Rhine River • Hike thru “Swiss Grand Canyon”

This path follows the Rhine river through the Rheinschlucht, nicknamed the “Swiss Grand Canyon.” The limestone walls lining the gorge have lots of interesting craggy rock formations. We loved walking close to the water and didn’t mind the brief climb to get a beautiful bird’s eye view of the gorge.

But maybe my favorite part was riding in a vintage open-air train car to reach the start of the hike (more about that below). You can cut the hike shorter and even just stop for a picnic on the riverbank before hopping back on the train. 

Trail overview

This one-way trail is along the Rhine river in southeastern Switzerland. The full Rhine Gorge trail is between Ilanz (1) and Reichenau (6). 

We suggest starting in Chur (1) and riding the train to Castrisch (3). Then hike to Versam-Safien (5) and ride the train back to Chur. Plan for about 4-5 hours including the train and walking time.

Hiking map

The suggested route below starts at the Castrisch train station and follows the trail on south side of the Rhein river until the Versam Safien train station. This hike took us about 3h30 walking with kids and taking breaks.

Shorter version:

Since there are multiple train stations along the trail, you can easily do a shorter distance. We suggest the section from Castrisch to Valendas (4.3 km, about 1h15) because more it is next to the water.

The second half from Valendas to Versam-Safien has more interesting limestone cliffs and rock formations, but is more difficult because you have to climb up the mountain near the end of this section.

Longer version:

The full Rhine Gorge trail is from Illanz to Reichenau-Tamins, a distance of 21.2 km. See trail map.

Loop

If you prefer to skip the train (to save money or hassle with the train timetables), you can do a loop starting in Ilanz on the “Auenweg” trail. It’s 16.7 km and takes about 5h. See trail map.

See more about Rheinschlucht and download a trail map of the whole area, with many more trail options.

How to get there

This trail is located in southeast Switzerland near Chur, in the Safiental region. This trail is best accessed by train because it’s a one way trail and road access is limited.

So either by car or train, first get yourself to the Chur train station, then catch a train to Castrisch. These steps are described below.

By car to Chur:

I recommend parking in Chur and taking the train to the start and again at the end back to to Chur. You could hypothetically park closer to the trail, like in Illanz. But if you are coming from eastern Switzerland, this connection makes the most sense.

In Chur, park at the SBB P+Rail parking garage at the train station Gürtelstrasse 48, 7000 Chur. It costs CHF 1.50/hr if you pay with coins. If you pay with a card, it’s a minimum of CHF 9 for 6 hrs. I paid using the SBB P+Rail Parking mobile app (iOS and Android), which allows you to add more time with your phone if you find you will be late.

By public transport to Chur:

Take a train to Chur main station. Then switch to a regional train to Castrisch as described below.

Train from Chur to trail head at Castrisch

From Chur Bahnhof, catch a train to Castrisch which leaves hourly. It’s a 31 mins ride. The train does not automatically stop at Castrisch (unless you are on the open-air train described below). You have to request a stop by informing the person who takes your ticket.

I recommend taking the vintage open-air train, aka Erlebniszug Rhätische Bahn, which runs only on weekends from end of April through end of October. It takes a bit longer than the regular train because it stops more frequently. 

You can use a regular train ticket for the journey. Or you can purchase a Rhine Gorge Ticket, which is a day pass for the region, which includes this train and local buses in the area. 

Train back to Chur from Versam-Safien:

The trail described here ends at Versam where you can catch the train back to Chur. In 2021, the regular train leaves Versam-Safien on the xx:38. If you want to ride the open-air train, it leaves Versam-Safien to Chur at 12:02, 14:48 and 16:17.

Sample schedule

In Chur, catch the 10:42 open-air train and arrive in Castrisch at 11:20. Hike about 3 hrs to Versam and catch the 14:48 open-air train back to Chur.

Photo Story

Riding the open-air train from Chur

In Chur, we boarded the vintage train, choosing to sit in the open-air car as shown below. I recommend sitting in open-air section near the indoor car, so you can switch if you get too cold or tire of the loudness. You cannot move between cars while the train is moving. So you’ll have to do that at one of the stops.

I absolutely loved the open-air train ride! I found it gorgeous and exciting, especially when going through the dark tunnels. My boys hated it. They thought it was loud, cold and windy. There were other families with small children on the train that didn’t seem to mind the noise. So you’ll have to decide what is best for your crew. 

Some beautiful views of the gorge from the train. 

Mountains everywhere.

Even if you choose not to hike, the views from the train are worth a day trip down here.

Starting the trail in Castrich

We got off the train at Castrich, about a 45 min ride from Chur. You could ride one more stop to Illanz and add 2 km to your hike.

From the Castrisch station, walk east and follow the path that leads under the train tracks.

Here’s the regular train passing us.

Mural in the tunnel under the tracks.

Starting the trail parallel to the tracks for a bit.

The trail turns left heading down to the river. Near the water there is a picnic area with a grill, wood, tables and a toilet.

The path is often in the forest, separated by trees from the water. I guess bikes are allowed on this path because a lot of them passed us. So watch out!

Lots of opportunities to step off the trail and wander along the water’s edge. Take your time and enjoy it.

The path is lumpy with some wooden walkways and bridges here and there. No strollers.

I loved these sections right on the water.

Passing through Valendas

Already to the half-way point at Valendas, where you’ll find a train station. Lots of people on our train got off here. We were the only ones that got off at Castrisch.

You can see the Valendas train station on your right.

View back down the river from Valendas. Lots of kayakers on this river.

Continuing to Versam

Now follow signs to Versam-Safien, starting along the train tracks.

After you leave the tracks, you reach this long pebble beach where we had our picnic.

This is a fun to explore the river bank. Lots of groups were picnicking here.

Lots of beautiful formations in the limestone walls here.

Uphill climb

Cross the bridge over a river that joins the Rhein here. 

Right after the bridge, follow signs to the left going through this tunnel. You now have an uphill climb into the hills above the river, about 2 km until you get back to the water. Don’t worry, the views are nice from above.

On this part of the trail, there are a few educational signboards with a couple activities.

At this fork, we followed the official trail up the mountain to the right, as indicated with the trail signs and markers. Some hikers followed the private road straight ahead, skipping the climb. I suggest the official trail.

View from the top of the climb. You can see that private road below.

Much appreciated shade on this hot day.

Another picnic area with a grill, wood and table.

Heading down to the river again, passing a very interesting limestone area on the right.

My pictures don’t capture the feeling at all. The shapes in the stone walls were so interesting, I felt like these should be a national treasure. But it’s just one of the many pretty things along this trail.

Looking back along this cool section of the trail.

Entering the most dramatic part of the gorge.

Absolutely gorgeous as you arrive in Versam-Safien.

Ending the trail in Versam-Safien

Our trail ends at the Versam-Safien train station shown here. There is an info office that keeps irregular hours and sells ice cream if they happen to be open. In the waiting room, there is a self-serve cooler with drinks and shelf with hand-made cakes and snacks – drop cash in the cash box. There’s also a free toilet. 

If you have to wait a long time for your train, I recommend a short walk down to the river, where you’ll find a nice stretch of riverbank to enjoy the gorge a little longer before you leave.

No camping allowed here, but it would be a perfect spot for it.

That’s all for now. If you do this hike, come back and leave a comment to let me know how you liked it.

Also in this region: This walk is not far from the source of the Rhein river at Lai da Tuma, another beautiful hike you should definitely put on your list.

See more river walks in Switzerland