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Arosa in Graubünden is one of the most popular summer and winter tourist destinations in the country. Arosa, a picturesque village in the romantic valley of Plessur, is southeast of the alpine city of Chur. It can be found beneath the Weisshorn at 2,653 meters above sea level.
Arosa was inhabited by Walser settlers who arrived via Davos in the 13th century. Their first settlements were in Maran and Prätsch. There are two parts to Arosa – the Inner Arosa and the Outer Arosa. Upon arrival at Chur, you will arrive first in the outer region of Arosa. Inner Arosa is the village’s old district.
Today, this sunny village is known for its beautiful panorama, family-friendly activities, and bears.
Overview: Arosa Bear Sanctuary
| Age Group | All ages |
| Category | Animals |
| Expected Duration | 1-2 hours |
| Cost | Tickets starting CHF 20 per Person |
| Address | Arosa-Weisshorn |
| Website | https://www.arosabaerenland.ch/ |
| Opening Hours | Open daily in summer 9:00 AM to 5:20 PM Open every Thursday in winter 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM |
| Public Transport | Arosa-Weisshorn |
A Short History: Arosa Bear Sanctuary
The Tourism Director of Arosa, Pascal Jenny, was looking for attractive projects that could be brought to the region. One excellent idea stood out; it was about bears. Vier Pfoten, an animal welfare group, joined forces with Arosa Tourism in November 2012. A big win was Arosa voting “yes” to the bears in November 2016.
After eight years in the making, the Arosa Bear Sanctuary (or Arosa Bärenland in German) opened between the 3rd and 5th of August 2018. A month earlier, the circus bear Napa was transferred here from Serbia. Sadly, Napa died in October 2020 after suffering epilepsy. Despite that, the Arosa Bear Sanctuary continues to welcome and care for other bears.
At the Arosa Bear Sanctuary, the bears can explore their surroundings, enjoy a bath in one of three small ponds, and shelter if necessary.
How To Get To Arosa Bear Sanctuary
Upon leaving Arosa’s train station, you will see the valley station of the Weisshorn Cable Car. From there, you can purchase your ticket and take the cable car up to the middle station.
They usually have one or two brochures for children at the Weisshorn Valley Station that you can pick up. It is a great idea to give one to each child since the brochures include coloring pages, puzzles, and stories to read. It will also be useful if you decide to do a Theme Trail later on.
Upon exiting the cable car, you will see the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. You may even see bears from the cable car before exiting it.
Arosa Bear Sanctuary Visitor Platform
From the middle station of the cable car, you will be able to see an enclosure for the brown bears as well as a viewing platform that overlooks it. To access the visitor platform, you will need to scan your ticket.
From the various information signs, you can read about the bears. Also, the kids can weigh themselves in bear kilograms, play a jumping game, etc.
The Arosa Bear Sanctuary also has people who regularly stay on the visitor platform and interact with visitors. They provide useful information about brown bears and answer any questions you might have. Private group visits may also be arranged with a guide for a fixed fee between CHF 100 and CHF 250.
Right next to the Visitor Platform is an Adventure Path (Abenteuerweg in German) that leads to eight different viewing platforms via hanging bridges. Opening this platform provided more opportunities to observe bears than the original viewing platform.
Playgrounds Near Arosa Bear Sanctuary
In front of the Weisshorn middle station is a big playground called Arosa Bärenschule (Arosa Bear School). On this playground, you can balance on tree trunks, slide, and have fun.
Right next to this playground is a restaurant called Restaurant Brüggerstuba. From the restaurant’s outside terrace, parents can watch their children play while enjoying a drink or a meal.
As you walk towards the Arosa Bear Sanctuary, you will see a Minigolf course. Children will absolutely enjoy the station as they have been designed in a fun way.
If the weather is not so pleasant, there is the option of visiting the Indoor Playground Bärenhöhle. They have a ball pit, a bouncy castle, and cars.
Arosa Bear Sanctuary Experience Trail
There is a themed hiking route you can enjoy with your family in Arosa. The Bear Sanctuary Experience Trail is a short walk from the Arosa Bear Sanctuary to Tschuggenhütte, until the Bergkirchli Church, and Kulm fields near Arosa Kulm Hotel & Alpin Spa. The trail is 2.5 kilometers long and takes approximately 40 minutes to finish.
It is hard to miss the bears since they are normally huge and easy to spot. You will discover how big bears can grow once you have discovered the bears. As soon as you have measured all the bears, you will find out which is the largest. Among the six bears are the polar bear, the Kodiak bear, the grizzly bear, the brown bear, the panda bear, and the black bear.
Visit the Arosa Bear Sanctuary or the guest information desk at Arosa Tourism to obtain the stamp flyers. Upon completing the stamp flyer, present it to the guest information desk of Arosa Tourism (the sports and congress center in the village) and receive a surprise.
Family-friendly Activities in Arosa
In Arosa, you can also enjoy the following family-friendly activities:
- Weisshorn Bear – Go to Arosa Weisshorn and add ribbons to the Weisshorn Bear.
- Bear Train – Ride the special Bärenland (Bear Sanctuary) train from Chur to Arosa. In this special train, you will be surrounded by brown bears, ants, and insects on the walls.
- Squirrel Trail – Arosa’s most popular theme trail is the Squirrel Trail (Eichhörnliweg). The short trail will allow you to see a lot of squirrels and feed them.
- Planet Trail – a 2.2-kilometer trail where you will learn about the Solar System. It starts in Roter Tritt and ends in Prätschli. You can also complete it the other way around.
- Swiss-o-finder Scavenger Hunt – A scavenger hunt that you can complete with the help of your phone or a map. Check www.swiss-o-finder.ch/arosa for more infor.
- Altein Waterfall Trail – a 6-kilometer trail that starts at the ARA Arosa and leads along the Welschtobel River. From there, you can follow the signs to the Altein waterfall. Along the route is also another themed trail called “Nature.Protection.Humans” that will help you learn about water and electricity.
- Protection-Forest-Man Learning Path – an easy 7.3-kilometer trail that starts from Untersee until the Langwies Train Station.
- Ricola Interactive Trail – A trail with 10 interactive stations in Arosa. The whole family can smell, see, and taste the secrets of Ricola.
- Arosa Legends Hike – At the Arosa Tourist Office, you can purchase a legends-hiking map featuring all the local legends. Every board that can be found on the map tells a story.
Summary: Arosa Bear Sanctuary
The Arosa Bear Sanctuary is a fascinating place to visit. It is, however, simply one of the many activities that can be enjoyed at Arosa. Generally, visitors don’t spend the whole day here looking at bears. It is possible to stay here for an hour or two, strolling around the platform until you reach the extended area.
Following your visit with the bears, you can engage in one of the many activities for the whole family that Arosa has to offer. You can stay in the playground, play a round of Mini-golf, or hike one of the trails. In Arosa, you can choose from many trails. You can do one each day if you wish.
No matter what, I hope you enjoy watching the bears at the Arosa Bear Sanctuary.
Resources
- “Geschichte Arosa: Von der Walser Siedlung zum Weltkurtort – Zusamenfassung”. Städtereisen Schweiz. Accessed on 22 October 2021. https://www.stadtrundgang-online.ch/downloads/geschichtearosa.pdf.
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