Schönblick Sun Terrace

The Schatzalp is the hillside terrace above Davos that was once the town’s grandest sanatorium, and the Sun Terrace there is the place where its history is easiest to feel. The big building at the top, now a hotel, was opened around 1900 as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, designed in the Art Nouveau style, with long south-facing balconies where patients lay wrapped in blankets and breathed the thin, dry mountain air. Davos was one of the best-known places in Europe for the open-air treatment of lung disease, and the Schatzalp was built for wealthy guests who could afford comfort as well as care. A funicular railway carries visitors up from the town, and the ride itself is a short climb through meadows and trees to a different, Alpine world.

The Sun Terrace is a quiet place that looks out over the Landwasser valley and the town of Davos, with the peaks of the Plessur and Albula ranges in view. The setting is part of its charm: the open slope, the old building, and the scattered larches create a view that has hardly changed in a century. The terrace is a pleasant spot to sit with a drink and a slice of cake, and on sunny days its position, facing south, makes it warm even in spring and autumn. Behind the building, an alpine botanical garden shows plants from the Alps and from mountain regions around the world, and its paths are a gentle walk for those who like plants.

The Schatzalp has a strong place in literature. Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain, published in 1924, is set in a sanatorium in Davos, and the story grew from a short visit Mann made in 1912 to see his wife, who was being treated for a lung condition. The sanatorium in the book is generally linked to the Schatzalp, and many readers who come to Davos want to see the place that inspired it. The building today still has the long balconies and the high-ceilinged public rooms of the sanatorium years, though it has been updated for guests. The atmosphere of the place, between a grand hotel and a historic medical institution, gives it character.

Getting there is simple. The Schatzalp funicular, known locally as the Schatzbahn, leaves from the lower station in Davos Platz and arrives at the Schatzalp in a few minutes, and the trip is part of the experience. Summer and winter operations differ, and opening times for the terrace and restaurant depend on the season and on events, so check the current timetable before you go. In winter, the terrace is an easy place to start a snowshoe walk or a sledding run, since a long toboggan track starts nearby.

The terrace suits couples, readers of Thomas Mann, families, and anyone who wants a quiet view without a big climb. Take a book, bring a jacket and allow an hour or two.