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Alpine Traditions

Guarda, a timeless Swiss village

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Alpine Traditions

Located in an idyllic village of cobbled streets and frescoed houses, the centuries-old Hotel Meisser makes a charming base for this self-guided, single-centre walking break. The hospitality at the hotel is wonderful, and there is a choice of walks, including one in Switzerland’s only national park.

Alpine Traditions. 3 nights

Overview
Gallery
Itinerary
Where you stay
Extend your stay
Prices & travel
Reviews
FAQs / Tips

Alpine Traditions. 3 nights

Overview
Gallery
Itinerary
Where you stay
Extend your stay
Prices & travel
Reviews
FAQs / Tips

Holiday information

- Holiday type
  
  Walking
- Grades 2 & 3
  
  Take your pick of our suggested routes, depending on how energetic you're feeling.
  
  Flexible: moderate & challenging options
- Terrain
  
  Meadows, woods, riverside paths
- Nights
  
  3
- Accommodation
  
  3-star superior hotel
- Meals
  
  Breakfast every day, 3 dinners
- Price
  
  From £650pp
- Travel
  
  Connecting transfers included, but not flights. See price panel for details.
- Start
  
  Any day
- When you can travel
  - J
  - F
  - M
  - A
  - M
  - J
  - J
  - A
  - S
  - O
  - N
  - D
  The season for this holiday is:
  01 June - 13 October 2019

A walking holiday in the Engadine

It’s a rare village that can boast of being the setting of an iconic children’s book, but Guarda, in eastern Switzerland’s Engadine Valley, can. With its cobbled streets and ancient stone houses decorated with dainty pastel murals (sgraffito), it’s easy to understand why – you certainly feel as though you are walking through the pages of a fairy tale as you explore the timeless streets.

Indeed, the passage of time has had little impact on the Engadine Valley, and even less so on Guarda, whose inhabitants raised livestock and provided a staging post for traders of salt and cheese. Change has always been slow to arrive here – eastern Switzerland was the last part of the country to allow motor vehicles, and the Romansch language survives to this day. Fittingly, Switzerland’s only national park is just along the valley, sheltering chamois, ibex and marmots, as well as golden eagles, bearded vultures, wolves and lynx, while Guarda has become something of a haven for artists and craftspeople. At the heart of the village, the Hotel Meisser, your base, is completely in harmony with its surroundings, and serves as the perfect get-away. There’s great walking (both moderate and challenging) to be had from the hotel door, but the refined and relaxed atmosphere invites you to slow down and simply appreciate this most traditional of Alpine villages.

Gallery

Village of Guarda

Look out for marmots

The forge in Guarda

Traditional church

A walker's paradise

Walking & more

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.

The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

The best time for flowers is from late May to early July.

Average temperatures and rainfall

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
°C	-2	1	3	6	11	15	19	19	16	11	3	-2
mm	113	96	111	122	132	150	155	162	126	108	124	112

Walking from Guarda

An introduction

An introduction

Guarda is a great base for walking; in addition to the four walks for which we provide notes, Benno and Maya, your hosts, will be happy to recommend other routes. There’s no fixed itinerary, so you can take your pick of the options as the mood takes you.
Suggested walking routes from Guarda

8km to 16.5km

8km to 16.5km

Tuoi valley option: 12km, 4hrs
Head up the Tuoi Valley, ascending some 500 metres so as to gain superb views towards one of the most famous peaks in the area, Piz Buin. You follow the scenic Clozza River then head back through forest and fields to Guarda.

High option: 16.5km, 6hrs; 1000m ascent/descent
This longer option features even more ascent and descent, but rewards with flower-filled meadows, old larch and spruce woods, a panoramic ridge and magnificent views southwards and into Austria.

Lavin option: 8km, 2.5hrs
For a less demanding walk, cross the lower slopes of the Inn Valley to the attractive village of Lavin with its remarkable covered wooden bridge, from where you walk alongside the River Inn and then ascend some 180 metres back up the valley slopes to Guarda.

Trupchen valley: 13km, 3.5hrs; ascent 500m/descent 550m
While the first three routes all start and finish in Guarda, this walk is reached by train. You can then head into the only National Park in Switzerland, walking up one side of a valley and back along the other. The landscape feels very wild, and you may spot wildlife such as red deer, chamois, ibex and golden eagles.

