Parpan: Architecture, Cheese and Trails
Accommodation in Parpan
Parpan combines a rich architectural history and local production with trails and activities for different seasons. If you’re looking for a hotel in Parpan, you can consider whether to focus your trip on historic buildings, insights into cheese-making or time outdoors.
Church and Schlössli: Architectural History in Parpan
The Reformed Church in Parpan was built after 1489 as a late Gothic structure with a polygonal choir. Its unadorned tower with a tent roof was rebuilt in 1633 and stands apart on a small hill west of the church.
Another glimpse into the village’s history is the Schlössli. It was built in the mid-16th century for the Hartmann von Hartmannis family and expanded by the Buol family in 1675. Decorative wall paintings by Hans Ardüser from 1591 have been preserved inside. As of 1 January 2026, the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property Protection lists the Schlössli as a Category A cultural property.
Cheese and BĂĽndnerfleisch: Discover Traditional Craftsmanship
The Parpan Alpine Cheese Dairy is located in the old cowshed of the Plantahof Alp, a building more than 100 years old. Large windows offer a view of the cheese dairy and cheese cellar, where visitors can also watch the cheese-maker at work. The finished cheese can be sampled on site. Groups can arrange a guided tour with a presentation and tasting in advance.
At the Tschugga show dairy, visitors can make their own cheese under expert guidance. The experience includes a tasting during the cheese-making process; participants receive their finished cheese at home by post three weeks later.
The Brügger family’s air-dried meat workshop is also open to visitors. Groups of 12 to 40 people can book a guided tour. Stories about a craft handed down through generations are paired with a tasting of Bündner air-dried meat specialities. The Brügger family’s history in Parpan has been closely connected with the production of Bündnerfleisch for four generations.
Hiking, Biking and Winter Trails
In summer, Parpan is a starting point for hikes and bike tours. The Mittelberg Trail is a circular hiking route of around seven kilometres, starting at the village square in Ried, Parpan. It climbs along Oberbergstrasse to Tschuggen, then descends to the old Maiensäss settlement in Mittelberg.
The Parpan–Joch–Tschiertschen route offers an alternative. From Parpan, it follows a natural gravel track north via Tschuggen, Oberberg and Capätsch. The section over the Chur Joch offers views of the Chur Rhine Valley, the Schanfigg valley and the area around Lenzerheide.
In winter, 225 kilometres of ski pistes are available in the area around Parpan. The Proschieri ski lift and Heimberg chairlift are within walking distance of Parpan; the ski lift leads directly to a ski piste. The four-person Heimberg chairlift takes visitors to an altitude of over 2,000 metres in just a few minutes.
Cross-country skiing and ice skating are also among the winter activities: the holiday region’s network of cross-country ski trails runs right through the village, and the Parpan-Capfeders trail starts and ends at the Parpan Cross-Country Ski Centre. It is well suited to experienced, fit cross-country skiers. You can go ice skating on Parpan’s natural ice rink. So hiking and biking take centre stage in summer, while cross-country skiing, ice skating and ski pistes shape the range of winter activities.
Discover more destinations: Molinis, LitzirĂĽti, Tschiertschen, Malix, Chur, Castiel, Sankt Peter, Churwalden.
Back to the main travel overview: Plessur.
