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Davos hidden non-athletic gems

Posted by (Seattle, WA) on

In mid-September, my husband and I will be in Davos for three nights at the Alpine Inn. This will be stop number 3 of 6 on a three week Germany/Austria/Switzerland trip.

So here’s the thing - we are not going there for outdoor activities (or an economic forum), we’re going for art. We love German expressionist art and the Kirchner Museum in Davos has it.

We are in good (enough) shape : ) but not athletic-minded at all so not looking to mountain bike, swim, paraglide, summer toboggan or sail. An easy hike sounds enjoyable.

Although I’ve combed numerous guide books and this forum‘s archives, I haven’t found more than some very basic info, at most a paragraph or two about skiing, day hikes and the World Economic Forum. I’ve checked the Davos and other Swiss tourism websites and as expected the emphasis is on outdoor activities.

We plan on a funicular ride or two and some easy hikes. I think that we will take advantage of the opportunity to rest and just be in a beautiful place on this stop in our otherwise busy itinerary. But, just in case I’ve missed something in my research, I thought I’d ask if anyone has any non-athletic ideas, tips or hidden gems that we don’t want to miss in Davos?

Posted by
383 posts

It involves walking, so maybe still considered somewhat "athletic" :) but as literature fans, we enjoyed doing the Thomas-Mann walk and visiting the alpine botanical garden on Schatzalp. There is also part of the trail "‘Eichhörnliweg" where the local black squirrels will come up and eat out of your hands. https://www.davos.ch/en/discover/mountains/schatzalp-strela
https://www.davos.ch/en/information/portrait-image/storybook/thomas-mann-the-magic-mountain#
There are a couple of small breweries and a show dairy in Davos, but not sure what they offer for individuals, maybe check at the tourist office if interested. And the ever popular cow parades- if you are there on the right date https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-my/experiences/events/alpine-parade-in-klosters-monbiel/
There are some great small art museums in Graubünden, but most are some distance from Davos so may not be practical. If you are into contemporary art, Muzeum Susch might be worth looking into (about an hour from Davos), not sure what the current exhibition is. Within 1 1/2 hours: Segantini museum in St Moritz or Tarasp castle/museum (but tours not always available in English).
Otherwise, just relax and enjoy the scenery!!! Sounds like maybe you could use the break in a long trip anyway!

Posted by
485 posts

You can check out the website for the “Gemeinde Davos” (community/municipality of Davos), they have a page called “Kulturanbieter” (cultural providers). It is all in German, but if you feel like looking at it here is the link.

https://www.gemeindedavos.ch/kultur/42671

They list things like the village museum Wiesen

https://www.museums.ch/org/de/Dorfmuseum-Wiesen

Heimat Museum Davos

https://www.heimatmuseum-davos.ch

And a link to the cultural calendar

https://www.kulturallianz.ch/de

To find other museums in Graubünden, you can look at the museum finder and see if there is anything interesting in the greater area.

https://www.museums.ch/en/museums/museum-finder/search-results.html

I don't know if you will find anything on these sites that you don't already know about, but it could be worth a try.

Posted by
330 posts

I posted last night before I went to bed and woke up to two lovely replies full of ideas! Hopper18 and Maureen, thanks for the copious suggestions and links. I’m checking out the links and google translate is working nicely on the ones that are in German only.

A walk in the botanical gardens and feeding squirrels sounds like my speed. : ) The Heimat Museum will be open when we’re there and I’m always up for a local history/interpretive museum.

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