Eastern Switzerland

Pat around St Moritz, town of Samedan is just a short train ride, less glitzy, but still pretty, with Inn River flowing through. However, would suggest going up the mountain to PONTRESINA for more scenery. You van visit all three in one day. Chur more interesting, but can be seen in one day. Haven't been to Appenzell but understand that the small villages around the the town of Appenzell are more interesting than the town of that name.

Chur or St. Moritz might be best for transportation connections but I'd pick Pontresina for a base. If you like hiking, you can walk between Pontresina and St. Moritz on a well-marked trail in about 2 hours plus there are many other excellent trails from there. From Pontresina, it's an easy train or bus ride into Italy! We were there last October and stayed at Hotel Engadinerhof. With at least a 3 night stay, they provide a free rail pass for the Upper Engadine and Bregalia region that includes cable cars.

I did a scenic train trip in Switz several years back, and I used Chur as a base for the eastern Switz part. Chur itself didn't impress me one way or the other, but I wasn't there for the city. I was there to sleep, in between scenic train rides. I rode from Chur south on the route considered part of the Bernina Express several times, because it's beautiful! The BE itself is simply one of the regular hourly trains on that route. You can take the route like any normal train and hop off and hop on (assuming your ticket(s) allow that; I had a pass that did), and do some very easy hiking along the well-marked walking trails that go right along the tracks in many parts. I walked from one town (stop on the route) to the next, sat a while on a park bench on the trail and watched the little red train coming and going through one of the corkscrew tunnels enroute, and then continued walking, had lunch, hopped the next train, etc., and had a great day!

Pat, here's the rest of my reply, which for some reason I couldn't include in the first part. There are two must-see scenes on that route, IMO: the viaduct you go over, which shows up in many travel brochures and websites, with one of the red trains crossing it, can be viewed by two easy walks from Filisur. One stays up high to a viewpoint about at track level, where you can see trains at track level. The other is a gentle walk down to the stream bed beneath the viaduct, where you can crane your neck and get views UP to the top, from below. If you're a train freak like me, they are both definitely worth the walk. The other is also along the route, further south. It's also popular on websites and brochures. The track makes a 360 degree loop down a slope just south of one of the small town stops. I got off where I knew I was less than a km from the loop, and simply walked along the tracks (listening carefully, of course!) and stood in the middle of the loop a while till the next little red train looped past me. There was another chap taking pictures of it at the same time. Wonderful.

Pat, If you're looking for "outdoor beauty", there's lots around Chur to consider, as shown on Their Website: www.churtourismus.ch/?&L=4 Have a look at the "Summer Activities" section covering nordic hiking and similar activities. The city itself is probably good for a day or two. The town of Appenzell is also good for a day or two, unless you want to stay longer and use it as a "home base" to tour other locations that area (ie: St. Gallen). You might find it interesting to take the Cable Car up to Ebenalp and have a look at the Wildkirchli. As I recall, local music concerts are featured in Appenzell on Thursday nights. Some of them are really good! THIS BAND was playing the last time I was in Appenzell, and I quite enjoyed their performance. Be sure to brush-up on your German before travelling in that area! Happy travels!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and comments. We appreciate it.