My Visual Travel Experience: Guarda (Switzerland)

Guarda is a little village in the Swiss canton of Graubunden. Situated in the Swiss Alps, the village has close to 150 people. Guarda is located in the municipality of Scuol. It is in a part of Switzerland where the most commonly spoken language is Romansch. Popular destinations in the neighbourhood of Guarda include towns like Chur, St Moritz, Davos, and Klosters. My wife Kamalini Roy, our little son Rehaan, and I spent three days in Guarda in the summer of 2018, during our two and a half week trip across Switzerland. We were amazed at the stunning beauty of this village. Without doubt, Guarda is one of the most beautiful villages I have ever been to. I have my wife to thank for the trip to Guarda. I usually spend most of my travels visiting larger towns. Small villages and places of scenic beauty are what really appeal to her. And over the years, she has got me to appreciate smaller places and natural beauty more than I did earlier.

A view of Guarda

We arrived in Guarda by train from the nearby town of Klosters, where we were staying with my Indian cousin who stays in Klosters with her Swiss husband and their young daughter. Their place was our base-camp during our Swiss holiday. The railway station at Guarda is in the valley at the bottom of the mountain. There are regular buses that take passengers up to the village, barely a 5 minute uphill ride away. We stayed at a charming Airbnb apartment run by Peter and Helen in the heart of the village. Helen was away, but we got to interact closely with Peter. He was a very warm and hospitable host. The apartment was done up in a very pretty manner. We would get a delicious breakfast every morning. Peter took out a lot of time and told us about the points of interest in Guarda, along with its restaurants, and a traditional legend that makes the village famous.

View of Guarda and the surrounding mountains

Beautifully decorated flowers outside our apartment

Guarda has a pretty little church, with a single steeple. It is the most recognizable landmark in the village. Guarda's houses are unique, because many of them have sgraffiti on their exterior. All the houses in the village are numbered Chasa followed by the house number. The houses compete with each other for beauty, as so many of them have this pretty sgraffiti on their facades.

Guarda Church

Interior of Guarda Church

Pulpit, Guarda Church

Church Graveyard

Chasa 51

Chasa 54

Guarda has several hotels and restaurants. Great food options are available at places like Hotel Meisser, Hotel Piz Buin, and Pensuin Val Tuoi. For those who prefer to cook themselves, there is a small but well equipped supermarket called Volg. Our apartment had a kitchen, so we stocked up from the supermarket on a couple of occasions, and made ourselves some delicious meals of Rosti - the unique Swiss potato fries with bits of ham!

Hotel Meisser

Hotel Piz Buin

Pensiun Val Tuoi

Bratwurst and Rosti, Pensiun Val Tuoi

Salad, Hotel Meisser

Guarda is well known for the legend of Schellen Ursli, a little boy who ran away from home in search of a big bell, to take part in a competition. The village has a Schellen Ursli Museum. There is also the Schellen Ursli Weg, a trail along which walkers can go hiking and enjoy the scenic landscapes around the village. We were afraid that the uphill climb would be too much for Rehaan, who was just over 3 and a half years old at that time. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find him running up the hill and leaving us far behind! The little fellow sure is an energy-ball, and we had underestimated his stamina levels! We took a wrong turn during our trail that made our walk several kilometers longer than it should have been, but that didn't seem to bother Rehaan. At the end of our hike, when Kamalini and I were both absolutely exhausted, Rehaan looked like he could have started running a marathon! During our hike, we also got to see cows and goats. The cows had their quintessential Swiss cow-bells. It was a lovely sight, and the sound of the cow-bells was music to the ears!

Sleighs, Schellen Ursli Museum

The book of Schellen Ursli,
Schellen Ursli Museum

Schellen Ursli Weg

Scenic views along Schellen Ursli Weg

Bridge, Schellen Ursli Weg

Goats

What a wonderfully relaxed visit it was! And what beauty we were surrounded by! We left Guarda with huge smiles on our faces, and memories to last a lifetime - memories of scenic mountains, pristine greenery, pretty architecture, a lovely little church, delicious Swiss food, friendly people, a charming apartment we loved staying in, and some amazing family-time together!