Samnaun

Samnaun is a city in Graubünden, in Switzerland.

It is close to the Austrian border and is a separate duty-free area, which means that you might be controlled by the Swiss customs as well when going to or leaving Samnaun. There are four villages inside the Samnaun area, Samnaun-Dorf (at the end of the road going through the area), Compatsch, Laret and Ravaisch.

In the winter Samnaun is a place for snowboarders and skiers, as Samnaun is a part of the ski center in Ischgl at the Austrian side of the border, in the summer people come there mostly for shopping and enjoying the nature. There are many shops selling jewellery, swiss watches, alcohol and tobacco as well as many restaurants and hotels.

Get in

Samnaun might be one of the most remote parts of Switzerland, and getting there will require some patience.

By bus

There is a postal bus with a dozen trips a day from Martina (45 min) and Scuol (1 hr 20 min). From Martina there are buses to Landeck in Austria and Mals in Italy.

By car

Traditionally the only road into Samnaun went through Austria, hence the special status of the valley as a duty free area. Today there are two roads into Samnaun, one via Austria and another one entirely on Swiss territory.

Get around

Walking is the best way to get around inside Samnaun-Dorf.

See

• 1 Sennerei Samnaun, Samnaun-Laret, ☏ +41 81 868 51 58. During summer W 09:00, reservation required. A cheese dairy which uses milk from the valley to make cheese. Visit includes tasting. The restaurant and shop are also opened on other days. (updated Jun 2017)
• 2 Museum Samnaun, ☏ +41 81 861 88 30. During summer, Th 17:00, on reservation only. Local history museum. Fr. 7/3. (updated Jun 2017)

Do

In the winter Samnaun is excellent place for winter sports. In the summer there are also a variety of sports like hiking, biking or tennis.

• 1 Samnaun ski area (238 km in winter, 45 lifts). The ski area is shared with Austria, hence the prices are given in euros. Day pass € 49/31. (updated Jun 2017)

Samnaun is surrounded by mountains

Buy

There are many duty-free shops in Samnaun similar to those at major airports. However one has to remember that there are some strict customs regulations. Please pay attention to these otherwise you might get in trouble.

The main street

Opening hours are in general: M-Sa 09:00–18:00, Su 13:00–18:00.

Eat

There are relatively many restaurants in Samnaun. No fast-food available, but instead more classic restaurants with usual Swiss menus... and prices.

• 1 Bündner Stube, Dorfstrasse 17, ☏ +41 81 861 9000. Fr. 20-30 for mains. (updated Jan 2017)

Sleep

For its size, Samnaun has a big number of hotels, many of them are offering wellness services, etc.

• 1 Chasa Montana, Dorfstrasse 3, ☏ +41 81 861 90 00, info@hotelchasamontana.ch. (updated Feb 2017)