What to do with the kids:

Rainy day program: Our kids love the Ovavera  indoor swimming pool, especially the tower water slides - 190 m of thrills packed into three different water chutes. The restaurant is astonishingly tasty! From St. Moritz train station, several buses head to the Ovavera. Check the SBB-Timetable.

Sunny day program: Hiking time! There are many hiking routes suitable for kids. We walked the Gletschwerweg Morteratsch (even suitable for prams with good wheels). The walk leads to the Morteratsch Glacier which continues to melt away. It’ a 3 km long hike (one way).

Another good hike is walking from Val Roseg to Pontresina. Take a bus or the train to Pontresina train station. From there take the horse carriage (reservation mandatory!) to the Val Roseg. There is a good hotel/restaurant (Hotel Restaurant Roseg-Gletscher) with a nice playground and discovery trail at the final horse carriage stop. From there walk on a gentle good marked path along the river back to Pontresina. It is a 7km hike that takes around 3h. If you walk with a pram, walk the same way back where the horses went through. Otherwise, take the walk on the other side of the river which is nicer and leads through a small wood. If you can, stay overnight at the hotel and walk into the valley early in the morning - a unique experience.

A third nice hike is the one from Muottas Muragl down to Pontresina (around 4h). Take a bus or the train to the Stop Punt Muragl. Take the cable car up to the top of Muottas Muragl. Again, it's a good hotel and if you can, stay overnight in order to experience the sunset/sunrise. From there take the trail in direction of the Segantini-Hütte. At this point, we turned right as it would have been too long until the Segantini-Hütte for our 4-year-old. We walked along with the Ova da Muragl river down in the direction of Pontresina.

Getting there: There are several daily trains departing from Chur in the direction of Pontresina/St. Moritz.

What to do with the kids:

Rainy day idea: the Bormio Terme offers a relaxing and fun place for kids. Fun because there is a small children bath with a long slide. There is also a good playground in front of the elementary school at via al Forte.

Hike 1: Bormio - Plan de la reit - Bormio (11 km)

This hike starts at the botanical garden of Bormio (Giardino Botanico Alpino Rezia). The way up to the garden (approx. 20min) is not very pleasant as it follows the road and is quite steep. From the Giardino take a left up through the woods to a wider path heading to the right in the direction of Bormio. From there you can walk 30min until you reach a nice picnic place, called Plan de la reit. We followed the path in direction of Teregua but turned right as soon as possible, heading back to Bormio, in order to abbreviate the walk. Crossing an agricultural settlement we arrived at the Gesa Rota and from there back to Bormio. All in all it's an 11 km hike and took us the whole day. It is not suitable for prams and the path is sometimes quite steep.

Hike 2: Bormio - Hydroelectric power station - Bormio (6 km)

We started at the Piazza Kuerc. From the Piazza take go up via Castello and turn right into Via Monte Olivetto. Continue straight on until you reach the junction of the path with the main road. Cross the road and continue the path next to the river Adda. Cross the river at the hydroelectric power station and head back to Borimo following the via Sassello. Cross the bridge Ponte di Combo in order to head back to the PIazza Kuerc.

Getting there: Early in the morning (around 9 a.m.) we took the Bernina Express from Pontresina to Tirano (Italy). On the highest railway across the Alps, the Bernina Express climbs up to the glistening glaciers before descending to the palms of Italy far below. The trip takes around 2h and is spectacular. In Tirano we ate a very tasty lunch at the Caffè Novecento. On the other side of the main train station building, there is the bus stop to Bormio (see here for information in english or directly on the page of the bus company Perego, only available in Italian). The bus departs almost every hour and the ride takes around 45-55 min.

Where to sleep: In Bormio we slept at the wonderful Chalet Alfonz, a comfortable, spacious and stylish place right next to the Bormio Thermal Bath. 

Where to eat: The best fresh pasta (in order to cook it at home) can be found at Laboratorio pasta fresca (Via S. Vitale, 3, 23032). The most delicious sweets can be found at the Pasticceria Pozzi. Good pizzas can be found at Pizzeria Kuerc on piazza Kurec. For the caffé and sweets we would recommend Dolce Ozio right next to Kuerc.

Shopping: In the city center you'll find astonishingly good shops.

Getting around: There is a public transportation system, but sometimes difficult to understand for tourists. 

Song for the city: Toto Cutugno - Lasciatemi Cantare

What to do with the kids:

Hike 1: Santa Maria di Val Müstair - Ofenpass/Fuornpass - Alp da Munt - La Posa, Alp Champatsch - Lü - Santa Maria di Val Müstair (11 km)

Take the bus from Santa Maria to the Ofenpass. Right in front of the restaurant the path for this absolutely stunning hike begins. First, you walk upwards through a beautiful wood. After around 30-40 min. you'll reach a plateau. Now the path is getting wider and follows steadily upwards to the Alp da Munt. After another good 2 hours hiking you'll reach La Posa, a small mountain restaurant. From there it takes another 30-40 min. downwards to the small village Lü. In Lü you'll have a Postauto bringing you back to Santa Maria. For more information check the Website of MySwitzerland.ch.

Hike 2: Santa Maria di Val Müstair - Via Sura - Müstair - Via Muglin - Sivelva - Faschabella - Santa Maria di Val Müstair

This hike starts at the very heart of Santa Maria. Walk along the Muranzina river to the river Rom. Take a right into Via Sura. This is not a very busy street and brings you to Müstair. The UNESCO protected convent St. Johann is well worth a visit. From Müstair head to the Camping site and cross the Rom river. The Rom is at times a stream meandering through the meadows, at others a rushing mountain stream, before finally turning into a fast-flowing river through Val Müstair. On your way along the protected river landscape you have a marvellous panorama over the valley. After a while you'll reach a crossroad. Now you have to continue the paved path back to Santa Maria.

Getting there: The Stelvio route connects Val Müstair with the Veltlin region. The journey from Bormio across the Stilfserjoch to Santa Maria di Val Müstair is a high mountain pass adventure with a southern flair. In order to get an impression of the route, check this video. The route by bus is only open from June to mid-October. Seat reservation is mandatory. All information can be found on the Swiss Postauto website. The drive takes around 2 hours.

Where to sleep: We had a wonderful Airbnb right in the center of Santa Maria.

Shopping: The bakery Meier-Beck sells tasty regional products.

Song for the city: Tom Misch - It runs through me