Grisons

Grisons—Graubünden—is Switzerland at its most dramatically Alpine and culturally diverse. Deep valleys, high mountain passes and villages of stone and timber stretch from Engadin to the Italian-speaking valleys in the south, with German, Romansh and Italian traditions existing within a single canton. The architectural story is equally rich. Traditional Engadin houses with thick masonry walls and deeply recessed windows coexist with some of Switzerland’s most remarkable contemporary architecture, from Peter Zumthor’s thermal baths at Vals to projects by Valerio Olgiati and other architects who have turned this remote landscape into an unlikely destination for Modernism.

Food and drink change as dramatically as the language from one valley to the next. Air-dried Bündnerfleisch, mountain cheeses, capuns and barley soup belong to the traditional Graubünden table, while Italian influences become increasingly apparent towards the southern valleys. St. Moritz brings a more cosmopolitan restaurant culture, but some of the most memorable food is found in mountain inns and small village restaurants working with local farms, game and Alpine ingredients. The Bündner Herrschaft around Maienfeld is also one of Switzerland’s most interesting wine regions, particularly for Pinot Noir.

Grisons’ most interesting hotels range from Belle Époque mountain landmarks and historic Engadin houses to radical contemporary retreats where architecture becomes inseparable from the landscape. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where design, food, culture and the extraordinary Alpine setting come together—hotels that reveal Graubünden as much more than a ski destination: a region where some of Europe’s oldest mountain traditions coexist with some of its most uncompromising contemporary architecture.