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The most beautiful landscapes of the Engadine between lakes and glaciers

by | March 29, 2024

Lakes of the Engadine

The High Engadine is a land of lakes. Upon arrival in this region of Switzerland, one discovers large lakes in which the azure hues of the sky and the plant adornments of the mountain slopes are reflected.

That we arrive from the pass of Maloja or from the Julierpass or from the lower valley going up by Samedan, we always come across a lake.

But it is not the same lake. In the Upper Engadine, three lakes follow one another in about fifteen kilometers, each bearing the name of the village located on its banks.

Lake Sils, Lake Silvaplana and Lake St. Moritz.

Three lakes located at the bottom of the valley at an altitude of 1800 metres, different in their style, in their attendance and in the activities offered there.

Sils and one of the Engadine lakes

Coming from the Maloja Pass, Lake Sils is the first lake you come across.

The road winds between the mountain and the northern shore of the lake. Opposite, you can admire beautiful larch forests that gradually give way to pastures and finally to snow-covered peaks. The lake takes up all the space at the bottom of the valley.

Suddenly, almost on the other bank, we see a village gathered around its church, close to a small hill covered with forest. It is Sils Maria.

The village of Sils occupies a small plain between Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana, a bit like Interlaken, but smaller. It is made up of three hamlets, Sils, Sils Baselgia and especially Sils Maria, the best known.

Why is it famous? Because Nietzsche, the German philosopher, spent seven summers there between 1881 and 1888, in a room in the house of the mayor of the town. Today, you can visit this place which has become the Nietzsch Museumand in memory of the philosopher.

He is not the only famous person to have visited the place: Sils has welcomed among the most famous, Mann, Proust, Hesse, Moravia, Cocteau and Abbado. An international cultural hotspot.

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Sils Maria is also the title of a film released in 2014, in which we can still feel the magic that takes place between the art, culture and mountains of this region.

The walk in Sils Maria is very interesting because you find the opulent and solid architecture of the Upper Engadine and the network of alleys necessary to protect yourself from the bad weather. It is very cold here in winter and the snow lasts for several months a year.

A very nice walk starts from Sils and enters the Val Fex, one of the most beautiful Alpine valleys. A charming stream runs through this green valley under the timeless gaze of the glaciers that dominate it. Small hamlets are scattered in this valley away from the larch and Swiss stone pine forests that only cover the mountainside. This valley is car-free, so you can get there by bus and continue on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. The silence and light fill you with happiness.

Silvaplana and its lake

The second large lake that you pass along after Sils is Lake Silvaplana.

The village, a little higher up, overlooks the lake and offers beautiful views of the surrounding landscapes. On the way to Surlej, opposite Silvaplana, on the southern shore of the lake, a small castle, Crap da Sass, in light tones placed on the shores of the lake allows photographers to play with the light of day between very light walls and sometimes dark clouds, especially at sunset.

But Lake Silvaplana, often swept by a very regular wind, is the spot for kite-surfing and windsurfing enthusiasts. A multi-coloured ballet then invades the green surface of the lake. It is a spectacle not to be missed. Several events are organised in the summer: the Engadinwind, the Engadin Surf Marathon and the Optimist Championships.

In winter, you can practice snow-kiting, a relative of kite-surfing which is practiced on the frozen lake.

The hamlet of Surlej is also the starting point of the ski area of Corvatsch, with over 120 km of slopes including the longest night slope in Switzerland. Corvatsch is part of the well-known St Moritz ski area, but is not connected to it.

It was in the woods along Lake Silvaplana that Nietzsche recounts having had the idea of ​​the Eternal Return, this concept which expresses the desire to live the life that one would like to relive eternally.

St Moritz and its lake, pearl of the Engadine

The road finally reaches St Moritz, the ski resort universally known for its refined and worldly character. Chic, luxury and celebrities are found in both the hotels and the boutiques of the village.

But before being a chic and luxurious ski resort, St Moritz is above all a village that has existed for almost nine centuries, as attested by the presence of a church in historical documents. With winter sports and thermalism, mountain tourism has developed since the middle of the 19th century.

St Moritz was the first Swiss town to have electric lighting in 1878, and one of the first resorts, along with Davos, to have a ski lift in the 1930s.

The funniest thing is that Saint Moritz (or Sankt Moritz) received in winter, the off-season in the 19th century, only curling enthusiasts, this sport of skill that is played on ice surfaces. The frozen lake of St Moritz was particularly well suited to this. A local hotelier, who became the symbol of a hotel empire, badrutt, even offered to reimburse its customers in winter if the weather was bad, and offered them skis to have fun in the snow…

The ski resort was taking shape. Today, the ski area is located along the slopes of the Piz Nair above the village. Several ski lifts open in winter and summer allow you to enjoy the magnificent landscapes of the Upper Engadine.

The Bernina Glaciers, a wonder of the Engadine

There is still so much to say about the villages of the Engadine. So let's cross Celerina, Samedan and Pontresina and go to the Val Roseg. A real marvel.

This valley, closed to cars, offers a real communion with Nature.

Dense forests to start the path, on foot, or in a horse-drawn carriage, and then a vast meadow dominated by the Roseg and Sella glaciers, from one of the slopes of the Bernina massif, welcomes you for a picnic or a small snack in a sober building which houses a hotel very sought after in winter for its romantic and isolated side.

The walk can become sporty if you decide to go back up the slopes to enjoy beautiful views or go back down the Corvatsch slope towards Silvaplana. But it is unforgettable.

It is possible to enjoy very beautiful panoramas on The Bernina Glaciers without necessarily getting tired. From St Moritz, you can indeed take the little red Bernina train, stop at the Diavolezza stop and take the cable car to the refuge Berghaus Diavolezza at 2978 meters above sea level. From the terrace of the refuge, in front of an aperitif or a fresh fruit juice you will contemplate the harshness of the high mountains and the beauty of the glacial cirque whose glaciers flow from the peaks of the Bernina massif at over 4000 meters above sea level. 

The Upper Engadine offers a mix of landscapes, culture, historical heritage and sports activities that make it a world apart. This high valley accessible only via passes from Switzerland and Italy, or by going up the entire Inn valley to its source, coming from from Austria, completely landlocked, covered in snow six months a year, is a paradise for mountain enthusiasts even more than ski enthusiasts. Here they stay in a real mountain territory, in which skiing has recently been added.

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