Ilanz calls itself the first town on the Rhine, and in a river that runs a thousand kilometres to the North Sea that is a neat claim to hold. It sits in the Surselva at 650 metres, a small, practical place of about two thousand people, where the Vorderrhein valley widens and the Lugnez valley comes in from the south. Fuel, bakeries and a supermarket are all here. Laax, the ski resort village, is a few kilometres up the slope, and Flims lies beyond it.
The riding along the Vorderrhein is relaxed, a flowing run of moderate bends beside a green river, with the Rhaetian Railway's little red trains tracing the opposite bank. Traffic is local, not touristic, and the road is wide enough to be taken at a sensible pace. The valley is a mix of villages and farms, with church towers that have the onion-dome look of the Catholic Alps, and the Romansh language is still heard in shops and on street signs.
Below Ilanz begins the Ruinaulta, the Rhine Gorge, sometimes called the Swiss Grand Canyon. It was carved through the debris of the Flims rockslide, one of the biggest landslides in the Alps, which tumbled off the mountain after the last Ice Age and dammed the river. The river has since cut a gorge of pale limestone cliffs, forested terraces and green water, and rafters and walkers explore it in summer. The main road keeps above the gorge, with viewpoints near Flims where you can look down into the canyon. It is worth the detour even if you only manage a quick look.
Ilanz was an important town of the Grey League, one of the Three Leagues that governed Graubünden before it joined Switzerland, and the old town has a few narrow streets and a fine church. The surrounding hills are rich with legends and small chapels, and there are good walks up to the high villages. A coffee on the main square is a good way to watch the day pass.
The river is the chief character here, and if you stop at a bridge, you can hear the water run, glacial and cold. In spring, melt makes the Rhine brown and high, while by late summer it settles to a gentler green. Early morning light is best on the cliffs.