Alien-themed Bar (Chur)

The Giger Bar in Chur is a bar and café designed by H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist born in Chur in 1940 who became world-famous for the creature in the film Alien. Giger won an Academy Award for the film’s visual effects, and Giger’s airbrushed, biomechanical style, with its mix of bone, machinery and flesh, shaped the look of science fiction and dark fantasy for decades. The bar is one of a small number of interiors that he designed in his hometown and elsewhere, and it lets visitors step into his world instead of simply looking at it in a gallery.

The interior is the main attraction. The ceiling is formed of ribbed arches that recall a spine or the inside of a creature, the chairs have skeletal frames, and the walls have a sculpted, textured surface. Lighting is low and eerie, which adds to the sense of sitting inside a living organism or an alien spaceship. Everything has been designed to belong together, from the furniture to the details around the counter, so that the room feels like a single sculpture. It is a place to sit with a coffee or a drink and take in the atmosphere, and the menu is a standard one for a café and bar, not a showpiece for cooking.

The bar stands on Comercialstrasse, in a business district of Chur, away from Chur’s medieval centre, a short walk from the old town and the railway station. It is rather different from the medieval centre of the city, with its cathedral and narrow lanes, and the contrast is one of its appeals. For fans of Giger it is also a pilgrimage point, and it works well with a visit to the Giger Museum in Gruyères in western Switzerland, which holds his larger collection. Check the current opening times before you go, as bar and café hours can change.

Chur is often called the oldest town in Switzerland, with a historic centre, a cathedral and several museums, and the Giger Bar gives an unusual counterpoint to those sights. It sits comfortably alongside the other cultural stops in the city, such as the Graubünden Museum of Art and the Rhaetian Museum. Because the bar is small, it can be crowded when a group arrives, so go at a quiet time if you want a good view of the details.

The bar suits fans of science fiction, film and surreal art, as well as visitors who enjoy unusual interiors. It is a quick stop, but one that tends to stay in the memory long after the trip.