Lake Viola is a large, beautiful lake, high up in the mountains south of St Moritz. It's very near Lake Saoseo, so most people hike to both lakes when they visit. We have a couple hiking options below.

This area is popular for summer hiking, but our favorite time to visit is mid October when the golden larch trees turn bright yellow.

How to get there

Lake Viola is located in Val da Camp, a long valley near Poschiavo in southeast Switzerland. You can drive or take a bus to Sfazu. Then either ride a shuttle for a short hike, about 45 mins to Lake Viola. Or hike up the valley, about 3 hours to reach Lake Viola.

If you want to ride the shuttle, you must call at least one hour before departure. But the bus only has about 20 spots so it can sell out far in advance. You need to reserve a timeslot for each direction.

Call +41 81 844 10 42 to reserve. The office is open Mon-Fri 8:00-12:00 / 13:00-17:00. In 2023, a round trip ticket costs CHF 16/adult and CHF 8/child, no discounts for Swiss travel cards.

Hiking options

A: Easy hike with shuttle

The shuttle drops you at the mountain hut, Alpe Campo. From there, you can hike directly to Lake Viola in about 45 mins. On your way back, take a short detour to visit Lake Saosoe. Then back to the shuttle stop. It's about 4 km round trip, about 2 hours walking time. See trail map.

B: Mountain hike visiting both lakes

This hike also starts at the shuttle stop, but loops around the mountainous landscape above the lakes. This option allows you to get much higher than Lake Viola, great for pictures that take in the whole lake and surrounding mountains. We typically hike this counterclockwise, so we can enjoy looking at Lake Viola the whole time as we descend the mountain.

Short loop to both lakes: moderate • 2h25 • 5.6 km loop • 250m up and down
See trail map

C: Long hike from Sfazu

If you don't take the shuttle, you'll need to hike up the valley. It's wonderful, just a bit long, about 2 hours to reach Lake Saoseo and another hour to reach Lake Viola. So definitely start early in the day.

Long loop: Moderate • 5h30 • 15.2 km • 660m up and down
See trail map.

• Learn more about these hikes on SwissFamilyFun.com