Ilanz is the first town on the young Rhine, one of the longest rivers in Europe. The small town lies above the impressive Rheinschlucht gorge and is a departure point for excursions into the side valleys of the Surselva and also the Val Lumnezia and Valsertal.

Tiny Ilanz with around 2500 inhabitants is in Graubunden’s Upper Rhine Valley, the Surselva. Ilanz is on the railway line from Chur to Disentis and to the Oberalppass, and only a stone’s throw away from the tourist centre of Flims-Laax-Falera on the northern slopes. Ilanz is a major tourist hub and transfer point from the railway to the numerous postbus routes. The postbuses run almost hourly to all the surrounding villages, south to the Val Lumnezia with the Valsertal and its famous spa, and to the Safiental.

The «Städtli» is the historic heart of Ilanz, with a number of precious 16th and 17th century buildings in baroque style. Of the former four town gates, only the Rote Tor (Red Gate) and Obertor (Upper Gate) can be visited, the latter is regarded as the town’s landmark. It is a very special feeling to stand on the covered Ilanz Rhine bridge and watch water that will flow into the distant North Sea.

Ilanz is only a few kilometres above the spectacular Rheinschlucht gorge (romanic: Ruinaulta), which was created by the enormous Flims landslide 15,000 years ago. For 15 kilometres, the water was forced to gouge out a new path though the area, sometimes up to 300 m deep. The natural paradise attracts nature friends and water-sports fans: Ilanz is the departure point for exciting rubber dinghy trips. The woods on the steep slopes of the gorge are home to rare species of flora, while endangered species of birds live on the shale banks.

Highlights

• Rheinschlucht gorge - the «Grand Canyon of Switzerland» between Ilanz and Reichenau is a superb natural phenomenon, experienced from the Rhaetian Railway or on a hike or river-rafting trip.
• Surselva Regional Museum – fascinating facts on life in the rear Rhine Valley. The building itself is worth seeing; an old patrician house, its ballroom adorned with Renaissance murals.