November 29, 2024, 6:06 am | Read time: 3 minutes
In the Swiss canton of Graubünden, close to the border to Italy, lies one of the most extraordinary hotels on the European continent. Alp Grüm, as the small guesthouse is called, is also a train station on the route of the legendary Bernina Express, which runs between Chur and Tirano. If you want to spend the night here, you have to take the train. Or be good on foot.
Near the municipality of Poschiavo in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, a rather unusual hotel has existed for more than 100 years. A small building sensationally situated at an altitude of 2,091 meters, with a view of the surrounding mountains and the Poschiavo Valley. In the shadow of Piz Bernina, the highest peak in the eastern Alps at 4,048 meters, the so-called Alp Grüm dreams away. There is no road leading here, and it can only be reached on foot via a hike lasting several hours. Or on the legendary Bernina Express train, which runs between Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy. Alp Grüm is not just an inn, but also a train station.
According to the British “BBC“, the story of the hotel railroad station began in 1906, when the Bernina Railway Company presented an ambitious plan. They wanted to build the highest electrified train line through the Alps and thus open up the previously inaccessible region to tourism. To date, the only connections between Switzerland and Italy, which is close to Alp Grüm, are either the arduous route on foot or on horseback. Both involve considerable risks, especially in winter, due to avalanches and the sometimes heavy snowfall.
Cut off from the outside world
In July 1910, the visionary railroad line actually opens, and Alp Grüm begins its life. Not as the stone-built hotel station that it is today, however, but as a simple wooden maintenance station. The train driver could use the spectacularly situated stop to check his vehicle. In the same year, the railroad company acquired a snowplow, which meant that the train now known as the Bernina Express could now run all year round. In 1943, the Rhaetian Railway added it to its network.
The special thing about today’s Alp Grüm is that between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. you are completely cut off from the outside world. This is because no trains run on the line during this time. This is when the inn, which has just ten rooms, enjoys a level of tranquility that is rarely found. All rooms have their own bathroom and a direct view of the Palü glacier. If you want, you can also simply enjoy a bite to eat and the view during a stop here in the in-house restaurant. This is precisely why the Bernina Express regularly makes a longer stop here on the route so that guests can take photos.
Experience report On a luxury train through South Africa – a “hotel on rails”
Despite rail traffic Can trains get lost?
Second Avenue Subway New York now has the most expensive subway in the world
‘Just nature and silence’
Hotel manager Primo Semadeni has leased Alp Grüm for 18 years. He tells the BBC about his hotel: “Fortunately, there are no roads here. Just nature, sunrises, sunsets, and silence.” However, running a house like this is a logistical challenge. Because everything that is offered here has to be delivered by train. “If I forget to order bread, we simply don’t have any. It’s a challenge, but also our blessing.”
If you would like to stay overnight at Alp Grüm yourself, you can make a booking request via the official hotel website. A single room currently costs CHF 90 per night, which is the equivalent of a good 96 euros. A double room costs CHF 160 per night (a good 170 euros), while a triple room is available for CHF 200 (approx. 213 euros).