Fideriser Heuberge in the Prättigau, and crossing into the Schanfigg Region

Sunday August 23, 2026 -- The Prättigau region of Canton Graubünden is one of our favourites for hiking and we have covered a lot of ground in that region between Landquart and Klosters. Unfortunately there is not a lot of access to the mountains on the south side of the Landquart River.

But we have long eyed a wide open upper alpine region called the Fideriser Heuberge, which can be reached by private vehicle but not by public transit. BUT.... the Gasthaus up there has a private taxi service which one can reserve to get transport right to their hotel (Gasthaus Arflina), although this service is only offered on weekends and holidays, and only till mid-October in summer. Till now it just never fit into our plans.

But this particular Sunday was to be perfect weather in that region, so we reserved our spot on the small bus and headed out on the 2½-hour trip to the village of Fideris, where the private bus picked us up (along with about 15 others!) for the gruelling 30-minute ride up the mountain on narrow hairpin turns which the driver took at accelerated speeds!

The Heuberge (i.e. "Hay Hillsides") were something special, soft and lovely, all mowed clean looking like a huge carpet. Our hike was an easy ascent past two very pretty lakes to the pass called Arflinafurgga, from where we then descended into the Schanfigg Valley to the main road, where we caught the regular PostAuto back to Chur. A perfect and very successful outing, although we did hurry a bit at the end again, because the bus runs only every two hours. 

PART I: Journey to Fideris Dorf, and Hotel Bus to the Heuberge

Every trip to the Prättigau starts with views of the lovely vineyards of the Heidiland Region south of Sargans (warmest wine-growing region in German-speaking Switzerland), as the train heads eastward through the narrow Chlus Passage. The main villages here are Malans, Jenins and Maienfeld, villages we visited on a very late fall hike in November 2023.

Connecting in the town of Schiers to a bus that runs parallel to the railway line and then uphill somewhat to a small village called Fideris, where we had never yet been. 

We had about 10 minutes in the village of Fideris to look at some of the houses, and of course the village church, before heading to the sawmill where the Heuberge Hotel's Taxi-Bus would pick us up at 9:30 a.m.

Admiring the pretty buildings in the village of Fideris. We only had 10 minutes for this, but decided it was worth coming back another time. 

This is the Evangelical Church in Fideris, although originally built before the Reformation in 1461. The bell tower was expanded in 1738. The building, most recently renovated in 1977, stands under Cantonal Monument Protection. 

Details of the Fideris church, which was originally built in 1461 in Late Gothic style. 

We only had time for a quick look, and had to head right back to the bus stop, heading out through the cemetery grounds. 

Then back at the sawmill at 9:30, the bus has arrived up from the train station in Küblis, where several other people had already gotten on. In all we were about 15 people in the bus (leg-room was very tight!), a private service from the Arflina Gasthaus up at the large alpine plateau called Fideriser Heuberge. (It is offered twice per day on weekends and holidays).  

Looking down at the village of Fideris and further back to the valley-bottom town of Jenaz. The mountain at the back is called Furnerberg, and we have done hikes there twice, as there is a regular bus service from Jenaz to Furna higher up. (For example, a 4-hour loop hike we did in November 2020)

Spectacular views down the valley of the Landquart River, i.e. the region called the Prättigau. 

This view is up the valley, and to a side valley at the end of which is located the small village called St.Antönien, from where we have started an ended several hikes. Same for the hillside on the left, that is known as Pany, which the bus also passes through on the way to St.Antönien. (Most recently we started on a hike there in October 2025. 

After a 30-minute ride along a narrow road (sometimes just a dirt road) with many switchbacks, we arrive in a lovely wide open high plateau or cauldron-like valley, with many small wooden houses scattered about. And at the end of the road is the Arflina Gasthaus, which offers this taxi service twice per day on weekends and holidays.

A look to the north. At the far back, the mountains form the border with Austria. 

While Urs went to the hotel reception desk to pay for our ride (15 Fr. per person), I admired the Edelweiss Garden at the outdoor patio. 

PART II: Hike from Heuberge Hotel/Restaurant to Arflinafurgga Pass

Starting at the Arflina Gasthaus at the Fideriser Heuberge at 10:00, we detoured via the two lakes and got to the pass at 11:30. From there it was mostly downhill, not particularly difficult. We had lunch near one of the cabins higher up, and then got to the bus on the main road just in time for the 14:57 bus to Chur. So in all, we were on the trail for five hours. 

As we start out on our hike to the lakes, this view is again to the north, past Pany and the valley to St.Antönien, up to the craggy peaks of the Rätikon range, which forms the border with Austria. Considering the difficult road up here, we were surprised at how large the recreational and real estate offering is here. It is also a popular winter destination. 

Wide open rolling hills, no trees, just lots of grass, all mowed and harvested... and the landscape looks like one huge carpet!

