Coach Hire Across Switzerland

Chur Coach Hire: Old Town, RhB and Viamala

Chur publishes five coach parks, and the Bernina Express starts at its station. That makes it a practical base for days that mix rail and road.

Five places to park

Closest to the old town is the Lindenquai: 4 spaces, free, a two-minute walk, with public toilets facing it. At the Stadthalle on the Weststrasse, entered via the Kasernenstrasse, parking is free and unlimited in time. The Sägenstrasse offers 2 spaces, usable between 05.00 and 22.00. Next to the station, Ottostrasse 8 has a single space for set-downs of up to 15 minutes.

Obere Au, at the edge of town, allows up to 24 hours, is paid and has buses into the centre. The city's online map has a coach-parking layer.

MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view
MAN Lion's Coach 49-seat touring coach, front three-quarter view

The old town on foot

The old town is a pedestrian zone. Coaches that have been ordered may drive in, as may taxis and hotel guests arriving with bags. Around the old town no stops are reserved for coaches, so a short stop to let people off happens where traffic allows.

For a club evening or a large meeting, the Stadthalle sits right next to its own coach park, and the event hall on the Pulvermühlestrasse holds up to about 6,500 people.

Airports for a group arriving in Chur

Stadiums and arenas a coach can reach

  • Hallenstadion Obere Au — Ice hall of EHC Chur, for about 3,000 spectators, at the Obere Au sports area

Coach day trips from Chur

  • Lenzerheide — about 18 km, about 30 min
  • Bad Ragaz — about 21 km, about 20 min
  • Maienfeld (Heididorf) — about 22 km, about 30 min
  • Flims (Caumasee) — about 26 km, about 50 min
  • Thusis — about 27 km, about 30 min
  • Arosa (mountain road with many bends) — about 28 km, about 40 min
  • Viamala gorge — about 30 km, about 35 min
  • Vaduz, Liechtenstein — about 39 km, about 35 min
  • Filisur (Landwasser Viaduct) — about 47 km, about 55 min
  • Klosters — about 47 km, about 1 h
  • Davos — about 60 km, about 1.25 h
  • Disentis — about 61 km, about 1.25 h
  • St. Moritz (over the Julier pass) — about 86 km, about 1.75 h
  • Andermatt (over the Oberalp pass, closed in winter) — about 93 km, about 2 h
  • St. Gallen — about 103 km, about 1.5 h
  • Bellinzona (San Bernardino tunnel) — about 117 km, about 2.25 h
  • Zürich — about 120 km, about 1.75 h

