Landwasser Viaduct
The Landwasser Viaduct is a UNESCO World Heritage site located close to Filisur in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The Landwasser Viaduct is a limestone railway viaduct constructed in 1902 and it has supposedly appeared over one million times on postal stamps since then. The Glacier Express which runs from Zermatt to St. Moritz runs over this and many other viaducts on it’s magnificent journey.
Visiting the Landwasser Viaduct is a very easy and pleasant experience that can be done by most (the hike up to the viewing platform takes around 20 minutes) and you can loose yourself hiking around this beautiful area afterwards or simply sit on a bench and enjoy the views.
How to get there:
Getting to the Landwasser Viaduct is quite easy. You can either travel by car (which is the easiest and shortest way to get there) from Zürich it will take approximately one hour. Search for “Parkplatz Landwasserviadukt” on Google Maps and you will arrive at the parking where you can leave your car and start your hike right away. If you are planning on traveling by train the journey will be a little longer (around 2 hours) but Swiss train journeys are always great. Get off at “Bahnhof Filisur” and then walk to the Parkplatz Landwasserviadukt (around 25 minutes).
When to go:
There is really no best time to go to the Landwasser Viaduct. We went in early February and it was really beautiful with the snow, we would avoid times when it has rained a lot as the way up will get muddy. It’s definitely also a great day trip in the summer!
Hikes:
There are two hikes you can do from the Parkplatz Landwasserviadukt. One will take you up to the viewing platform and the other will take you below the viaduct. We recommend doing the first hike first (you will see signs in the parking lot that say “Landwasserviadukt”) follow them and at one point you will have to turn left and up (around 10 minutes into the hike). The next section will be a little steep but very short and definitely worth it! After you have gone up you can go down again and instead of going back to the parking lot you simply keep going towards the viaduct. The views from both places are incredible.
Check when the train arrives:
If you go to the Landwasser Viaduct you kind of want to see a train pass over it - this happens around every hour - one train comes in one direction and 2 minutes later the other train goes in the opposite direction. On top of the viewing platform you will see there is a QR code to check the trains coming (some are non passenger trains which you cannot find on the SBB app so you might be lucky to see some extra trains while you are there). We recommend you check the train schedule in advance on SBB - check the St. Moritz - Zermatt Glacier Express times and see when the train is due in Filisur (make sure you are on the viewing platform 5/10 minutes before to get the full experience).
What to do afterwards:
The Landwasser Viaduct can either be a day trip on its own or you can do it while going to another destination (St. Moritz, Lenzerheide or Davos). Once you have gone up to the viewing platform you can also hike around the area or if it’s winter check if the Albula Skateline is open for some amazing ice skating in the woods.
