Andiast: Slopes, Hiking Trails and Mountain Scenery

At an altitude of around 1,178 metres above sea level, Andiast is a locality in the municipality of Breil/Brigels in the canton of Graubünden. The village lies on an exposed slope; most of the residential buildings in the village centre stand along the main road. Winter sports, hiking stages and the landscape of Val Ladral give the place a range of distinct attractions.

Winter Sports and Hiking Stages

The Brigels–Waltensburg–Andiast ski area offers 40 kilometres of groomed slopes. This gives the village a clear connection to winter sports. The hiking trails offer a different focus: they make Andiast a stage stop on longer routes.

The Via Glion is around 75 kilometres long, comprises seven stages and passes through all 13 factions of the municipality of Ilanz/Glion. The stages that include Andiast are Siat–Andiast and Andiast–Ilanz. The third stage leads from Andiast to Ilanz; between Andiast and Rueun, the route follows a comfortable natural road through meadows and forests down to the valley floor.

The fourth stage of the Senda Sursilvana offers a different route: it leads from Brigels via Waltensburg and Andiast to Laax. Cycling and mountain biking are also featured in the Andiast area, including gravel routes such as Brigels Bella Vista and mountain-bike trails in the Lag da Breil / Brigels area. At the end of the village, a narrow paved hiking and access road also leads to the dam and the neighbouring village of Panix.

Val Ladral and Views

Val Ladral provides a distinctive focal point in the landscape. From Andiast, you can reach the mouth of the valley in about an hour. From there, the trail follows the Ladralbach through the forest to the Ladral valley floor, surrounded by mountains and covered in green meadows. Andiast also offers views of the Signina Range, Piz Mundaun and the Obersaxen ridge.

The Ladral picnic area is in Val Ladral and can be reached from Andiast via a trail that passes the old Resgia Gneida sawmill. It can generally be used from around mid-May to the end of October. Check the conditions and fire regulations before your visit, as these may change.

Church and History

The Catholic parish church of St Julitta and Quiricus stands in the northeastern part of the village, surrounded by the village cemetery and set back from the village road. The two lower storeys of the church tower are believed to have been built around the year 1000, in the early Romanesque period. This date refers to these storeys and is expressed as a conjecture.

A semi-sculpted figure of Saint Julitta with her son Quiricus is depicted on the marbled wooden antependium, framed by gold-coloured acanthus leaves and red flowers. The history of settlement in the area also goes back a long way: the first documented mention of a settlement in the Andiast area dates to the year 765 and appears in Bishop Tello’s will. Archaeological finds show that the mountain area around Andiast was already inhabited in the Late Iron Age.

In neighbouring Waltensburg, you’ll find castle ruins and the Waltensburger Meister & Arcun ds tradiziun Museum, which presents frescoes and local traditions.

Discover more destinations: Breil-Brigels, Castrisch, Schluein, Schnaus, Tujetsch, Valendas, Sagens, Vals

For the full travel overview: Surselva.