Bever

Bever is a small village of about 600 inhabitants in the Upper Engadine in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It lies on the Inn between Samedan and La Punt Chamues-ch, at the mouth of the largely unspoilt Val Bever.

Bever is first mentioned in the High Middle Ages; the oldest document in the village archive dates from 1327. The village adopted the Reformation in 1552. Until the 19th century people spoke Puter, the Romansh dialect of the Upper Engadine; today German is the everyday language. The village centre with its traditional Engadine houses is well preserved. Bever has a long tradition of landscape protection: the Inn has been restored to a more natural course since 2012, and the Beverin stream received the "Gewässerperle PLUS" label in 2021.

The hamlet of Spinas in the Val Bever, at the southern portal of the Albula Tunnel, also belongs to the municipality.

The nearest major airports are Zürich and Milan. Samedan Airport. Private and business flights only, about 3 km away. 

Bever is a junction of the Rhaetian Railway: the Albula Railway (Chur–St. Moritz) meets the Engadine line (Bever–Scuol). Trains run hourly from Chur; the Albula line is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhaetian Railway.

• Bever station. 
• Spinas station. Request stop; starting point for the Val Bever. 

From the north over the Julier Pass (open all year) or the Albula Pass (closed in winter), or via the Vereina car-train tunnel and the Lower Engadine. From the south over the Maloja or Bernina passes.

The village is small and easy to explore on foot. PostBus and Engadin Bus services link Bever with Samedan, St. Moritz and the neighbouring villages.

• Reformed church. Baroque church from 1667 without a choir; the west front has frescoes from the 14th century. 
• Chesa Orlandi. Patrician house from about 1822, one of the grandest in the village. 
• Village centre with Engadine houses, sgraffito decoration and the village fountain.
• Lej da Gravatscha. Small lake on the border with Samedan; an important breeding and resting place for birds. 

• Hiking in the Val Bever: from Bever via Spinas to the Chamanna Jenatsch. SAC mountain hut at the head of the valley. , or from Spinas over the Fuorcla Crap Alv to Preda in the Albula valley.
• Fairy-tale trail Val Bever (Märchenweg). Eight fairy tales along the path between Spinas and Bever; suitable for families. 
• The Via Engiadina hiking route (no. 87) passes through Bever.
• Cycling and mountain biking in the Inn valley and the Val Bever.

• Cross-country skiing: Bever is part of the Upper Engadine trail network, with trails into the Val Bever and towards Samedan and La Punt.
• Winter walking and snowshoeing in the Val Bever.
• The ski areas of Corviglia (St. Moritz), Corvatsch and Diavolezza are 15–30 minutes away by train and bus.

For larger shopping, the neighbouring village of Samedan (about 3 km) is the best option.

• Restaurant at the Historic Hotel Chesa Salis, Fuschigna 2. 
• Gasthaus Spinas. Inn in the Val Bever, popular with hikers and cross-country skiers. 

• Historic Hotel Chesa Salis, Fuschigna 2. Hotel in a historic patrician house in the village centre. 
• Gasthaus Spinas. Inn in the hamlet of Spinas in the Val Bever. 
• 46.553029.889951 Chesa Michel, Chà d'Mez 8, ☏ +41 81 552 99 77, info@chesamichel.ch. Check-in: from 16:00, check-out: by 10:00. Six holiday apartments and two studios for 2 to 6 guests in an Engadine house from 1786 by the village fountain; dogs allowed.  

• St. Moritz – 10 minutes by train or car
• Samedan, Pontresina, Zuoz
• The Albula Pass and Bergün on the Albula Railway

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