After a memorable train ride through the Bernina Pass we were met at Diavolezza Station by our trusty tour driver, Hermes, and rejoined the coach for the run in to St Moritz (see here and here for the first couple of parts of our day trip). We could just about make out glimpses of the famous Morteratsch Glacier as we sped along the valley road towards St Moritz – a bit too tricky to photograph though!
St Moritz lies in the spectacularly beautiful Upper Engadine Valley (also known as Engadin). The River En/Inn has its source in the Maloya Pass south of St Moritz and from there starts its long journey towards the Danube River and ultimately the Black Sea! We had been lucky enough to spend a couple of days in the region a few years ago (arriving by the Glacier Express from Zermatt in the Valais Canton). Whilst the name St Moritz conjures up images of luxury and opulence with the jet set going there to ski and party, if you go out of season (as we have done both times) it is far quieter and considerably cheaper! The alpine air is crisp and refreshing and there are many walks and mountain trails to enjoy. The locals are proud of their culture – you never know whether someone is going to speak German, Italian or the ancient Romansh language. Further down the valley towards Chur pretty little villages and old castles dot the steep valley slopes.
Old Print Of St Moritz
We only had a couple of hours or so on this occasion so thoughts turned immediately to lunch! There are two main parts to St Moritz – St Moritz Bad down by the lake and higher up St Moritz Dorf (The Village). The latter is where you’ll find many of the restaurants and upmarket hotels taking advantage of the superb mountain and lake views (although the iconic Badrutt’s Palace Hotel can be found lakeside). We had stayed at Steffani Hotel on our first trip to St Moritz and enjoyed some hearty fayre at the excellent restaurant. However with time being of the essence this time we opted to have lunch at Hauser Restaurant. It was recommended by our tour guide, Julia, (see here for day trip details) and therefore we figured they would be used to getting food out quickly and efficiently for hungry tour parties. I should add that apart from the coach and train rides we were free to wander round as we pleased at all the stopping off points – no need to all hang out together unless you want to!
Monsieur thought we should try sitting outside to enjoy the lake views. However it was minus several degrees (at 1822 metres above sea level) and Mlle and I didn’t exactly warm to the idea!
We duly repaired inside to the warmth. Hauser is a 4th generation family run business and the food has a hearty home-made feel to it – just what we needed on an especially cold spring day after a long journey. Warming barley and vegetable soups, the local speciality “roesti” and some tasty local red wine – we tucked in. Hauser is very proud of using local produce and supporting the environment. You can find out more from their place mats!
Paper Place Mats – Hauser Restaurant St Moritz
The restaurant was very busy but it was all in a day’s work for the cheerful staff who served us with admirable Swiss efficiency.
I didn’t realise at the time but Hauser also has an Australian themed bar, “The Roo” where you can enjoy an “apres-ski” drink or take advantage of the sun terrace in warmer months.
After lunch we had a pleasant wander round town. Designer label shops such as Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton mingled with smaller speciality shops and we noticed that many of them were closed. Whether this was because it was a Monday or low season in general (April) we weren’t too sure. However we weren’t too disappointed – apart from the chocolate shop!
We gradually wended our way back down the hill to the station car park – the meeting point for our coach.
We set off again, this time on the road going south out of St Moritz Bad, passing the impressive Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains en route for Silvaplana and the Maloya Pass. The scenery as we drove along the lakes of Silvaplana and Sils was as breathtaking as that of the Bernina Pass earlier in the day – if that were possible. We made our way back towards Italy via the precipitous Maloya Pass – more about that next week!
Copyright © 2016 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
The landscape just looks fabulous ! What a nice sky and what contrast. It didn’t seem particularly warm it sounds so appealing right now. I’ve been baked in flat for a almost a week now and I cannot wait for a good thunderstorm. I’m so desperate.
And the food look very good ! Do they use a lot of cheese in their dishes ?