Trupchun Valley and the Swiss National Park
Exploring Guarda

Stroll through the ancient streets

Stroll through the ancient streets

As good as the walking is, it is well worth devoting at least half a day to exploring Guarda. Unlike many Swiss villages, the houses here are made of stone, not wood, with large, arched doorways, deep-set windows, and façades decorated with sgraffito (designs scratched into a layer of slaked lime). In much the same way that you can get audio tours of places of interest that let you explore at your own pace, there is an app that you can download onto your phone (or borrow a tablet from your hosts) which guides you around the village’s cobbled streets, pausing at points along the way to give insights in English into Guarda’s history. The hotel can also lend you a book (again in English) which interprets each house’s sgraffito designs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the tranquil, idyllic setting, a variety of artists and craftspeople have chosen to settle in Guarda, including a blacksmith, a potter, a lady who paints on silk scarves, and a woodcarver. You can see examples of their work as you walk around the village, and you may be able to watch some of them at work. (Only the blacksmith, who specialises in making knives, speaks English, although most of the others speak some French.)

Further afield
To ring the changes, you might like to take advantage of the railway that runs along the valley to explore further afield (pay locally). Zuoz is another village typical of the Engadine which will seduce you with its old-world charm, while Scuol’s main draw is its spa complex, complete with steam baths, saunas, swimming pools and a variety of treatments.

Accommodation

You stay in a high-quality hotel of great character located in one of Switzerland's most beautiful villages. Near the hotel you will find a small handful of shops and cafés.

Hotel Meisser

3-star superior

This hotel is a little gem; situated in the centre of the pretty Engadine village of Guarda, the hotel has been owned by the Meisser family since the late 19th century and is today run by the great-great grandson of the original owners. The beautifully furnished bedrooms are all decorated to a very high standard, whilst the public rooms retain much of the charm from the hotel’s beginnings as a farm; the restaurant is the former hay barn, although this is hard to believe now! There is plenty of space to relax in the hotel’s gardens overlooking the valley or in the small lounge.

Meal arrangements: dinner & breakfast
Facilities
- Library-cum-lounge with an open fire
- Lift
- Wi-fi

Bedrooms

Included option

Standard room

Bright, airy and furnished to a very high standard, in a style that reflects the building’s history, the bedrooms look across the village towards the mountains. They have either a shower or bath, and are equipped with bathrobes, a hairdryer, safe and radio, but no TV.

Upgrade option

Room with balcony

These rooms are similarly bright and airy, furnished in light Alpine pine, with wooden floors and walls and the same facilities as the standard rooms. Their big attraction is the balcony, from which you can enjoy superb views of the valley.

Upgrade option

Suite

The hotel has five exquisite suites: three located in La Chasa Pepina across the road from the hotel, where you'll also find the 'Penthouse', which is full of antique charm, plus the Piz Pisoc suite in the main building, which is more modern in style.

Extend your stay

City Add-On

Zürich City Add-On

The city of a thousand fountains

2 nights, from £246pp

With graceful architecture, numerous museums and an enviable lakeside location, Switzerland’s largest city has a wide appeal and makes a great add-on.

Walking

Villages of the Engadine

Engadine Valley – discover Switzerland’s most idyllic villages

7 nights, from £1195pp

Discover an idyllic valley where picturesque villages of traditional stone houses cluster in flower-filled meadows beneath towering snow-capped peaks.

Walking

Walking & Wildflowers in the Engadine

The Engadine - Switzerland's 'secret' valley

7 nights, from £1135pp

Splendid Alpine scenery; an intimate hotel in an idyllic village; well-crafted cuisine; three guided walks... Here are all the ingredients for an enjoyable week.

Prices & travel options

All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter.

Currency converter

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NB: this should be used as a guide only. Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in significant variation by the time you come to pay.

Prices (£ per person based on 2 sharing)

Walk price

3 nights: 01 June - 13 October 2019

Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

Starting	Price	Single room
1 June - 10 October	£650	£75
3rd & 4th person discount	£0
Single traveller supplement	£0

Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

Included travel: return rail/bus from any Swiss airport, a Swiss Half-Fare Card is also included, providing you with half price tickets for trains, bus and boat journeys and up to 50% reduction on private railways and cable cars.

Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

Room upgrades & extra nights

Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

Hotel Meisser
Balcony: 01 Jun - 13 Oct 2019	£20

Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

Hotel Meisser (with dinner)	Double room	Single room
01 Jun - 13 Oct 2019	£142	£162

Flight options

RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
Zürich

Travelling from the UK

Travelling from outside the UK

If you are flying from outside Europe, we recommend flying via Zürich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

Outward route	Airline
Aberdeen - Zurich (via Frankfurt)	Lufthansa
Aberdeen - Zurich (via Paris)	Air France

Outward route	Airline
Birmingham - Zurich	Swiss

Outward route	Airline
Bristol - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol)	KLM

Outward route	Airline
Edinburgh - Zurich	Swiss

Outward route	Airline
Leeds Bradford - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol)	KLM

Outward route	Airline
London City - Zurich	British Airways, Swiss

Outward route	Airline
Gatwick - Zurich	easyJet, Swiss

Outward route	Airline
Heathrow - Zurich	British Airways, Swiss

Outward route	Airline
Luton - Zurich	easyJet, Vueling

Outward route	Airline
Manchester - Zurich	Swiss
Manchester - Zurich (via Frankfurt)	Lufthansa
Manchester - Zurich (via Munich)	Lufthansa

Outward route	Airline
Newcastle - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol)	KLM
Newcastle - Zurich (via Paris CDG)	Air France

Outward route	Airline
Norwich - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol)	KLM

Travelling from outside the UK

If you are flying from outside Europe, we recommend flying via Zürich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you. We charge £30 per person for our flight booking service (£50 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

Connecting travel

Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

Connecting travel options - flying via Zürich

Outward route	Price per person	Latest flight arrival time
rail Zürich Airport to Guarda station (2h45), postbus Guarda station to village (0h15)	included	1530

Homeward route	Price per person	Earliest flight departure time
hotel transfer or postbus to Guarda station (0h15), rail Guarda to Zürich Airport (2h45)	included	1300

What is included

3 nights
3 dinners
3 breakfasts
route notes and maps
rail to/from any Swiss airport

Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

Mr R Hall

Hereford

07 June 2019

Fantastic wildflower meadows and unusual butterflies. Plenty of walks from Hotel Meisser without the need to use the Postbus. Hotel Meisser offered a superb service.
Ms V Loeb, Cambridge, MA USA

07 October 2018

Although we feared that hiking in mid October might be late and we packed for the possibility of cold and inclement weather, those items remained in our suitcases. It was warm and dry and the lack of blooming wildflowers was offset by the blueberries and other bushes having turned red and orange - stunning! The Hotel Messier is a gem. The staff, particularly Sarah the manager, was welcoming, friendly and extremely helpful. Sitting outside on the terrace after a long hike was the perfect reward. Guarda is a storybook town, frozen in time. Going to sleep with the sound of cowbells in the distance is how you know you're on vacation in Switzerland. The hikes at this altitude were challenging but very well worth the effort. We chose to add a 4th night and were very pleased we did.
Anon

09 August 2018

The Hotel Meisser is an excellent family-run hotel which creates a very welcoming ambience with first class and interesting food. The area around Guarda is lovely with some great opportunities to walk in unspoilt meadows in great peace and tranquillity. We really enjoyed our four days there and plan to return in the future.

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.

How do self-guided walking holidays work?

We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
Can I book my flights through Inntravel, and what’s the advantage of doing this?

We can book a wide range of airlines and routes from the UK. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. For Europe and Morocco, there’s a £30 booking fee per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). For India and Nepal, the booking fee is £50 per person. More information on flights >
Can you book travel arrangements for customers from outside the UK?

We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
I’m travelling alone. Is there anything I need to know?

Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
How do I make a booking?

Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.
Do I need travel insurance?

Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

You don’t have to buy our policy (if you live outside Europe you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK and EU residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.
Do I need a visa or anything health-related for Switzerland?

It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Switzerland, but not a visa (if you are travelling after 31 October 2019, see the Brexit question below for more information). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice can be found through the following NHS link: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/ You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). UK citizens should also obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) by applying at a Post Office or at www.ehic.org.uk. The EHIC allows reciprocal health care but should not be seen as a substitute for travel insurance. EHICs may cease to be valid in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
What else do I need to know about travelling to Switzerland?

The official languages are German, spoken in the majority of the country; French, spoken in the south-west; Italian, spoken in the south-east; and Romansch, mostly limited to the Engadine valley. The currency is the Franc. Swiss time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
How does Brexit affect travel to Europe?

Even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, it’s been confirmed that flights will continue as normal and that you won’t need a visa to go on holiday (the limit on stays is 90 days). What you will need if there’s no deal is a passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival (extra months added because you renewed your passport early do not count) and adequate travel insurance to cover you for accidents and illness in case reciprocal health deals are suspended. If you are driving while on holiday, you will probably need an International Driving Permit (plus a Green Card if you are taking your own car to Europe). More information >
Where can I find general travel advice?

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.
If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.