 m in 12 minutes from a valley station three minutes by city bus from the train station, running daily from late December to mid-March and again from early June to late October, with weekend-only service in May. The Arosa Line, by contrast, runs all year round, climbing 1000 m over 26 km of tunnels and bridges as it leaves Chur itself like a tram, past the city wall and the Obertor. Allow 1 h 15 by direct train from Zurich HB, or 1 h 01 onward to Arosa.

Summer or winter?

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Summer in Chur

Where to stay this season

Any of the three sectors works in summer, since the old town, the station and City-West all sit a short bus ride from the Brambrüesch valley station, which runs daily from 5 June to 25 October. Base yourself in the old town if the Dreibundenstein circular hike from Brambrüesch, 12.5 km and about 5 h 10, is on your list.

12.5 km

Dreibundenstein circular hike from Brambrüesch

Old Town, Reichsgasse · 4 stars

From

CHF 278/ night

Summer average CHF 325

Romantik Hotel Stern stands at Reichsgasse 11, in the traffic-free old town. A four-star historic hotel with 57 rooms, it has served food and wine from Chur and Graubünden for over 300 years, through its Veltliner Weinstube restaurant and Carigiet Bar.

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Hotel Chur

Station, Welschdorfli

No price collected on our sample dates

Hotel Chur stands at Welschdorfli 2, at the entrance to the old town and only 8 minutes on foot from the train station. It offers guests both free parking and underground parking.

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Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 1 winter dates and 2 summer dates, collected on September 21, 2026. They are indicative, the real price depends on your dates. Hotel facts come from each hotel’s own website. Some hotel links are affiliate links.

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Where to stay, area by area

Old Town, Reichsgasse and the cathedral hill

Traffic-free, around Reichsgasse and the Hof

This is the oldest side of Chur, traffic-free streets below the episcopal court and the cathedral, where Romantik Hotel Stern has served food and wine for over 300 years and the Franziskaner combines a hotel with a regional restaurant. Choose it for the setting and the walk up to the Hof; the station is a few minutes further and City-West a short drive away.

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Near the railway station, Ottostrasse and Welschdorfli

A few minutes from the platforms and the old town gate

The practical side of Chur, built around the station rather than the cathedral view. Hotel ABC calls itself the only four-star hotel right by the platforms, and Hotel Chur stands at the old town gate, eight minutes on foot from the trains. This is the base for arriving with luggage or catching an early connection onward to Arosa or the rest of Graubünden.

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City-West, Comercialstrasse

Near the Chur-Süd motorway exit

Out on Comercialstrasse, near the Chur-Süd motorway exit, the Mercure trades the old town for a business address about five minutes’ drive from the centre, with meeting rooms for up to 350 people. Choose this side for a conference or an early motorway departure, at the cost of the walk into town that the other two sectors give you at the door.

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What to do in Chur

Chur is not short of things to do, but a handful of places give a stay its shape: the local mountain reached by cableway, a historic railway that starts in the streets, a cathedral above the old town, and two restaurants named by the tourist office. These are the ones with figures the operators or the tourist office publish.

Up the mountain

The local mountain and the Arosa Line

Chur-Brambrüesch cableway12 minutes · to 1600 m
In 12 minutes, the cableway takes you from Chur up to 1600 m at Brambrüesch, the local mountain. The valley station is 3 minutes by city bus, lines 10, 11 or 12, from the train station.
Arosa Line (Rhaetian Railway)26 km · 19 tunnels · 41 bridges
Over 26 km the line climbs 1000 m through 19 tunnels and 41 bridges, including the Langwieser viaduct, but it starts as a tram through Chur’s own streets, past the city wall, the Malteser Tower and the Obertor.

On foot

On foot, in town and above it

Chur Old Town walktraffic-free · boutiques, museums, markets
The historic centre is free from traffic, with boutiques, restaurants, bars, museums and galleries, plus regular markets and events. Above it, the episcopal court and the cathedral stand on their own hill.
Dreibundenstein circular hike12.5 km · about 5:10 h · from Brambrüesch
A published circular route of 12.5 km, about 5 h 10, with 588 m of climb and 590 m of descent, starting and finishing at Brambrüesch, reached by the cableway.

