The Landwasser Viaduct

Six tall arches of pale limestone step across the Landwasser gorge on a curve, and at the far end the track does not continue onto a hillside but vanishes directly into a tunnel mouth cut in a vertical cliff. That detail is what makes the Landwasser Viaduct famous: the railway commits to the rock without a metre of level ground in between. Completed in 1902, it stands about 65 metres above the river and runs some 136 metres across, and it was built without conventional scaffolding, using steel towers instead. It carries the Albula line of the Rhaetian Railway, part of the UNESCO-listed Albula and Bernina railway landscape, and the trains that cross it are ordinary scheduled services as well as the panoramic tourist ones. A short marked path from Filisur brings you to the viewpoint most photographs are taken from.

What you actually see

• The gorge viewpoint - the classic angle showing the curve and the tunnel mouth, reached on foot from Filisur.
• The crossing itself - ride the Albula line and watch the arches from a window on the way through.
• Filisur village - painted houses and a quiet station that serves as the trailhead.
• The Albula line - spiral tunnels and further viaducts climbing the valley towards the Engadine.

When to go

Every season works. Autumn brings larch colour, winter puts snow on the arches, and summer gives the longest light. Check the timetable and time your visit for a train, since the viaduct without a train on it is only half the picture.

Honest expectations

The viewpoint is a walk, not a car park, and the last section is a woodland path that gets muddy. It is popular, and on summer weekends you will share the railing. Trains cross frequently, so a short wait usually delivers, but the panoramic services in particular are worth checking the times for.

Nearby

The Albula valley climbs towards Bergün and the Engadine; the Bernina line to Tirano continues the UNESCO route south.