Versam -- Tiny Graubunden Village

Why don't you take a train/bus to Versam (http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en)? I don't know about road conditions in winter. As I remember it was quite an isolated road to Versam. To find out more about road conditions I would call the tourist office in Versam (Versam / Valendas Safiental Tourismus Tel. +41 (0)81 630 60 16 www.safiental.ch, info@safiental.ch).

When you are in Versam go down to the Rhine gorge, which I found impressive (http://en.graubuenden.ch/nature-culture/nature-switzerland/lakes-gorges-the-rhine/rhine-gorge-swiss-grand-canyon.html).

When do you want to go?

Thanks, Aniol. Train does make more sense, and the only reason we'd consider car rental is if we wanted to maneuver the roads within Versam to try to locate my ancestral house which we understand still exists in nearby Arezen. I'm actively researching to see if I can get more information about where the house actually stands, and with luck we'll get more specifics. If the Versam/Arezen area is walkable and not too taxing for our healthy 67 year-old bodies, we'd certainly prefer the train option. I haven't yet got a good sense of the terrain within the Versam area (e.g. from the train station to the town and from there to Arezen. It appears to be close to Versam according to Google map, but is possibly up a steep hill.

As to our travel dates, that is still entirely flexible and we're not limited by anything other than our overall preferences. We'd definitely not travel there in winter, but are leaning to the shoulder seasons of September/October or springtime.

Thank you!

There are busses in each direction every 30 minutes or so, so I don't see the need for a renal car at all...

In springtime and September or October most main roads will be clear.

Trains will have no problem.

I understand you can get to Versam with a combination of train plus bus. Bus do not seem to be very frequent - every two hours or so - but the trip seems doable. The bus goes also to Arezen.

http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2015/90.401.pdf

Thanks you so much for that copy of the fahrplanfelder. It's very reassuring to see there is a bus option even to Arezen. Overall, the non-rental-car option seems to provide the easiest access.

I appreciate all the help you Community members have provided!

A spin-off question regarding the Rhine gorge. Can anybody tell me if there is a manageable walking trail from Versam to the base of the gorge itself, or at least a view from the heights down to the river?

You might try hiring a local driver for a few hours to take you around Versam and the surrounding area.

If you decide to spend the night in Versam you might want to contact the hotel to see if they can arrange a driver for you if the terrain is too challenging. Google Earth might have some clues for you also about the elevation changes. Have you tried Google Images to see if there are pictures of the 2 towns you are interested in seeing? Have a great time on your family quest.

If doing the trip by public transportation, spending a night in Versam would not be a bad idea. If the weather is good it would not matter, but if it is rainy having a base in the village - vs. standing in the rain waiting for the next bus - can save the day.

Also, it looks like a very original thing to do. Chur is a nice little city but not really an unforgettable one.

Kathy, Mona, and Lachera:

You all have gotten me convinced on the best way to go here. I especially like the concept of staying in Versam instead of Chur. After Versam, we could move on to other destinations by traveling back to Chur to hop on the Glacier Express.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

The Rhine is next to the train station "Bahnhof Versam". So you can see the Rhine gorge from below. To admire the canyon from a platform, take the train and Post Bus to Flims Waldhaus and then you have to walk through a forest. Nearby is also the beautiful lake "Caumasee".
Enjoy Switzerland.

Pegmo: a couple notes of warning. I do not know Versam but I have spent some holiday periods in very isolated Swiss localities. As much as I like it, I understand it is not for everybody. I see Versam has 250 residents: this means there will be relatively few things to do. Thinking about it, it could be unforgettable or it could be boring to death. Also consider that in these villages accommodations, while usually spotless clean, are often a little on the basic side. It is up to you to decide.

A note about how the railway works. The Versam station is on the line between Chur and Disentis. I don't know if you will be taking the Glacier Express direction St. Moritz or direction Zermatt. If you are heading direction St. Moritz you can probably board the GE at Reichenau-Tamins without going all the way to Chur. If you are heading direction Zermatt, you take a regional train to Ilanz or Disentis and board the GE there saving some time.

The train line follows one branch of the Rhein river, so the station is lower and distant from the main village. As one of the two hotels is near the station, keep this in mind when making your plans.

Aniol: Thanks very much for the information about the Rhine in relation to the actual village Versam. It looks like a better way to access the actual village and a likely B&B is to take the PostBus which is 100 meters to Gasthaus Rossli. It makes sense to take in a later overlook from above when traveling west from Versam to the Glacier Express.

Lachera: That's a very good point about "attractions" in Versam. My primary reason for visiting is to see the actual village and house of my ancestors which was described quite extensively (including photographs) in a family genealogy written by my late aunt in 1962. It's been a bit of a family tradition to visit Versam, although nobody from more recent generations has done this -- therefore, no up-to-date information. At most I would imagine a 1-day visit, and if it should evolve that wonderful family information and contacts should transpire, I'll just have to come back for another visit in the future!

Thanks to all for your valuable input.

Pegmo, you made me look for Versam on the internet. It looks to belong to a German language and Protestant island in a mainly Rumantsch and Catholic area; it was populated by Walser, a people of German language that can be found scattered all along the Alps; they left the Wallis/Valais canton in 14th century and settled in the highest and more remote villages. Their dialect is separate from the Swiss German dialect.

Versam is a sort of exception as Walser were Catholic but the Versam ones got into a local reform movement and switched to protestantism. What I find fascinating about Switzerland is that every village, even the remotest ones, seems to have its own identity.

Height difference between the train station and Versam is 274m (635 to 909 m above sea level) over 3.7km. Versam looks pretty level but the trip to Arezen might be another story. Arezen extends from around 940 to 1160 meters above sea level. If you want to take a look yourself you can use the wanderland.ch map.

Driving by with the train will most likely yield no line of sight to the town at all. The train travels at the bottom of the valley and the slopes are rather steep.

Also like Aniol said: The north side of the valley is an excellent place to hike. Not too much up and down if you stay on the plateau of Flims and the Caumasee and the viewing platform are worth a visit. If you plan on hiking you might want to aim your vacation more in the direction of september, early october for better temperatures.