Page 533 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

by postal buses. Once full of sleepy hamlets and
1 Arosa here, you may want to thundering waterfalls.
Framed by the peaks revel in the beauty of the Vals stretches 2km along
of Weisshorn, Hörnli Mario Botta–designed its glittering stream. The
and moraine-streaked Tschuggen Bergoase Spa secret of this chocolate-
(http://en.tschuggen.ch/spa;
box village and its sooth-
Schiesshorn, Arosa is a
great Alpine all-rounder: Tschuggen Grand Hotel; non- ing waters is out since
perfect for downhill and guest morning/evening pass Basel-born architect Peter
cross-country skiing in Sfr65, massage from Sfr80; Zumthor worked architec-
winter, hiking and down- h7am-9pm), an architec- tural magic to transform
tural statement built at
hill biking in summer, Therme Vals (%081 926 89
and heaps of activities the foot of the mountains. 61; www.therme-vals.ch; adult/
for families year-round. The recurring leaf-shaped child Sfr80/52, with Vals guest
Although only 30km motifs throughout the card Sfr45/30; h11am-8pm)
southeast of Chur (Swit- structures look par- into a temple of cutting-
edge cool.
ticularly striking when
zerland’s oldest city), SWITZERLAND 37 THE SwISS ALPS
getting here involves illuminated at night. Using 60,000 slabs of
a series of 365 hairpin 5 p539 local quartzite, Zumthor
bends so challenging that created one of the
Arosa cannot be reached The Drive » The trip from country’s most enchant-
Arosa to Vals takes 79km and ing thermal spas. Aside
1¾ hours. First, head back
\ # from heated indoor and
towards Chur, then take Rte 19 outdoor pools, this grey-
to Ilanz, from where you drive stone labyrinth hides all
a delightful road that passes
# Landquart through Uors and St Martin sorts of watery nooks and
\
/ · before arriving at Vals (1252m). crannies, cleverly lit and
E43
About 2km short of the village, full of cavernous atmos-
Flims- you emerge into Alpine pastures, phere. You can drift away
Laax #Chur / ·
\
28
# \ # \ liberally scattered with chalets in the bath-warm Feuer-
Ilanz and shepherds’ huts. bad (42°C) and perfumed
l
# #
Arosa L Blütenbad, sweat it out
\ # 1
/ · in the steam room and
3
2 Vals cool down in the teeth-
Shadowing the course chattering Eisbad.
/ · of the babbling Glogn
A13
(Glenner) stream south, 4 p539
# Zillis
\
the luxuriantly green The Drive » Take the road
Valsertal (Vals Valley) is back to Ilanz, then continue on
Silvaplana
\ #
Maloggia LINK
\ #
YOUR
Chiavenna TRIP
# \
ITALY # San } Geneva to Zürich 2 The Graceful
Arosa is a two-hour
0 ¸ \ Martino drive southeast (147km) on Italian Lakes
SS36
/ · the A3 from Zürich, the end A scenic two-hour drive
S38
(143km) across the Simplon
\ #
# Gravedona point of this bucolic ramble Pass into Italy gets you to
\
Morbegno
between Switzerland’s Stresa in the glorious Lake
Lake
Como biggest cities. Maggiore region.
Parco
Regionale
# \ # Vezio Bergamasche
\
F G # Pasturo # Lenna 531
2
\
\
\ #