Val Surses Savognin Bivio
Val Surses is a mountain valley in the heart of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland, surrounded by the Parc Ela, the largest nature park in the country. The region is rural and alpine, with high mountain passes, mountain lakes, and vast expanses of unspoiled nature, shaped by the Julia river and its side valleys rather than by a large lake. It is a culturally vibrant area with a strong Romanesque heritage, home to the distinctive Origen festival and the villages of Savognin and Bivio as its central hubs. The valley offers a wide network of hiking and biking trails, alpine pastures, and a strong focus on nature and biodiversity. Its character is defined by authenticity, tradition, and a forward-looking tourism offer rather than by big cities.
Summer activities
In summer the Val Surses is a paradise for hikers and bikers, with a hiking network of over 500 kilometres within the Parc Ela, mountain lake hikes, and top bike and e-bike tours. The bathing lake Lai Barnagn in Savognin offers swimming, stand-up paddling, pedal boats, beach volleyball, minigolf, and playgrounds, while mountain carts and trottinets descend from Somtgant to Savognin. Guided tours, wildlife observation, a supervised climbing garden, and a varied summer programme round out the offer, with the Alp Flix plateau and the Radons area prized for their biodiversity and tranquillity.
Winter activities
In winter the Val Surses offers skiing and snowboarding at the Savognin and Bivio ski areas, with the Savognin Bergbahnen gondolas and the Bivio Sportanlagen. Cross-country skiing, winter hiking, snowshoeing, ski touring, sledding, and the ewz-Arena La Nars ice rink round out the winter offer, along with a kids' club and family-friendly winter tips.
Culture and entertainment
The Val Surses is home to the Origen Festival Cultural, one of the most distinctive cultural institutions in the Alps, which stages music and dance theatre in temporary structures on passes, reservoirs, and village squares, with its home base in the mountain village of Riom. The region also hosts the BergKultur-Tage, exhibitions, and events such as the sheep-shearing market, the Christmas market in Savognin, and the season opening, alongside museums and galleries and the Romanesque cultural heritage of the valley.
