Maienfeld to Landquart

Maienfeld (525 m/1,723ft; pop. 1,500) is an ancient Grisons town, with handsome patrician houses, the medieval Schloss Brandis ("Roman Tower"; inn) and Schloss Salenegg (17th-18th C.). In the cemetery is the grave of the writer John Knittel (1891-1970).

From Maienfeld there are two possible routes to Landquart. The direct road (expressway) traverses the Rhine plain in a straight line (5km/3mi) to the bridge which crosses the river Landquart into town.

The alternative route, 2km/ 1mi longer, is on an attractive minor road which follows the hillside through the orchards of the old "Bündner Herrschaft" (Grisons Lordship) to the old-world village of Jenins, and then continues below the ruined castles of Aspermont, Wyneck and Klingenhorn and past the lower station (1km/0.6mi before Malans, on left) of a cableway which runs northeast to Aelpli (1,802 m/5,912ft) under the summit of Vilan (2,376 m/7,796ft; 1.5 hours), to the vine-growing village of Malans (568 m/1,864ft), with handsome old patrician houses, under Burg Bothmar (16th and 18th C.).