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Yes the scenery is fabulous – so lovely being up in the mountains! Yes the Swiss definitely use a lot of cheese in their dishes – roesti, raclette and fondue are all very popular here and the food is quite rich! Oh dear I know it’s not pleasant when it gets hot in the UK as it’s too humid and no one has air con. Hope it cools down a bit soon and you have a great weekend! 🙂
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It’s getting cooler again, but my flat is still retaining a lot of heat so I think I will have to wait for a few days before being able to sleep well again !
I hope you are well !
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Hope it will cool down quite quickly in your flat – must be so uncomfortable! Yes all well here thanks – enjoying some lovely sunny winter days! 🙂
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More gorgeous pictures Rosemary!! I’ve never been to St Moritz but have always fancied it – sounds great and going out of season is a good idea. That food sounded just the thing for a cold day (and looked delicious) and I just love those placemats.
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Thanks Joy! The scenery is stunning around these parts and we especially love the Engadine region. Definitely recommend low season though – spring or autumn as it is much cheaper (and Switzerland is so expensive at the best of times). Of course if you want to ski that’s different! Some of the pretty little places near St Moritz are Silvaplana, Sils and Pontresina, which would all make great bases too. The placemats were a great idea – you could see where they had sourced their products. Steffani and Hauser are both family run hotels and the area is such a friendly and homely place (glitzy of course depending on the time of year). We preferred the low key vibe off season and there was still plenty of snow on the mountains in April as you can see 🙂
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Beautiful scenery! But even so, I can’t imagine why your husband wanted to sit outside in those temperatures…….
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I think he thought it was warmer than it was as the sun was out but then the wind whistled across the terrace and he agreed to go inside! It was so cold!! The scenery is magnificent as you can see 🙂
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Looks so beautiful Rosemary!
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Thanks – it is an extremely beautiful region! 🙂
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Sounds wonderful. St Moritz always reminds me of that peter Sarstedt record “Where do you go to my Lovely” –
“And when the snow falls you’re found in St. Moritz,
With the others of the jet-set
And you sip your Napoleon Brandy
But you never get your lips wet, no you don’t.”
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Sums it up perfectly Andrew – I always loved that song but I’m not part of the jet set!! I haven’t been to St Moritz in high season but I don’t think it’d be for me – much prefer the lower key vibe of the low season 🙂
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Spectacular photos! What a great day you had!
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It was certainly a memorable day out Kerry – the scenery is amazing and lovely to have lunch in St Moritz! 🙂
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What happy memories of your trip and this specific lunch. The photos are stunning, snow against the blue sky and water.
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It was a gorgeous day up in the Alps, Ruth! This is one of our favourite parts of the world – the scenery is stunning! 🙂
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We simply must get to Switzerland. We have a big trip in Feb/March to NZ, Australia, Bali, Singapore but I think Switzerland must be next. When is “low season” in addition to April?
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Your upcoming trip sounds very exciting! Switzerland is a wonderful destination – apart from April and May, September and October would be classed as “low season”. Not all hotels and attractions will be open especially up in the mountains at this time but there is still plenty to do as we’ve found. We’ve only been in April though (and once in summer many years ago) however I think autumn would be a lovely time to visit as well! 🙂
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Great perspective. I did the Bernina and Glacier Expresses last month in the sunshine so very nice to see your snowy photos. I am still getting over the cost of everything though!
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Thanks! They are both amazing trips aren’t they? We also did the Glacier Express several years ago 🙂 I love Switzerland but yes it’s not cheap – we just had a few hours in Switzerland this last time and lunch set us back a fair bit!! I’d love to see it in the summer months too – will check out your photos 🙂
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That food looks very interesting, Rosemay. 🙂 Like a big lasagna, but I’m sure it wasn’t 🙂
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It’s good food for the cold weather Jo! The lasagna looking food is in fact “Roesti” a sort of national Swiss dish. It can vary but the main components are potatoes cut into very small slices and fried then cheese and flavourings added. We’ve had some delicious ones – I love the cheese and apple combinations but onions and other veggies are used. Not good for the waistline but… 🙂
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I could cope 🙂 🙂
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It’s delicious Jo! 🙂 🙂
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