Switzerland is probably the happiest country in the world if you ask a true train enthusiast. And the winding rail up to the Engadin valley in the canton of Graubünden will not disappoint anyone who loves dramatic views and tranquil environments. So this autumn, the red train carriages of the Bernina Line meander gracefully over splashes of color of inviting meadows and pointed church towers – all in a vast part of Switzerland that is also the least populated.

A long valley in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland. Famous for its beautiful landscape, glaciers and deep valleys, and because winter tourism was born here in St. Moritz in the 1860s. The old villages are located at around 1,800 meters above sea level.

Around the original villages of Silvaplana, Celerina and Pontresina in the region of Maloja, life is also very long lived, even though the whole trio with their rustic stone houses is only a few hundred meters from touching the 2000 meter mark.

La Diagonela, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and the long-distance Engadin Skimarathon, which was run for the first time back in 1969, are arranged in the area. Both are famous cross-country races at very high altitudes that attract skiers from all over the world. Around 13,000 skiers take part in the half-marathon Skimarathon.
More and more Swedes are taking part in La Diagonela, which with its classic style is a bit like a high-altitude version of the Vasaloppet.

The elongated Engadin Valley has 20 miles of trails and is ideal for cross-country skiing. Pontresina is a good base, a superb starting point, not least because it has a large cross-country skiing center and because it is possible to reach three different valleys from here. During a week, you can basically choose new tracks and variations every day, perfect for technique training.

Much of the charm of the Engadin is found in the heights. Skiing 1,800 meters is of course no walk in the park, but after a few days it is a wonderful feeling to feel how both the fitness and the body are strengthened.
Many return thanks to the beauty of nature, but also for the overall experience. You can ride either up on the glacier or down in the valley and have the mountains around you on both sides. You then decide which level you want to put the ride on. Then you slow down together and have lunch in the nearest mountain village. There are plenty of charming, folk villages beyond the luxury hotels.

The meals are of course one of the most important ingredients of the day. The fact that we are in the middle of a central European border country between Switzerland, Italy and Austria shows in the food. The hot and dry Föhn wind gives the air-dried, very thinly sliced bündnerfleisch a nice taste. Another regional dish is capuns: spinach and cheese-filled small delicious pasta balls that cry out for more flavor.
And as the afternoon’s little injection, you end sweetly with a satisfying little nut cake.