St. Moritz and the Upper Engadin: a scenic excursion from Montreux

St. Moritz sits on the far side of Switzerland, yet it is one of the country's most storied resorts — the birthplace of Alpine winter sports and the gateway to the high, lake-filled Upper Engadin valley. From Montreux it is a day of two halves: the lake-train ride west you already know, followed by a climb east over the Alps to a glacier-carved plateau at about 1,800 metres, framed by the Bernina range. For a longer excursion from the Riviera, it makes a memorable one- or two-night detour.

Short answer: the Upper Engadin is a real-day trip from Montreux and best treated as an overnight: about five hours by train on the fastest routing, roughly 6 h 30 on the scenic Albula line via Chur. Build the day around two things — a boat-side stroll on the chain of Upper Engadin lakes in St. Moritz, and the panorama from the Muottas Muragl funicular, which has run since 1907.^[1]

The Swiss Riviera beneath the Alps — the departure point for the crossing east to the Upper Engadin.

Why the Upper Engadin is worth the journey

The Upper Engadin is the high end of Switzerland's south-eastern Engadin valley, an altitude-meadow world of lakes, larch woods and glacier-capped peaks that sits above most of the rest of the Alps. St. Moritz, at 1,856 metres on a sun-blessed terrace the valley calls its “champagne climate”, claims fame as the birthplace of Alpine winter sports — winter tourism began there in the 1860s, it staged the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948, and it remains one of Europe's most famous resorts.^[2]

What makes it worth the crossing is scale and light. Where the Riviera looks across a lake to the Alps, the Engadin is in the Alps: a plateau of linked lakes — St. Moritz, Silvaplana, Champfèr and Sils — with sailing in summer and skating in winter, overlooked by the Bernina range to the south. It is a genuinely different Switzerland, and for a one-or-two-night rail escape from Montreux it is hard to beat.

St. Moritz: birthplace of Alpine winter sports

St. Moritz is the valley's glamorous centre, and its reputation is old. It lays claim to inventing winter tourism in the Alps — the first winter visitors arrived in 1864 to a hotel that promised to stay open past the autumn — and it pioneered the modern Alpine resort: the world's first ski-lift tour and curling club, sledding on the frozen lake, and two Winter Olympic Games on the slope above the town. Switzerland Tourism still credits it as the birthplace of Alpine winter sports.^[2]

For a traveller the appeal is the setting as much as the glamour. The resort itself is compact, banked high above lake St. Moritz, while the real scenery walks in without you: a level path rings the lake, the ski and hiking mountains rise straight behind the village, and a short bus ride west reaches the wider Silvaplana plateau and the windsurfing lake. Come for the lakeside stroll even if you have no interest in skiing — the high-altitude air and panorama do most of the work.

Getting there from Montreux: the rail route

By train (recommended). Montreux and St. Moritz are on opposite sides of Switzerland, so brand the day as a longer crossing. The fastest connection is about a five-hour ride with one change, usually near Zurich or Landquart; the scenic alternative rides the Rhaetian Railway's Albula line out of Chur — the spiralling, viaduct-crossing stretch inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list — in roughly 6 h 30. Both run several times a day, and either way the train does the work while the panorama does the talking.^[3]

By car. The drive crosses the Alps (allow five-plus hours from Montreux), so it only makes sense bundled with a stop en route. If you prefer to keep it simple, the train is the better and more scenic choice — no parking in the compact resort either, as St. Moritz's villages are built on steep slopes with limited street parking.

Timing. Book an early train and use the morning for the crossing, then spend the afternoon on the lake plateau. Because the rail journey is long, most visitors stay the night — there is little sense in a five-hour ride each way for a few hours on site, and an overnight lets you catch sunset over the Bernina.

Planning the trip: tickets and timing

The Engadin is unreachable as a compromise half-day, so plan for a full day on site, an overnight, or a weekend. Swiss rail offers day passes and point-to-point tickets that cover the SBB leg and the Rhaetian Railway together; once in the valley, the PostBus network connects St. Moritz, Silvaplana, Champfèr and Sils, and hop-on lake boats run in summer. Check the current timetable and prices online before you go rather than trusting printed figures, as schedules shift with the season.^[3]

• Start with the lake plateau. Ring St. Moritz lake on foot (level and easy), then look across to the Silvaplana windsurfing basin.
• Take the Muottas Muragl funicular for the classic Engadin panorama — a single lift to 2,456 metres and the chain of lakes spread below.^[1]
• Ride a lake boat in summer from St. Moritz across the plateau, the closest thing to the Riviera's lake spirit at altitude.
• Grand Tour drivers can slot the Engadin into the route between the Albula/Bernina passes rather than as a dead-end.

When to go and where to base yourself

June to September is the hiking and lake season, with the whole plateau open; December to March is prime winter-sports time around St. Moritz. The valley's dry, sunny “champagne climate” means crisp clear days much of the year, and the shoulder months (late May, October) are quieter and cheaper for a scenic rail escape.

Where to stay. The simplest plan keeps your base on the Riviera and treats the Engadin strictly as the excursion — but the long crossing makes one night in the valley worth it. For a one-night routing, stay on the Swiss Riviera at Montreux or Vevey, take an early train, and book a single night in the Engadin before riding home. On the Riviera, our serviced apartments between Montreux and Villeneuve put you on the same rail line for an easy start.

Related reading: Lake Geneva by CGN steamer: the classic Riviera cruise · Château de Chillon: a visitor's guide · The GoldenPass line: Montreux to Interlaken

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Muottas Muragl — the panorama funicular from the Upper Engadin lake plateau to its 2,456-metre terrace, in service since 1907, with the Romantik Hotel and evening hours in high season — muottasmuragl.ch/en
2. Switzerland Tourism, "St. Moritz" — the resort's elevation (1,856 m), its claim as the birthplace of Alpine winter sports, the two Winter Olympic Games, and the "champagne climate"; Engadin lakes — myswitzerland.com/en-ch/destinations/st-moritz
3. SBB / Rhaetian Railway timetables — Montreux–St. Moritz fastest connection (about 5 h, one change) and the scenic Albula line via Chur (about 6 h 30); PostBus and lake-boat links on the Upper Engadin plateau — sbb.ch