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What You Need To Know

Arosa is an Alpine resort village in the Schanfigg Valley, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It’s known for its lakes, ski slopes and trails like the Squirrel Path. Boat-dotted Obersee Lake has a seasonal water display with fountains, lights and music. Untersee Lake has a sandy beach. West of Arosa is Weisshorn, a mountain peak accessible by cable car. It has views toward the city of Chur and Piz Bernina Peak.

The tradition-rich Grisons holiday resort of Arosa is located at the end of the romantic Schanfigg Valley at an altitude of about 1800 metres above sea level. With its impressive range of mountain peaks all around, Arosa Lenzerheide is just as attractive for extended hiking tours in summer as it is in winter, offering a great variety of snow sport activities.

Area: 154,8 km²
Population: 2 267

Currency

  • The Swiss franc (CHF) is the only official currency in Switzerland. The franc is the only currency accepted everywhere. The Euro is the currency in the neighboring countries Germany, France, Italy and Austria, and in many other European countries.Nevertheless, you can pay with Euros in many shops, hotels, rail stations and gas stations in Switzerland. This is convenient if you're only in transit or only stay for one night. Many smaller shops, market stalls, kiosks, etc. only allow payment in Swiss francs. Note that the Euro is a foreign currency in Switzerland, so accepting it results in extra costs and risks for shop owners. Therefore, if you pay with Euros, change will be in Swiss francs and the exchange rate is mostly not in your favor. For longer stays, it is cheaper and more convenient to have Swiss francs at hand.
  • Credit cards and debit cards are widely accepted, so there is no need to have large amounts of cash at hand. You can pay larger amounts by cards and take along some cash for smaller payments and places that do not accept cards.Swiss francs can be obtained from ATM's. They are available in all towns, and you usually find them at the post office, rail station and shopping center. In general this is the cheapest way to obtain cash. Your bank can provide exact fees. To save time upon arrival, it can be handy to purchase some Swiss francs before you depart.

    Your bank may charge fees for both cash withdrawal through ATM's and credit/debit card payments.

Weather

In Arosa, the summers are cool and wet; the winters are long, freezing, and snowy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 12°F to 62°F and is rarely below 2°F or above 70°F.
the best time of year to visit Arosa for warm-weather activities is from early July to mid August.
The warm season lasts for 3.2 months, from June 5 to September 11, with an average daily high temperature above 54°F. The hottest day of the year is July 29, with an average high of 62°F and low of 44°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.7 months, from November 19 to March 10, with an average daily high temperature below 32°F. The coldest day of the year is January 12, with an average low of 12°F and high of 25°F.

Language

Graubünden is the only trilingual canton of Switzerland. Among the population living in Graubünden, 64 percent speak German, 13 percent Romansh, 11 Italian, and the remaining 12 percent use other regional languages. Romansh is only spoken in Graubünden, there are five different dialects in total and a written language known as «Rumantsch Grischun», which was created 1982. In 1996, Romansh became an official language of the Confederation (designation for the Swiss state).

Around two thirds of the Graubünden population use German as its main language. In particular, we can roughly identify the following German-speaking areas: Walser German is spoken in the Rheinwald, in Vals, Safien, in Schanfigg with Arosa, in Prättigau with Klosters, Davos and in the enclave of Obersaxen.

Health and security

  • The Swiss healthcare system is globally known as an outstanding model, with among the highest amount of healthcare expenditure in the world after the US. Swiss healthcare combines public, subsidised private and totally private healthcare systems to create an extensive network of highly qualified doctors (many of them from elsewhere in the EU) and Swiss hospitals, the best equipped medical facilities and no waiting lists – but it all comes at a price.Switzerland's healthcare system derives a significant portion of funding from mandatory Swiss health insurance premiums (averaging around EUR 450 per month) and out-of-pocket payments, meaning there is no free healthcare in Switzerland. In line with the high cost of living in Switzerland, Swiss health insurance equals around 10 percent of the average Swiss salary.
  • Travelling in Switzerland is safe, it’s highly ranked on the list of the safest and most dangerous countries. Switzerland is in top 10 of the safest countries on the planet. Violent crime is very rare in the country. Petty crimes like pickpocketing and phone snatching are on the rise in recent years.

DON'T

  • Switzerland is not a member of the European customs union. On the one hand that gives you the opportunity to buy real tax-free goods at airports when you are travelling from and to Switzerland. On the other hand there are tight restrictions on the goods you can take free of customs duty from Switzerland to your country. For EU-countries the following customs and tax allowances apply (for other countries check with the according customs authorities):Tobacco: 200 (50 to some countries) cigarettes or 100 (20) cigarillos or 50 (10) cigars or 250 gr (50) of smoking tobacco.
    Alcohol: 1 litre of spirits over 22{9886c10a8b732f834f1b4f20257ac422b0b2d222aa0b9c4132bf7f55d3e6e93b} vol or 2 litres of spirits with less than 22{9886c10a8b732f834f1b4f20257ac422b0b2d222aa0b9c4132bf7f55d3e6e93b} vol, 4 litres of still wine, 16 litres of beer.
    Other goods: Max. value of all goods: 430 euros for air travellers and 300 euros for other travellers.

    Goods over these limits must be declared when entering a EU-country, additional taxes and VAT may apply.

  • Switzerland is known as one of the more expensive countries to visit in Europe, and visitors are advised to choose their dinners wisely. However, responsible planning can help you avoid paying too much. While a three-course meal with wine will cost you more than 40 Swiss francs per person, you can have sandwiches that will cost you no more than eight francs. Also, remember that in Switzerland, most restaurant bills include service. Unless service is exceptional, there is no need to add any further server tip. However, visitors should be aware that the credit card bills leave open the ability to tip. If you’re not paying attention, you may end up paying far more for the meal than you realized.

DO

  • Untersee bathing beach – idyllically situated bathing beach with a sandy shore, sunbathing lawn and decking, solar-heated paddling pool, 50-metre-slide, diving boards, table tennis and a garden restaurant.
  • Weisshorn (2,653 metres above sea level) – the new panorama restaurant offers magnificent 360° views over 400 peaks in Switzerland and neighbouring countries as well as down to Chur, the capital of Grisons.
  • Don't miss the light, water, and music show on the lake at 9:50 pm every Saturday from mid-June to mid-October (except in the event of heavy rain or wind).
  • The town has two sections. Inner-Arosa, where the Walsers (immigrants from the Valais) built their wooden chalets in the 14th century, is at the end of the valley. Ausser-Arosa is near the train station and the Obersee (Upper Lake). Between the two is the impossible-to-miss casino, with its mosaic facade of screaming colors (it has now been converted into a theater-cinema). A convenient free bus shuttles through the town, and traffic is forbidden between midnight and 6 am. After you deliver your luggage to your hotel, you probably won't be using your car again while in town.