Europe,  Hiking,  Road Trip,  Switzerland

Cool Things to See in Flims Switzerland

June 5, 2020 / 40 Comments
roadside views on the way to Flims

With current travel restrictions, we are exploring more places within our country of Switzerland. It’s cheaper for travel and opens our eyes to the beauty in our own backyard. We recently took a two-day trip to Flims in the Swiss-German eastern part of Switzerland. I loved it so much that I wanted to share with you the cool things to see here!

the heart is where we live and the red dot is where Flims is located

I booked the Hotel Vorab in Flims which was an ideal central location for sightseeing in this area. The town of Flims is very small and surrounded by mountains and abundant nature. Flims is a popular ski resort in winter as is Laax, its neighbor town.

overlooking Caumasee

Because we love to hike, I thought this would be a perfect destination for a quick getaway. There are many hiking paths in the Flims area.

Caumasee in Flims

For the first day, I chose a three-hour hike that would allow us to see the beautiful Lake Cauma, the Rhine River lookout on the Swiss Grand Canyon, and the small scenic lake called Crestasee. This path was called the Woods and Water culinary trail. You can find more information on this website.

this was the walking route we took to see the two lakes and the canyon

Caumasee

Have you ever seen a picture of a place and said, “Oh my gosh, I HAVE to SEE this place”? This was how I felt when I saw the Instagram photos of Lake Cauma. FYI, ‘see’ in German means ‘lake’, so that is why it’s called Caumasee.

We left our hotel and walked to the starting path that led to Caumasee. There were many people doing the same thing on this warm sunny day in mid-May. We walked through the pleasant forest and finally reached the lake after 45 minutes. The lake was as beautiful as all the pictures I had seen with its bright turquoise waters and a tiny island in the center.

caumasee
Admiring the turquoise colors of Lake Cauma

There were many different paths that went around the lake and park area. We took the easy path that circled the lake and then branched off to the next point of interest, the Rhine River lookout.

Rhine River Grand Canyon Lookout

I wanted to see this special spot, so I made sure to include it on our hike. After passing the nearby restaurant, we arrived at the lookout platform in Conn called the II Spir and marveled at the canyon and river below.

me taking a break with a great view

The Rhine Gorge is often referred to as the ‘Swiss Grand Canyon’. The interesting rock formations, cliffs, and light blue water make the Rhine River and gorge a unique attraction in Switzerland. The gorge was created 10,000 years ago by a rockslide. The walls of the gorge are as high as 300 meters (984 feet). The Rhine River winds through the gorge for 14 kilometers (8 miles) and finally ends 1,233 kilometers (766 miles) later in the North Sea near Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Standing on the Spir platform that overlooked the Rhine River

I’ve been to the Grand Canyon in the U.S., and although it doesn’t come close to that, it’s still pretty amazing to see this 180-degree view. From the metal lookout structure, we saw a train passing in the valley below. After several photo-op shots, we started walking towards the final stop on our hike, the Crestasee.

beautiful day to see the Grand Canyon of Switzerland

Crestasee

The Crestasee was a much smaller lake than the Caumasee. What made it unique was the emerald green color of the water and the reflection from the mountains. We first stopped at the restaurant by the lake for a refreshing local beer. After refueling, we walked down to the dock and got some nice pics of the alluring lake.

down by the dock on Cresta Lake

There was a line of people waiting for the perfect Instagram shot at the edge of the dock. I was willing to wait for my picture as well! It didn’t look like there was a path around this lake, but I’m sure it would be nice to come here in summer to have a picnic and swim. You can find more info about this lake on this website.

me admiring the reflection and calmness of this lake

In addition to this stunning hike on our first day, I researched other closeby sights that we could visit. By searching for ‘#Flims’ on Instagram, I was able to find more cool places to drive to for our second day of sightseeing. We went to four different spots on Day 2 which included the adorable village of Schmitten, the famous Landwasser Viaduct, the Solis Viaduct Bridge, and the town of Laax.

