Restored paintings in Lavin’s church date back to the late 15th century, while the Macun lake plateau comprises 23 lakes and is part of the Swiss National Park. This makes art history and landscape the focus of your travel planning, complemented by village culture, trails with varying levels of difficulty and hourly train services.
Church art and village history
Lavin’s Reformed church was built around 1480. Its restored paintings date from 1490 to 1500, and the church is considered one of Graubünden’s most famous and noteworthy art monuments. The choir of San Güerg church is completely covered in late-15th-century murals attributed to a workshop in northern Italy. They were uncovered in 1955 and have been secured and restored since 1984.
A tour of the church offers insights into its history, the frescoes and their significance. The rebuilding that followed the great fire of 1869 also shaped the history of this Engadine village, giving Lavin an Italian character.
On the route from Lavin to Guarda, roughly halfway along, lie the remains of the former settlement of Gonda. Its ruins include a church and the remains of nine other buildings. The medieval village layout has been preserved and was not destroyed by later development. Gonda therefore offers a different perspective on local history from Lavin’s frescoes and reconstruction.
Culture in the village
The small La Vouta theatre is located in the vaulted cellar of a residential building. For more than 20 years, it has hosted monthly performances in theatre, music and performance art. As individual programmes vary, check the schedule before your visit. Bistro Staziun specialises in readings. Cinema Staziun is housed in the converted goods shed at Lavin railway station and has 25 seats.
Along the Swallow Trail in Lavin, seven information panels explain the lives of swallows, compare them with the life of a human Randulin and offer insights into village history. Lavin’s military history includes the fortifications with prominent anti-tank obstacles that run across the valley floor and up the valley slopes. The main fortification lies just east of the village, and village buildings are incorporated into the anti-tank defences.
Hiking between Macun and the Lower Engadine
The Macun lake plateau lies within the municipality of Lavin and has been part of the Swiss National Park since 1 August 2000. A hike listed as an excursion leads from Alp Zeznina to Macun and back. The 23 lakes are the defining landscape feature of this tour.
The seventh stage of the Via Engiadina starts at Lavin railway station and follows sections of forest and alpine roads into Val Lavinuoz. It is 13 kilometres long, takes five hours and involves 1,100 metres of ascent. Along the way, there are views of Verstanclahorn, the Vadret da las Maisas glacier below it and Piz Linard.
For comparison, the easy winter hike from Lavin via Giarsun to Guarda railway station is 3.9 kilometres long. It leads from Lavin railway station across the plains by the Inn and through the hamlet of Giarsun to Guarda railway station. The published details clearly distinguish the two routes by distance, duration and elevation gain: all three figures are given for the Via Engiadina stage, while the winter hike has a stated distance and is rated easy.
The ascent from Lavin to CharnadĂĽras gains 300 metres in elevation. At point 1609, the view opens out over Lavin and the Lower Engadine towards Guarda and Ardez. You can ride the toboggan run from CharnadĂĽras almost all the way down to the village. Another alpine tour, from Chamonna dal Linard via Fuorcla da Glims into Val Sagliains, requires basic alpine experience and good navigation skills. A hike from Lavin leads via the Plan dal BĂĽgl viewpoint and Chamonna dal Linard to the Glims lakes; alpine conditions can affect access.
More tours and getting here
Lavin can also be part of a longer cycling loop: the Susch–Alp Zeznina Dadaint–Lavin–Susch route returns via Zeznina Dadora, las Charbuneras and Plans in Lavin. It combines gentle sections with more challenging climbs and unpaved roads; conditions vary depending on the season.
Lavin is served hourly by trains of the Rhaetian Railway from Zernez or Scuol. Check the timetable before travelling. For a local culinary stop, Bäckerei Konditorei Giacometti offers Engadine specialities, fresh pastries, homemade bread and wood-fired pizza.
Discover more destinations: Samnaun, Susch, Sta. Maria Val MĂĽstair, Tschierv, Guarda, Brail, Tarasp, MĂĽstair.
View the broader travel overview: Inn.
