A week ago we got to spend a beautiful fall day in Engadin, a mountainous area in the very east of Switzerland. Every time we visit I am amazed by the astonishing natural beauty of it! Before I only got to see it in Winter, either while skiing in Scuol or on a short trip on my birthday to Samedan. This time it was in the middle of October and the landscape was very different. Already at the start of the trip, as we were driving over Flüelapass, a mountain pass between Davos and Engadin, I was so impressed by nature I just wanted to jump out of the car and take photos. The sparse mountain landscape with the yellow grass and the numerous small creeks was beautiful to see. The rest of the day also didn’t have any shortage of picturesque moments:

Path from Guarda Train Station to Guarda

Guarda - Lavin

Our first stop of the day was the train station of Guarda, a small village in Engadin. From there we walked up the half mile (1km) long path with a 600ft (200m) elevation to the center of Guarda. After 30 minutes we reached the top and fell in love right away! This town, with less than 200 citizens, is simply lovely. Most of the buildings are well maintained and decorated with flowers and s’graffito. S’graffito is a style of mural art which is typical for that region. (Pictured below)

Guarda, the left house is decorated with s’graffito (the mural art on the corner of the building)

The village of Guarda was the inspiration for the artist Alois Carigiet when he painted Schellenursli, a famous Swiss kids book, that takes place in Engadin. You can even see Schellenursli’s house (house number 51) and rent it as well! The building has a green door unlike the house in the book. The iconic red door you can find by the building with house number 61. There is also a small museum dedicated to the book in Guarda. Even if you don’t know the story it is worth going there, as it recreates the simple life in the Swiss mountains not too long ago. (Kitchen pictured at the bottom of the page)

From Guarda we walked the mostly flat, one hour walk down to Lavin. On the way you get a beautiful view on the valley. We ate our homemade lunch while enjoying the warm fall afternoon sun. In Lavin we went on the train that brought us back to our car in Guarda.

Scuol

Our next stop was after a 20-minute-drive in Scuol because there was a handful of shops we wanted to see. Among other stores we went to the fantastic butcher “Hatecke Vivanda Genuina”, which is inside the Volg-building. The workers were very well informed, friendly and generous. We bought a few pieces of venison and dry venison sausages. A visit there is recommended!

Zuoz

To end our fall day we drove to Zuoz to eat at the restaurant Dorta. The local barn was turned into a restaurant, keeping its rustic character. The rooms have matching decorations and the food is traditional for the area. What a beautiful evening for such a successful day!

Guarda: A Scenic Fall Day in Engadin