Thusis – Viamala Gorge – Zillis
Through the amazing Viamala gorge
An amazing hike - even for a day when the weather is not so great. Hike along the dramatic Viamala gorge in Graubünden starting from Thusis and ending in Zillis. Be prepared to be impressed!
This hike starts from Thusis and ends at Zillis-Reischen (Graubünden, south-east Switzerland).
Time of year: Spring, Summer, Autumn
Tags: Public transport, Suitable for families, Food en-route, Accommodation en-route, Ice-cream at end of hike
Rating: 
Hiked by us on: 16th May 2016
This is a perfect hike for a day when the weather is not so great. It passes through the dramatic Viamala gorge. Viamala or Via Mala (which in Romansh (Switzerland’s 4th language) literally means “bad path”) is an ancient and notorious section of a path along the Hinterrhein river. It is possible to walk down into one of the narrowest parts for 4 CHF. Be prepared to be impressed!
We started in Thusis and followed the signs for the Viamala schlucht (gorge). The hike initially climbs up up above the ruin of Hohenratien and then slowly drops down again.
Before reaching the gorge there are a few “mini-side-gorges” to cross with some rather wonderful footbridges.
After 2 hours we reached the very impressive Viamala gorge itself with some vertigo-testing views!
We simply continued to follow the path along the gorge, marvelling at the engineering.
There are up to 3 generations of bridges and roads acrobatically winding their way through the narrow rocks.
Fortunately, the busy and noisy A13 highway only occasionally appears. But it is still dramatic when it does.
After 4 hours, the gorge widens and the views open up.
Before reaching the end of the hike at Zillis, we passed through the quaint village of Reischen with some intent looking cats guarding the chickens.
After 6 hours we reached the village of Zillis. The ever-reliable Swiss Post Busses whisked us back to the start of the hike. A great day out and wonderful in almost any weather!
Food, accommodation and/or villages we found on this hike
Camping and restaurant Rania
(Food and accommodation)
The camping place and restaurant is on the edge of the HinterRhein river and 15 miniutes from the visitor center of the Viamala gorge. Be it for a short break or for a holiday in the fresh air, the camping place and restaurant are perfect - quiet and relaxing.
The 5 day forecast in Thusis
Webcams
We could not find any webcams in the area close to this hike.
Need some hiking down-time?
If you need a day off from hiking, below are some of the great things you can do within 30 km from the start of this hike.
Thusis outdoor pool
(0.6 km away)
A wonderful outdoor pool surrounded by pine woods. Beautiful!
Chur
(17.8 km away)
Wander around the well preserved, oldest town in Switzerland
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2 Comments
Interested in this hike?
Please feel free to contact us for more information.
Just found your website while looking for interesting hikes, thanks so much for this one, it looks great, putting it on our list for sure. Love the photo’s. Couldn’t find much info on Thusis but we will possibly base ourselves in Chur, does it take long to get from Chur to Thusis by bus? From the article I assume you started walking from Thusis? Any info would be very greatly appreciated, thanks.
Hello – thanks for contacting us! There are frequent trains running between Chur and Thusis – it takes around 30-40 mins.
At the end of the walk, when you reach Zillis, you’ll need to get a bus back to Thusis (no trains from Zillis) – but it’s a lovely bus ride back through the Viamala gorge. There is normally more than one bus per hour, but occasionally only per hour. Sometimes it may be quicker to stay on the bus back to Chur.
Use the brilliant SBB website to plan your travels – https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
And enjoy the hike – it is a cracker! Especially at this time of year, when you come out of the amazing gorge, it opens up into Dandelion filled meadows and there’ll still be snow up on the mountains.
Have fun! Alastair and Elke