It was an easy and comfortable hike up to the lakes. (We reached the first lake in just 20 minutes from the hotel). 

Another look to the north into the valley to St.Antönien. In July 2021 we had started there and did a round tour around the dark peak on the right, called Schijenfluh. The trail crosses into Austria and then back again. (Photos HERE). There is also a lovely and popular lake there, called Partnunsee. 

At 10:20 we arrived at the lower Cluner Lake. The placard explains that this is a low-level moor of national importance. 

We followed a visible narrow path parallel to the lake, although we discovered later that the "official" trail was further up on the right. 

Such a pretty lake. The Lower Cluner Lake. 

Following the lakeside trail, heading toward the Upper Cluner Lake. 

Back on the official trail.... for a short stretch.

This is an interesting bridge..... This trail was marked on our maps heading to the south side of the larger lake, although the official hiking trail bypasses the lake to the north. 

Now we have reached the upper lake, and found a good place for a snack break and to put on sunscreen.

Upper Cluner Lake. 

Walk around the lake to head back to the official trail. We are now headed to the pass at the arrow on the left, but first have to make a large detour to the north. 

The entire wide region was dotted with such wooden cabins or barns. 

This is the only uphill stretch we had on this hike, heading to the Arflinafurgga Pass. There were quite a few people on the trail. 

We reached the Arflinafurgga pass at 11:30. Our goal is the bus on the main road near St.Peter, passing via another pass called the Faninpass, and the Hochwang Skihaus. We were the only people going that way. All the others headed right or left to walk along a crest trail, which ultimately brought them back to the hotel. The views would have been quite fantastic from those trails, but we didn't feel like something that challenging this day. 

PART III:  Descent from Arflinafurgga to Pagig on the Main Road to Chur. 

On this, the south side of the ridge which separates the Prättigau from the Schanfigg Valley, the landscape looked quite similar, vast expanses of mowed meadows dotted with lots of little cabins. 

Directly to the south and on the other side of the Schanfigg Valley is an elevation called Churerberge, location of the popular recreation town of Arosa (not visible from here). In August of 2022 we started in Arosa to do a loop hike to the Ochsenalp Mountain Restaurant and then back to Arosa (photos are HERE). 

A short walk from the Arflinafurgga Pass, we get to the second pass called the Fanin Pass (2209 meters) with a final look to the Rätikon Range to the north. 

Nice to hear the cow-bells in the otherwise still landscape. 

It's noon now, and we are looking for a nice place to have our picnic lunch. We had spotted a bench next to the cabins up ahead, and were hoping to sit there. 

The first cabins we came to did have two nice benches, but the property was fenced in, so we assumed they wouldn't be happy if we simply climbed the fence. Luckily there was a slight breeze and it wasn't too hot, so we just settled in for our break next to the cabin. 

Cute cabins with benches which we would have loved to sit at! Nevertheless, we had a good spot anyway, and continued on our hike after a 15-minute break. 

Down below us we then caught sight of a farmer mowing a large section of the hillside. This is a lot of work to harvest what they need to feed the cattle in winter. 

A large variety of trails up here make the hike more interestting. 

Also, the cute little cabins are a pleasure too look at. Hey, there's a bench we could have sat on for our 15-minute lunch break, as this property is not fenced in. 

Now starts the mostly downhill section of our hike. The mesh of roads accessing all these mountain cabins looks fascinating. 

And here we are again being watched carefully as we pass a small farm building!

Now at shortly after 1 p.m., we reach the "Hochwang Skihaus". You can overnight here in summer as well, when walking the high trail called "Schanfigg Höhenweg", but it is rather expensive. (They have a room for 38 guests in dormitories. The cost is 85 Fr. per person, which is too much for us for dormitory accommodations.). But it is popular in winter. We filled our water bottles and admired their Edelweiss!

Continuing on now from the Hochwang Skihaus (which lies on Regional Trail no.75: "Schanfigger Höhenweg), we are headed to Pagig where there is a bus on the main road to Chur. From here that's another 1½ hours. It is now 13:12, and the bus we want to catch is 14:57 bus, otherwise we have to wait an additional two hours! That gives us only an extra 15 minutes, and so from here we walked pretty quickly, with no more breaks. 

This part of our trail went through a site where people were practicing cross-bow shooting. 

And now we discover the first autumn crocuses! From now on, the days are getting shorter, and the autumn season is on the way!

The first part of the downhill section parallel to the cable-car line was along a shady forest trail. Look at this fantastic tree!

The Hochwang cable-car unfortunately runs only in winter! This means we have to make our way to the main road on foot. There is also only bus service from the bottom station of the cable in winter, so that means even more descent. It's a shame, because with the cable-car in summer, we could do longer stretches on the high trail.

The base station of the Hochwang cable-car is in a community called Fatschel. It took us 45 minutes to get here from the Hochwang Skihaus. 

