Chur is both an old Alpine settlement and a contemporary regional capital. The Plessur meets the Rhine valley below the city, while routes through the surrounding passes connect northern Europe with central and southern Graubünden. Trains, buses, the cantonal administration, health and education services, shops, restaurants and cultural institutions give the town a role beyond tourism. The City of Chur’s 2026 fact sheet records 41,713 residents on 31 December 2025. That total is for the municipality in its current boundaries, including places incorporated over time; it does not describe the population of the compact old town alone. Tschiertschen-Praden joined the city on 1 January 2025, adding mountain settlements to a municipality whose historic core lies beside the Plessur. German is Chur’s official and predominant everyday language, although the capital sits in a canton where German, Romansh and Italian are all at home. The city’s municipal information sheet names German as the city’s official language, while the 2026 factsheet gives the population count and territorial scope.
Chur’s claim to be Switzerland’s oldest city rests on archaeological evidence of people living on its present territory, not on an assertion that one continuous city has existed for millennia. Finds extend back to the Palaeolithic; permanent settlements are documented in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Rome conquered the region in 15 BCE, and Chur later became a road station on routes linking the Rhine valley to Alpine passes. The first named bishop, Asinio, is recorded in 451, marking Chur’s early role as an ecclesiastical centre. Roman occupation is tangible in Welschdörfli, south of the Plessur: excavations there uncovered prehistoric settlements and the remains of a Roman roadside station, with protective buildings designed by Peter Zumthor now sheltering visible ruins. Above the old town, the cathedral precinct speaks to another layer of authority. The present Cathedral of the Assumption was built largely from the twelfth to thirteenth centuries; the bishop’s court and cathedral shaped Chur’s medieval political life. The town’s identity then changed through guild rule, the Reformation and its later role as capital of Graubünden. The tourism office’s account of Chur’s archaeological and written history, its page on the Roman excavations and the account of the cathedral and old town make those distinctions clear.
Begin at the station and walk toward the pedestrian old town. The route reaches the Obertor, then threads through lanes and squares such as Arcas and Martinsplatz, where medieval walls, shopfronts, cafés and restaurants share a compact centre. Climb to the Hof district for the cathedral, the bishop’s palace and views across the roofs. Inside the cathedral, a late-Gothic high altar by Jakob Russ, carved choir stalls and Romanesque sculpture reward a slower visit. St Martin’s Church gives a different story: rebuilt after a town fire, it became the Reformed city church and later received three stained-glass windows by Augusto Giacometti. Welschdörfli lies just beyond the old core, where the remains of Roman buildings sit near today’s bars and nightlife. For context, the Rätisches Museum presents the history and cultures of the whole canton in a Baroque house; the Bündner Kunstmuseum connects regional artists with a wider art history, and the Natural History Museum focuses on the canton’s landscapes and species. Chur’s old town is largely traffic-free and hosts regular markets, so it works as both a heritage walk and an active shopping and dining district. The official pages for museums in Chur list current collections, exhibitions and visitor information.
One unusual advantage is that the city has a mountain area reached directly from the centre. The Chur–Dreibündenstein lifts carry visitors from the Welschdörfli side up to Brambrüesch, where summer walking and mountain-bike trails give way to winter skiing, sledging and snowshoe routes when conditions permit. The upland is not a faraway day trip: a city bus links the station area with the lower cableway station, and the ascent turns a morning in the old town into an afternoon above the Rhine valley. Nearby itineraries can continue toward Dreibündenstein or descend toward Känzeli; choose by weather, ability and the lift’s current operating calendar. For a gentler day, Chur’s parks, pools and museums offer alternatives close to the centre. Overnight visitors at participating accommodation can receive the Chur guest card, which includes local public transport in Zone 150 and benefits at several museums, pools and the Brambrüesch cableway; check the current conditions before booking. The official pages for Brambrüesch and the Chur guest card provide seasonal service and included-benefit details.
Transport is part of Chur’s character. Long-distance trains connect it with Zürich and other Swiss cities, while the station brings SBB services together with the Rhaetian Railway and PostBus network. From here, the RhB runs toward Arosa and into Graubünden’s mountain valleys; its Albula line is a UNESCO World Heritage railway route, and the Bernina Express begins its southbound journey from Chur toward Tirano. These famous trains make Chur a practical overnight base, but the town merits time in its own right: a full day can combine the cathedral, an archaeological site, a museum and dinner in the old centre. A second day can be reserved for Brambrüesch or a longer rail excursion. The city’s economy includes administration, healthcare, education, local trade, hospitality and transport services alongside a significant visitor sector, so the same infrastructure serves residents as well as travellers. Accommodation ranges from hotels and guesthouses to holiday apartments; the tourist information office and station make maps, local transport and excursion planning accessible. Check SBB and RhB schedules, museum opening days, the Brambrüesch lift calendar and mountain conditions before travelling. For connections from Zürich HB to Chur, the station guide and the RhB’s Albula line information are useful starting points.