Schmitten

Schmitten is a tiny town (population less than 300) in the Graubünden region that most people probably don’t visit. I wouldn’t have gone here if I hadn’t seen a picture of Schmitten on Instagram. The photo looked so typical of Switzerland scenery, I planned a specific detour just to see this place.

Arriving to the town of Schmitten

It took us 45 minutes to drive from Flims to Schmitten. The mountainous views along the way were breathtaking. When we arrived in Schmitten, I immediately saw the church steeple that I wanted to photograph. The church sat high on a hill overlooking the quaint village.

I love taking photos with flowers in the forefront

We pulled the car over before arriving into the town so I could take several shots from this angle. I was in heaven to take these pictures with sunny weather, especially since they had forecasted overcast skies this day. We then drove for a few more minutes and parked the car to walk up to the church.

our drone shot of the church in Schmitten

There was not a soul around as the church was closed. The view from the church grounds was worth the short walk up the hill. There was a well-kept cemetery next to the church. We were surrounded by colorful fields of wildflowers. It was such a peaceful area and I was definitely smitten with Schmitten!

statue at the church in Schmitten

Landwasser Viaduct

After stopping in Schmitten, we drove a short way to the next town called Filisur. I had seen pictures of this towering viaduct with the iconic Swiss red train (called the Glacier Express) but wasn’t sure where or how we could see it. I just knew the general area where it could be found.

our drone shot of the Landwasser Viaduct near the town of Filisur

Before we arrived in the town of Filisur, we saw a hiking trail and parking lot with a trail sign showing the name of the viaduct. We decided to see where this path would take us. It was a 30-minute flat walk along a flowing stream before we arrived at the bridge high above us.

arriving to the Landwasser Viaduct

‘Wow’ is all I could say! The bridge, formally recognized by UNESCO since 2008, was huge and majestic looking! The structure is 65 meters (213 ft) high and 142 meters (466 ft) long. It was built in 1902 without scaffolding but with only two cranes. In 2009, the viaduct was repaired for the very first time. That longevity is quite impressive!

We walked under the bridge and further up the path to get some different picture angles. Mike flew his drone and got some nice aerial shots. I had been trying to look up the timetable for when the train would pass but couldn’t figure out the precise times. As we started to leave and walk back to the car, we heard the chug-chug-chug sound of a train. We looked up and there it was! I immediately started taking a video with my phone.

my picture of the passing train on Landwasser Viaduct (edited from a video clip)

I was so happy to see the red train going across the bridge and into the tunnel. And not only did we see it passing once, but it passed two more times within fifteen minutes! How lucky were we?!

Solis Viaduct Bridge

On the drive back to Flims, we happened to see another interesting train track bridge and decided to check it out. We were able to walk out on a platform to get a great picture of the train bridge called Solis Viaduct. It was built in 1902 and renovated in 1997. There were amazing views looking down at the gorge and river below.

Solis Viaduct bridge and gorge

I love it when you accidentally come across a scenic spot while driving. Because this place was such a nice area, we decided to have a beer and a bite to eat at the outdoor restaurant next to the bridge.

Selfie at the Solis Viaduct bridge

Laax

Our last stop of the second day was Laax, the town just west of Flims. I had researched what to see here and found they had a small lake to walk around. We parked right next to the lake and did the 30-minute circular walk.

The town of Laax

It was warm and pleasant outside, so we decided to stop for an Aperol spritz (my favorite cocktail) at an outdoor bar. The location was perfect for admiring the snow-capped mountains, lush green countryside, and shimmering lake. Visiting Laax was a lovely way to end our eventful day!

Refreshing Aperol Spritz cocktails by the lake in Laax

We were very lucky with the weather for the two days we were in this area. It was sunny and quite warm for mid-May with temps around 21c (69f). We would have stayed longer but the rain was forecasted for the third day, so we headed back home.

Would you like to visit this area? I could offer you detailed tips on where to go and how to maximize your time in Flims! Here is a link to more of my photos and videos from this trip!

Pin the below image to Pinterest to refer back to!

If you are looking for other ideas on what to see in Switzerland, you will want to see my other posts below!

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

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