Where a coach can stop in Chur, and other rules

  • Zurich Airport (ZRH) is about 130 km by road from the old town, about 2 h in light traffic, by the A13 and A3. ASTRA plans major works on the A13 between Landquart and the Sarganserland from 2027 to 2029. Journeys take longer at peak times.
  • Railway station: Chur station (SBB and RhB) is the start of the Bernina Express and a stop of the Glacier Express, with RhB lines to Arosa, Davos, St. Moritz and Disentis; the PostAuto station is on the bus deck above the station ("Chur, Postautostation"). The bus stops on the Bahnhofplatz are being rebuilt for step-free access until the end of November 2026.
  • Coach parking (Chur Tourism): Lindenquai (4 spaces, free, 2 minutes from the old town, public toilets opposite); Stadthalle on the Weststrasse (entry from the Kasernenstrasse, free, no time limit); Sägenstrasse on the Freihofplatz (2 spaces, 05:00 to 22:00 only); Ottostrasse 8 by the station (1 space, at most 15 minutes, for set-down); and Obere Au at the edge of town (up to 24 hours, paid, with buses into the centre). The city's online map has a coach-parking layer.
  • The old town is a pedestrian zone; ordered coaches, taxis and overnight hotel guests with luggage may enter. There are no dedicated coach set-down stops around the old town; a short stop to let passengers off is possible where traffic allows.
  • Excursion rules: the Tamina gorge at Bad Ragaz is closed to coaches (only PostAuto, horse-drawn carriage or on foot; summer only). At the Viamala gorge coaches can park at the visitor centre (exit "Viamala" from the north on the A13). Arosa has coach parking at the Obersee car park (paid).
  • Passes and tunnels (Touring Club Schweiz pass list): the Julier and Lenzerheide roads are open all year; the Oberalp is usually closed from December to April, the Albula from December to May and the San Bernardino pass road from November to May, when traffic uses the A13 San Bernardino tunnel (maintenance programme 2026–2029 with announced night closures).
  • Cross-border day trips: a coach based in Switzerland may take a group into a neighbouring country and back. The road rules, charges and any low-emission rules of that country apply on its roads, so the operator checks them before the trip.
  • Cabotage: under Article 20 of the EU-Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, a coach operator established in an EU state may not carry passengers between two places in Switzerland. A group journey that starts and ends in Switzerland therefore needs a vehicle from an operator established in Switzerland. Coaches may carry groups across the border in both directions; these occasional services need no authorisation, but the coach carries a journey form (Fahrtenblatt).
  • Road charges: coaches and other buses over 3.5 tonnes pay the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee (pauschale Schwerverkehrsabgabe, PSVA) for every day they are in Switzerland, on all public roads, and need no motorway vignette; foreign-registered coaches pay the PSVA online through the BAZG "Via" portal or app before entering Switzerland. Minibuses and cars up to 3.5 tonnes need the motorway vignette (the e-vignette linked to the number plate, or the sticker) to use motorways and expressways (Autobahnen / autoroutes / autostrade).
  • Speed and driving bans: on motorways and expressways coaches may drive at up to 100 km/h (articulated buses and scheduled buses with standing places excepted); heavy vehicles are otherwise limited to 80 km/h. The Swiss night driving ban (22:00 to 05:00) and the Sunday and public-holiday ban for heavy vehicles do not apply to vehicles carrying passengers.
  • Drivers' hours: coach drivers follow the Swiss ordinance ARV 1, aligned with the EU rules: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest, recorded by tachograph. Drivers of foreign-registered coaches must keep the same driving, break and rest rules in Switzerland. In domestic traffic, professional drivers of cars and of minibuses with up to 16 seats besides the driver follow ARV 2 instead.
  • Winter: Switzerland has no general winter-tyre obligation, but a vehicle must be fit for the road conditions and the driver must keep control of it at all times; the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) recommends winter tyres from October to Easter. Where the sign "Schneeketten obligatorisch" / "chaînes à neige obligatoires" / "Catene per la neve obbligatorie" (sign 2.48) is shown, at least two drive wheels on the same axle must be fitted with snow chains.

Rail and coach on the same day

The Bernina Express runs from Chur to Tirano in about four hours, and the Glacier Express stops here. The coach can travel ahead empty and collect the group at the far end. PostAuto buses leave from their own deck, one level above the platforms.

The Landwasser Viaduct at Filisur is about 55 minutes by road, Davos about 1.25 hours and St. Moritz about 1.75 hours over the Julier, which stays open all year.

Gorges, Heidi and mountain roads

At the Viamala gorge coaches park at the visitor centre; take the "Viamala" exit from the north on the A13. The gorge is open between late March and early November. Leave the Tamina gorge at Bad Ragaz out of a coach plan: coaches cannot get there. At Maienfeld, brown Heididorf signs showing a bus lead the driver to the visitor car park.

Arosa is reached by a road of roughly 360 bends, rising about 1,320 m; coaches park at the Obersee. In winter the Oberalp shuts from December to April. The San Bernardino pass closes even longer, November to May, and traffic takes the tunnel below it.

What organisers ask us

How long from Zurich Airport to Chur?

About 2 hours by the A13 and A3 in light traffic. ASTRA has major A13 works planned from 2027 to 2029 north of Landquart, so allow extra time in those years.

Can we visit Liechtenstein from Chur?

Yes. Vaduz is about 35 minutes by road, an easy add-on to a Heididorf or Bad Ragaz morning.

Is the Ruinaulta reachable by coach?

The coach reaches Flims Waldhaus. From there, walkers need about an hour to reach the Il Spir platform above the gorge.

More group trips by coach

Vehicles, each with a driver