Into the Engadin

Pick up a Birchermüesli, the oat and fruit dish created by a Zürich doctor, from a café near the station. Local bakeries sell Zopf, a braided butter bread that is perfect for the train.

Every September, Zürich's teenagers compete in the Knabenschiessen, a shooting contest that goes back centuries and comes with a large funfair. The winner is crowned king or queen of the marksmen.

Graubünden's kitchen is hearty mountain fare, from capuns, chard parcels filled with dough and dried meat, to barley soup. Air-dried Bündnerfleisch, sliced paper thin, is the region's most famous speciality.

In August the Churer Fest fills the old town with music, food stalls and crowds from across the valley. Graubünden is also home to Romansh, Switzerland's fourth national language, which you will start to see on signs further up the line.

Try pizokel, buckwheat dumplings tossed with cabbage and cheese, after a day on the trails. Engadiner Nusstorte, a caramel and walnut pie wrapped in shortcrust, keeps well for the journey home.

On the first of March, children in the Engadin walk through the villages ringing cowbells for Chalandamarz to chase away the winter. In winter the frozen lake at St Moritz hosts horse races on the ice.