Discover Safien: Walser culture and hiking trails

Safien brings together local history and trails amid a vast mountain landscape. Safien Platz offers specific cultural points of interest, while other tours and seasonal activities extend across the Safiental as a whole. If you are looking for a hotel in Safien, these local and valley-wide connections can help shape your travel plans.

Landscape and Walser culture

Safien Platz lies at 1,315 metres in a striking cultural and natural landscape. The Walser people left their mark on the Safiental around 700 years ago; their distinctive architecture, culture and language continue to shape the valley today. The Safiental is a romantically wild mountain valley in Beverin Nature Park that opens into the Rhine Gorge, where the rugged rock faces reach heights of up to 300 metres.

The Safiental can be explored on foot along an extensive network of hiking trails. The Rhine Gorge can be reached by the Rhine Gorge bus and the Rhaetian Railway. These wider-ranging attractions complement the destinations in Safien Platz, though not every tour follows the same route.

Church, museum and regional products

The Reformed church in Safien Platz is a Late Gothic structure dating from 1510. Its notable features include a polygonal choir. Since June 2024, the Safien Platz Museum has been housed in the Alte Post in the centre of Safien Platz, close to the PostBus stop. It provides space for special exhibitions and other activities; the programme may change.

The museum building is a distinctive Walser house with an attached 17th-century stable. In the village, you can therefore encounter both the Late Gothic church and a historic residence with a stable. Spensa adds another local point of interest as a shop selling products from the Safiental.

The Safien Platz power station also offers a special point of interest: guided tours of the facility are available year-round. The cultural attractions in Safien Platz therefore include architectural history, a museum and technology, while the trails extend into different parts of the valley.

Hiking and cycling

The second stage of the Via Capricorn is 15 kilometres long. It leads from Glaspass via Inner Glas, Safien Platz, Hof, Camanaboda, Thalkirch and Under Gassli to Turrahus. Another type of outing is the Safien Platz–Zalön–Hof–Safien Platz circular hike: it reaches 1,658 metres and offers views of Piz Beverin and Bruschghorn.

The Walserweg Safiental is a three-day tour via Tenna and Safien Platz to Turrahus. The routes offer different kinds of experiences: a 15-kilometre stage, a circular hike with views of two named peaks, and a three-day route through several stops in the valley. When planning your hikes, take seasonal conditions into account.

The Safiental Legends Trail leads from Thalkirch (Enthälb) to Safien Platz and follows the Walserweg Safiental. It is signposted in both directions along its entire length and is considered suitable for families. Ten legends are depicted on panels along the trail. The route thus combines a specific trail with a storytelling tradition brought to life by the panels along the way.

Cycling is also represented by a specifically described route: the Aussersafien Bike is 15.4 kilometres long and starts and ends at the school in Safien Platz. The details of the hikes and bike route provide different route options for your travel plans without specifying a particular walking or cycling time.

Seasonal experiences in the Safiental

The Openair Safiental takes place in the Safiental in mid-July each year. The venue is the Studahüschiwald; the festival is known for its connection with nature and family-friendly atmosphere. Another activity is weather-dependent in winter: if conditions are cold enough, two natural ice rinks are set up in the Safiental from December to February. They are free for visitors and local residents to use.

Discover more destinations: Vella Gr, Waltensburg, Flond, Sumvitg, Disentis/Mustér, Valendas, Breil-Brigels, Suraua.

Return to the regional travel overview: Surselva.