The Engadin with a baby or toddler: altitude, paths, help

Little children, big mountains

Heading to the mountains with a baby or a toddler? Many parents wonder whether the altitude is harmful, whether the paths are suitable for a pushchair and where to go in an emergency. The good news: Bever is a rewarding place for families with very young children. The village lies flat on the valley floor, the station is a four-minute walk away, and in three minutes the train takes you to the hospital with its children’s practice. This article gathers what parents of children under six want to know. For outings with older children, see also The Engadin with children.

Altitude: what paediatricians say

Bever lies at 1708 metres. The recommendations on which the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) relies come from the paediatrician and altitude medicine specialist Susi Kriemler. The key points:

• In the first year of life, no longer stays and no overnight stays above 2000 metres.
• Altitudes from around 2500 metres become critical – babies and toddlers should not sleep there.
• A cable car ride up a viewpoint mountain is generally not a problem as long as you do not stay at the top for long. Breastfeeding or giving a bottle during the ride helps with the pressure in the ears.

Staying overnight in Bever is therefore below all of these limits – that is our reading of the recommendations, not medical advice. With a baby, trips up the Diavolezza (2978 m) or the Corvatsch (3303 m) are more of a quick look than a half-day outing. Muottas Muragl (2456 m) and Marguns (2278 m) are lower. If your child has a pre-existing condition, discuss the trip with your paediatrician beforehand.

Guests often underestimate two things:

• Sun: UV radiation increases by around 10 to 12 per cent for every 1000 metres of altitude, and snow reflects up to 80 per cent. A sun hat, children’s sunglasses and sunscreen with at least SPF 25 belong in the rucksack, even in winter.
• Cold: young children cool down faster than adults, especially in a pushchair or a baby carrier, where they barely move. Better to add an extra layer and check hands and neck more often.

Pushchair-friendly paths from Bever

Engadin Tourism keeps a list of pushchair-friendly paths. Three of them start in Bever or right next to it:

The beauty of the location: you walk the path in one direction only and return on the Rhaetian Railway. Most RhB regional trains have low-floor entrances, so the pushchair rolls straight in without lifting. You can read more about the floodplain landscape in the article on the Inn floodplains of Bever.

Further afield but also manageable: the Morteratsch Glacier Trail from Morteratsch station to the glacier snout, and in winter the lake plateau between Maloja and Silvaplana on the groomed winter paths. For stony mountain paths, a baby carrier is the better choice.

Playgrounds and pools

• Bever, by the school: playground with swings, a pump track for balance bikes and scooters, and a picnic area with a sun sail – a few minutes’ walk from Chesa Michel.
• Gasthaus Spinas in Val Bever: giant swing and trampoline next to the terrace, easy to combine with the pushchair path.
• Samedan has several playgrounds in the village.
• Bellavita Pontresina: indoor pool with a paddling pool at around 34 degrees.
• Ovaverva St. Moritz: indoor pool with a paddling pool for the very youngest.

On rainy days, our article The Engadin in bad weather will also help.

Snow for the littlest ones

The St. Moritz Ski School takes children from the age of three, with dedicated courses for three- and four-year-olds at Salastrains, Celerina and Samedan – Samedan being the quickest to reach from Bever. There is also a kids’ club for children aged three and over.

If you would first like to see whether your child likes the snow at all:

• Public children’s snow area in Sils and Surlej
• Kinderland in Pontresina
• Snowlino in Sils

These run only during the winter season and not every day; dates, times and prices change from one winter to the next. You will find the current details from Engadin Tourism under Small ski areas.

And then there is the sledge: a toddler can be pulled along any snowy path in the village. For older children, see the article on sledging Preda–Bergün.

Childcare

There is no day nursery in the region that takes holiday guests. For children aged three and over, the ski school’s kids’ club is the simplest option.

If something happens: doctor, emergency, pharmacy

The hospital in Samedan is one train stop from Bever. It is best to save the numbers in your phone as soon as you arrive.

Shopping: nappies, baby food, milk

• Volg Bever, Via Maistra 4: basic range in the middle of the village, for essentials in between.
• Migros Samedan, Cho d’Punt 10: larger selection.
• Pharmacy in Samedan for special baby formula, fever medicine and children’s sunscreen.

In St. Moritz you will find baby-changing tables in the public toilets of the Quadrellas and Serletta car parks.

Getting around by bus and train

Children under six travel free on public transport; for children aged 6 to 16, the SBB Junior Travelcard is worthwhile. The mountain railways have their own fares for children; you will find them, for example, at Engadin St. Moritz Mountains. To find out how to explore the Engadin entirely without a car, read the article The Engadin without a car.

With a baby at Chesa Michel

• Cot: free of charge, just order it during online check-in.
• Kitchen in every apartment – for baby food, bottles and your own mealtimes.
• Laundry room in the house, free to use – no small matter with young children.
• Station a four-minute walk away, around 400 metres.
• No lift: Chesa Michel is an Engadin house from 1786. If you are arriving with a pushchair and lots of luggage, ask us which apartment has the fewest stairs.

You can see which apartment suits your family in the apartment overview.

More inspiration in the Journal – or view the holiday apartments and check availability.