Bergün sits in the Albula valley in Graubünden, in a landscape so steep that the railway has to loop and spiral to climb it, and the village is where the show begins. A line of the Rhaetian Railway runs through the village on its way up to the Albula tunnel, and on the slope above, trains can be seen passing in several levels, vanishing into tunnels, crossing viaducts and turning around themselves in great loops. The whole line, with its bridges and tunnels, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Bergün is one of its best vantage points.
The village itself is a gem of Engadine-style architecture, with thick-walled houses whose facades are decorated with sgraffito, a technique in which patterns are scratched into plaster, and carved wooden doors. The locals speak Romansh, the fourth national language of Switzerland, which survives in valleys like this one, and the place names have an old, soft sound. A small railway museum in the village tells the story of how the line was built in the early twentieth century, and there is a walking trail along the track, with explanations of the engineering.
The road up the Albula Pass leaves from the village and begins its climb with a series of hairpins through forest, and the road and the railway weave around each other in the valley. The surface is generally good, the bends are tight but well engineered, and the traffic is moderate. In winter, the village is known for its sledge run, a long track that drops from Preda, the high hamlet at the top of the valley, to Bergün, and a ride on it is a favourite activity. In summer, it is the walkers who come, to follow the old rail path.
The weather is changeable, as in all of Graubünden. Mornings are often clear and fresh, with a cold wind off the high slopes, and afternoons can bring cloud and thunder. Look for the tiny stations along the line, the alpine meadows and the glimpses of the great peaks of the Albula range. The air is pure and the water from the fountains in the village is cold and drinkable.
For fuel, the village is small, so check your tank before climbing. Samedan, about fourteen kilometres away, is the nearest sizeable place on the other side of the pass, and Tiefencastel and Davos lie in the other directions. Cafes in Bergün serve Bündner specialties, such as barley soup and the sweet walnut tart called Engadiner Nusstorte, which will keep you warm on the climb.