Imboden covers 203.80 km² and ranges in altitude from 556 to 3,247 metres above sea level. The region is an administrative unit in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It includes the municipalities of Bonaduz, Domat/Ems, Rhäzüns, Felsberg, Flims, Tamins and Trin. This gives you a choice of nature and cultural experiences, as well as trails with a wide range of estimated durations, when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Flims, Bonaduz, Tamins, Trin, Rhäzüns, Domat/Ems.

Floodplains, moors and alpine landscapes

The Rhäzüns Rhine floodplains are among Switzerland’s most intact floodplain landscapes and are of national importance. The lower Segnesboden, also known as Plaun Segnas Sut, is also specially protected: in 1996, it was added to the national inventory of moorland landscapes of outstanding beauty and national importance. A very different natural feature is the Martinsloch, a natural opening in the rock face measuring 19 metres wide and 22 metres high.

Crestasee is a protected natural monument of regional importance in the canton of Graubünden and is accessible only on foot. Weihermühle is home to a fen of national importance. Among the species found there are hazel dormice and numerous orchid species; sundew, a native carnivorous plant, also grows there. In the wider region, the Rhine Gorge provides a habitat for rare plants, including various orchids, and rare animals, especially birds, butterflies and bats.

Lakes and waterways with different conditions

At Crestasee, you can rent rowing boats or go stand-up paddleboarding. At Caumasee, there are pedal boats, stand-up paddleboarding, a volleyball court, a sandpit and a playground. Lag Bonaduz becomes a swimming lake in the summer months; a wooden walkway lets you enter the water. These facilities differ, as do the access conditions: Crestasee can only be reached on foot.

After the snow melts, around 20 potholes on Alp Mora fill with crystal-clear, turquoise water and invite you to swim in the summer months. Private vehicles are not permitted on the access road. In July and August, a bus runs from Trin to Purcs; check the timetable before travelling, as schedules may change.

Choose trails to suit your time and interests

Flims, a municipality in the Imboden region, offers an extensive network of biking and hiking trails in summer. The Trutg dil Flem includes the 8.6-kilometre original Segnes–Flims section. In spring 2014, Trutg dil Flem received the main prize in the Prix Rando awards from the Swiss Hiking Trails Association.

The 6-kilometre Connbächli has been used since the early Middle Ages to water livestock in Conn and is still considered a cultural asset of the municipality of Flims. The Connbächli route leads to Conn, is 3.2 kilometres long and takes about one hour. By way of comparison, the Emser Tuma and Rhine Heights hike is considerably longer, at 17.6 kilometres and five hours; it is rated moderate. In Bonaduz, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Rhäzüns and Tamins, five Nordic walking routes are also linked together and are suitable for jogging and running.

Churches, villages and regional routes

Sogn Paul is a medieval church whose interior preserves fragments of frescoes by the Waltensburg Master and a workshop in the International Gothic style. The church of Sogn Gieri lies between Bonaduz and Rhäzüns. Its origins date back to the 6th or 7th century; a new choir was added in the second quarter of the 14th century, followed later by a painted interior. Felsberg’s historic old village is characterised by narrow lanes and traditional houses from Graubünden. Rhäzüns Castle was first mentioned in 1288 and is not open to the public.

The Churer Rheintal culture and culinary route passes through Felsberg and Tamins to the confluence of the Rhine at Reichenau, then continues onto the high plateau of the municipalities of Bonaduz and Rhäzüns. The Wald & Wasser culinary trail links three establishments as a hiking experience. To compare walking times, you can choose between the roughly one-hour Connbächli route and longer hikes such as the five-hour Emser Tuma and Rhine Heights.

Exploring the wider area

The Kunkelspass connects Vättis in the canton of St. Gallen with Tamins in Graubünden; its mountain landscape is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tektonikarena Sardona. The municipality of Tamins has set up an exhibition room at the pass. With a little luck, you may spot ibex and chamois in the wild along the Felsberger Älpli–Kunkelspass route. In Flims, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tektonikarena Sardona is directly accessible by cable car; from Segnesboden, you can explore it along a hiking trail.

You can explore the Rhine Gorge by train and bus: the Rhaetian Railway runs through the Ruinaulta close to the water, while the PostBus reaches villages above the gorge as well as destinations within it. On the Rhine Gorge suspension bridge–Wackenau Castle Ruins route, you cross the Rhine via the 100-metre-long Punt Ruinaulta suspension bridge. For more views of the landscape, the listed options also include a rafting trip through the Ruinaulta from Ilanz to Reichenau and gravel bike tours through the Rhine Gorge and over alpine passes.

For the main travel overview: Graubünden.