We are now in the village called Fatschel, with another 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes, as this is also a winter bus) to go to the bus stop on the main road. As it is now just after 2 p.m., we are still doing good time with an extra 15 minutes of leeway. 

Walking through the village of Fatschel. 

The nice thing about mountain villages in summer is all the colour from the geraniums! 

Pleasant trail through the mountain village called Fatschel. 

Now is the final stretch to the village of Pagig, where we are going to end our hike. (We could also have gone via St.Peter to the East, which would have been a bit faster).  The hillside here reminded me of the trails on the sunny hillsides in Canton Wallis/Valais, with all the heat-resistant meadow plants. Here was a large field of flowers simply overrun with bees. 

The road we see down below would also take us to a bus stop along the main road, but we are going a little further west to pass through the village of Pagig. We didn't really want to walk down that road anyway. 

To our left and slightly higher up the valley is the large tower of the St.Peter Church which we visited on a snow-free December day in 2024 when we started our hike there, passing then through Pagig where we are headed now, and then continued down the valley visiting the villages on this sunny hillside. (Photos HERE). 

A view up the valley to the passes which separate this valley from Davos. In August of 2023, we had started on the Davos side at Weissfluhjoch and crossed to this side on that saddle on the left, passing through that clearing where there is a small mountain village called Medergen, and from there continued all the way to Arosa, a 5+ hour hike. 

Ahead of us is the village of Pagig, which we passed through on the Schanfigg Village Trail which we did in December 2024. 

The geraniums that adorn the chalet balconies are just so pretty!

From the center of the village, it's just another 10 minutes to the bus stop along the main road. We made it with just over five minutes to spare!

The road from Pagig down to the main road where we will catch the bus. 

Across the valley is a stunning geological formation of stone pyramids. The site is called Rungser Rüfi. 

Down below is the main road where the bus runs from the town of Peist fürther up the valley, to the city of Chur. (There is also a railway line from Chur to Arosa, but it is much further down). Across the valley in the center of the photo is a mountain village called Tschiertschen, where we once started a hike all the way out of the valley to Chur. (Photos HERE). 

We had a little over five minutes to wait here on the main road for the bus, and to our dismay, four such tractors passed us, going about 30 km / hour (maximum allowable velocity) and we knew this was going to be a problem with traffic. And sure enough, we later caught up to them and a traffic back-up of a dozen cars, and ultimately a 10-minute delay!

 Our 14:57 bus was already late by two minutes... and then we got stuck behind the tractos twice! But here we were the only passengers except for another fellow bus driver at the very front. (Taking up the seat I usually like to sit in!!!). They did ask me if I had taken a photo of them... 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps, starting at the Fideriser Heuberge in the Prättigau region, and endind in Pagig in the Schanfigg Region.

PART IV: Trip back home via Chur

(There were four decorated tractors on the road, heading back from some event, maximum speed allowed = 25-30 km/hr and they were really blocking traffic on the narrow road. We were worried we would not make our train connection in Chur. But even with a 10-minute delay along the way, the bus made it right on time to the train station at 15:30.)

As the bus heads westward toward Chur, I recognize some of the landmarks that we visited on that December 2024 hike along the Schanfigg Village Trail. Like this fabulous church in Castiel. 

The church in Castiel. 

Having finally passed the four tractors, the bus takes a detour into the village of Maladers. This is the view up the Schanfigg "valley" as we descend out of Maladers back to the main road.... to join up once again behind the tractors as they had just managed to pass us on this stretch again. 

Having passed the tractors a second time (they fortunately found a place to give way), we come down from the Schanfigg Valley into the city of Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland, with a settlement history of 13,000 years. It is also the seat of the high bishops of the Catholic Church. 

Two of the city's dominant churches

Riding next to the Chur city walls on the way to the train station. 

Back at the Chur train station at 3:30 p.m., we still have plenty of time for the 15:38 train to Zurich. 

All the hikes we have done in the Prättigau and Schanfigg Regions. There are not a lot of options for us to get into the upper region between the two valleys with public transport, so taking the little hotel taxi from Fideris to the Heuberge is a good option. Maybe one day we will start on a different hike from there.

The mountain range on the east side of the Rhine Valley between Chur and Landquart. 

The lower mountain in the front is called the Fläscherberg (near Sargans and the border of Liechtenstein), and even though it doesn't look very high, the Regitzerspitz is at 1136 meters above sea level, and a hike of over 600 meters from valley bottom. This is a peak we have yet to hike up to!

A traditional photo of Lake Walensee on the train ride from Chur to Zurich.

Location of the Fideriser Heuberge / Prättigau / Schanfigg within Switzerland. 

Side Note: This is what it looks like where we hiked this day, as seen from the other side of the valley in August 2022, when we did that loop hike from Arosa to Ochsenalp and back.