Indivdual long-distance hike without luggage 

The Via Sett leades from Chur through the Churwaldner valley, Lenzerheide, the Surses in Parc Ela and over the Septimer Pass and the Bregaglia valley (Bergell) to Chiavenna (Italy). The focus of this route is on the three languages and cultural areas as well as the diverse landscape from the alpine level to the chestnut groves. 

The Septimer Pass was one of the most important Alpine crossings during Roman times. The pass was a crucial trade route and brought wealth to the bishopdom of Chur during the Middle Ages. Traders, armies, kings and emperors all crossed the Alps via the Septimer Pass. The advantage of this crossing was the favorable location with a direct north-south connection and the ideal topographical condition. The Roman army also benefitted from these conditions as discoveries of slingshots at the top of the pass show. 

Today the Septimer Pass route is one of the most diverse cultural, long-distance hiking routes in Switzerland. From the Grison/Graubuenden capital of Chur to Chiavenna (Italy), the Via Sett follows in the footsteps of an eventful history across the Alps. Archaeological sites, mansions and mule houses, changing stations for horses, churches and historical pathways let you experience this important history to this day. 

The landscape is just as diverse as the building and cultural history. There is a lot to discover including the old towns of Chur and Chiavenna, the Churwalden monastery church, Swiss stone pine and larch forests, the idyllic Heidsee or the sun-drenched high valley of Surses, once the place of work of the painter Giovanni Segantini. In the Bergell valley you can visit the studio of Giovanni Giacometti in Stampa or the Roman dam "Müraia" near Promontogno. The thundering waterfalls of Acquafraggia and the glacier mills in the park "Marmitte dei Giganti" are spectacular. The "Crotti di Chiavenna" are a culinary highlight. Wine, cheese and dried meat are kept and offered in these "natural rock caves".

There are two options for the return journey to Chur. Either you take the Postbus and the Rhaetian Railway via Thusis to Chur or the Postbus through the Bergell valley to St. Moritz and from there with the Rhaetian Railway via the famous Albula line back to Chur.

Via Sett is accessible from mid-June to mid-October depending on the weather conditions (snow fields on the pass). The average walking time is 4 - 7 hours. The stages can be shortened by use of public transport.