The Wild Engadine Self-Guided
Anytime from June 15 - Sept 20
Dates | Duration |
|---|---|
Anytime from June 15 - Sept 20 | 7 days - 6 nights |
Switzerland’s Engadine region is one of the great trail running secrets of the Alps.
A beautiful train ride away from the well-known mountain resorts of Grindelwald, Zermatt, and Chamonix, the Engadine region is located in the Southeast corner of Switzerland, alongside the border with Italy.
The area features some of the most scenic towns in Europe, the biggest of which is St Moritz. There are Belle Epoque period hotels, and ancient villages dating back centuries. Stone-built huts, connected by mountain paths, dot the landscape.
For a trail runner, the region is a single-track paradise, and quieter than other regions of the Alps. Its wild valleys are home to herds of ibex – the largest population in Switzerland – and quiet mountain huts are tucked into nooks and crannies. It’s a special place that quickly settles into your heart as you start running.
Our self-guided trip in this region is based out of Pontresina, a relaxed village at the base of 3,262-meter high Piz Languard. Pontresina is easily accessible by both train and bus. Our standard tour length is seven days and six nights, and features some of the best level 2-3 runs straight out of town, plus a couple that require a bus journey. If you’re looking for a shorter or longer trip, please get in touch and we’d be happy to discuss your options.
Top photos: PatitucciPhoto, Sam Hill
Book this tour
7 days, 6 nights
$2490 per person
$650 single supplement
5 days, 4 nights
$2080 per person
4 days, 3 nights
$1880 per person
Looking for a customized itinerary?
Please get in touch. We’d love to discuss your options with you.
Prefer to go with a guide?
Explore our group guided trips or inquire about our privately guided trips.
Itinerary
Ibex in Pontresina, Switzerland. (Photo: Roberto Rivola)
Day 1 - Pontresina
You’ll arrive in Switzerland, then take a train to Pontresina in the upper Engadine valley where you can check-in to your hotel.
Piz Bernina and Piz Palü above. (Courtesy photo)
Day 2 - Pontresina
Your first run is direct from the hotel, up towards the striking Piz Languard above Pontresina. You’ll follow the beautiful Cresta Languard ridgeline – a traversing trail that is pleasantly smooth. There’s an option to take a gondola out of town at the start, to cut out most of the climbing. The run back to Pontresina along riverside trails in the Val Bernina, passing the Bernina waterfall.
Trail running through Grevasalvas, near Maloja. (Photo: Patitucci Photo)
Day 3 - Pontresina
You’ll get the bus towards the Maloja Pass, stopping at the village of Sils Maria on the edge of Silsersee lake. While the summit of Piz Lunghin is an option on today’s run, there are few steep climbs, and your route starts with a few kilometers warming up by running alongside the lake. There’ll be plenty of wild flowers to admire along the way if you’re here early in the summer.
Running above a glacier in Engadine. (Photo: Dino Diavolezza)
Day 4 - Pontresina
Explore the other side of the Pontresina valley today, as you run from town and up the dramatic Roseg valley to pass a glacial lake. Although the route feels remote, you’ll have options for food and rest stops, including at a classic Swiss Alpine Club hut. At the end, you’ll cruise back to Pontresina through beautiful forest.
Fresh blueberry tart – a hut stop favorite. (Photo: Kim Strom)
Day 5 - Pontresina
Today’s run takes you up high! A loop out of Pontresina, which passes four mountain huts, is on the menu – it must be the best distance-to-pie ratio of any run in the Engadine! You’ll go to the summit of Piz Languard and Georgys Hutte at 3200m elevation. Afterwards, there’s a mix of rocky terrain, cruisy single track and forest switchbacks leading you back downhill into Pontresina.
Running on smooth trails above the Engadine valley. (Photo: Robert Rivola)
Day 6 - Pontresina
Today you take a bus, heading just over the Maloja pass to Casaccia in Val Bregaglia to start a less-frequented loop around the Piz Lizun mountain. There are wonderful views of the jagged mountain chain that provides the border with Italy. You’ll travel from Val Begaglia to the pastoral Val Maroz and quiet Val da Cam, and finish on a rolling “panorama trail.”
A Swiss train in the Engadine. (Photo by Max Galli, courtesy of Swiss Tourism)
Day 7 - Depart from Pontresina
Today you’ll say good-bye to the Engadine region, and depart for your post-tour destination.
- 6 nights accommodation in a 3* hotel
- Buffet breakfasts each morning
- Detailed daily run descriptions, GPX files and all the resources you need along the way are provided via our app (see a sample here). We’ll also send you a printed copy of the route and other key information, in case you’d like to take these with you as a back-up
- Run the Alps’ Guide to Trail Running in the Alps, which contains 80+ pages information about where you’ll be running, what to pack, how to train, and plenty of other insider information from Run the Alps staff and guides
- An in-country welcome pack – includes trail nutrition and a Run the Alps T-shirt (Note: You can choose to opt out of the T-shirt during registration; if you do, we’ll automatically donate the equivalent to one of our 1% for the Planet partners instead.)
- Personalized support before your tour
- In-tour support through our WhatsApp Helpline
- 20% discount in the Run the Alps store
- Contribution to our Net Positive initiatives
- Flights / transportation to and from the tour
- Transport to and from trailheads if you choose to shorten a run
- Dinners and drinks (recommendations provided)
- Lunches (recommendations provided) and any additional trail nutrition
- Extra charges made at accommodations such as room service or laundry
- Trip insurance
Run the Alps can provide guidance on how to travel to your tour’s start point if needed. Typically, once you arrive in Switzerland, you will then take a train to Pontresina in the upper Engadine valley.
Run the Alps can provide guidance on how to travel from the Engagine to your onward location.
- Group Discounts: When we create tours for a group of five or more self-guided guests, there is an opportunity for some savings. We’re pleased to pass them on to you – please get in touch to explore your options.
- Alumni Discount: We love welcoming our alumni back to the Alps and offer a 10% discount on all standard guided and self-guided trips. Simply check the Alumni box on the registration form and we’ll apply the discount when we invoice you.
- Want to shorten or extend your trip or add an Alps Trail Race? Just let us know and we’d be happy to help.
- Can a non-running partner join me on this tour? Yes–read how hiking and sightseeing companions can come too.
- Celebrating a special occasion? Each year we get a number of guests who are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or retirement with a Run the Alps trip. If this is you, let us know!
- Concerned about being ready? We’re here to help. You can check out our Training Resources or get in touch if you’d like to be put in touch with a coach.
- Tour Grants Program: Run the Alps is committed to making our trips more inclusive. If you’d like to join this trip, but don’t think you can afford it, please check out our Tour Grants Program.
- Trip Insurance: Life can sometimes throw us a curveball and wreak havoc upon the best laid plans, which is why Run the Alps requires trip insurance. Learn more here.
- Terms and Conditions: You can read up on them here.
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Julia Bleasdale on Trail Running in Switzerland’s Engadin
A long, alpine valley tucked away on Switzerland’s border with Austria and Italy, the Engadin is a special place – quieter, wilder and more remote than much of the rest of the Swiss Alps.