Typical here

A cathedral and a Roman town

Cathedral of the Assumptionbuilt 1150 to 1272 · high altar 1492
The current cathedral was built between 1150 and 1272, with a late Gothic high altar by Jakob Russ from 1492. It was completely restored between 2001 and 2007.
Curia Rhaetorumfounded 15 BC · became an episcopal see
The Roman town of Curia Rhaetorum was founded in 15 BC on the site of a settlement already inhabited since the Pfyn culture, and later became an important episcopal see.

Where to eat

Restaurant Hofkellerei ChurHof 1 · room from 1522
Set in an old-gothic drinking room from 1522, right by the episcopal court and cathedral. It reopened after a three-year renovation in late November 2023, and closes Mondays and Tuesdays.
GILDE Restaurant Zunfthaus zur RebleutenPfisterplatz 1 · closed Tue and Wed
In the middle of the old town, with seating in the listed guild hall, in a lounge with fireplace, or on two hidden terraces between the roofs. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Places, hours and figures come from Chur Tourism and the operators named, checked on 16 September 2026. We publish no ratings and no route descriptions: check conditions on the spot before you set off.

Found your area? Check what is still free in Chur.

Prices and availability change daily in the Alps, especially in July, August and over Christmas.

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What runs, month by month

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Chur-Brambrüesch cableway	Open	Open	Partly closed	Closed	Partly closed	Partly closed	Open	Open	Open	Partly closed	Closed	Partly closed
Arosa Line (Rhaetian Railway)	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open

Open

Partly closed

Closed

Chur-Brambrüesch cableway 2025/26: daily 20 December to 15 March, first cabin 08:30, then every 20 minutes from 08:40, last cabin 17:00; weekend-only 2 to 31 May, 08:30 to 16:30 weekdays and 08:30 to 17:00 weekends; daily again 5 June to 25 October, same hours. The Arosa Line runs all year round as a scheduled railway. Checked as a live snapshot on 16 September 2026, source churbergbahnen.ch and chur.graubuenden.ch.

Getting around Chur, in practice

Zurich, Basel and onward to Arosa

Zurich HB reaches Chur directly in 1 h 15, and Basel SBB in 2 h 15 with one change. From Chur, Arosa is a further 1 h 01 direct on the Rhaetian Railway, and the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express both start from the same station.

Reaching the Brambrüesch valley station

The Chur-Brambrüesch cableway’s valley station is 3 minutes from the train station by city bus, lines 10, 11 or 12. For the Chur-Dreibundenstein mountain railways, take line 1 to the Stadthalle stop, or walk about 15 minutes from the station.

A pedestrian old town, not a car-free city

The historic centre around Reichsgasse and Kupfergasse is free from traffic, with boutiques, restaurants, bars, museums and galleries. Chur as a whole is not car-free: it is a transport hub with a station, buses and roads running through it.

No published Swiss Travel Pass coverage

Neither the Rhaetian Railway nor the Chur-Brambrüesch cableway operator states exact Swiss Travel Pass coverage on the pages checked for the Arosa Line or the cableway. Confirm directly on rhb.ch or churbergbahnen.ch before assuming a discount.

Driving on from Chur? Compare rental prices and check the vignette, the winter rules and the passes before you book.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Chur’s old town car-free?

The historic centre around Reichsgasse and Kupfergasse is free from traffic, with boutiques, restaurants and museums. Chur as a whole is not car-free, since it is a transport hub with a station, buses and roads, so expect traffic as soon as you step outside the old town gates.

How far is Chur from Zurich?

Chur is 1 h 15 from Zurich HB by direct train. That makes it a realistic day trip from Zurich, or an easy first or last night before continuing on to Arosa or the rest of Graubünden.

Can I ride a historic railway straight from the town centre?

Yes, the Arosa Line starts as a tram through the streets of Chur itself, past the city wall, the Malteser Tower and the Obertor, before climbing 1000 m into the mountains over 26 km. The direct ride to Arosa takes about 1 h 01.

How old is Chur really?

The tourist office cites evidence of settlement going back some 13,000 years, with continuous habitation since the Pfyn culture around 3900 to 3500 BC, and the Roman town of Curia Rhaetorum founded in 15 BC. That depth of history is why the tourist office markets Chur as Switzerland’s oldest town.

How do I get up to Brambrüesch, the local mountain?

Take a city bus, lines 10, 11 or 12, from Chur station to the Brambrüesch cableway valley station, a 3-minute ride, then the cableway itself reaches 1600 m in 12 minutes. It runs daily from 20 December to 15 March and again from 5 June to 25 October, with weekend-only service in May.