Disentis with kids: La Pendenta suspension bridge, a campsite on the Rhine and gold in the river

Disentis (Mustér in Romansh) is a small town in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, in the valley of the Vorderrhein, the Anterior Rhine. Above it stands a large Benedictine monastery, which tradition dates back to the 8th century. We came here on 11 August 2025, during our campervan holiday, and stayed two nights. Next to the campsite you can pan for gold in the Rhine, and not far from the town hangs the longest suspension bridge in Graubünden.

TCS Disentis campsite

From Lugano we drove about 110 km. The TCS campsite lies below the town, right on the Rhine. It has a small swimming pond with wooden huts, a shallow paddling pool with stones and footbridges, and a water playground. You can cross the pond on a raft.

In the morning a beekeeper at the campsite showed the kids a glass beehive, where you could see the bees at work.

Gold in the Rhine

There is gold in the Rhine near Disentis, and in summer anyone can try to pan for it. At the bottom of the campsite, by the river, Gold-Gusti has his stand. In July and August he runs gold panning courses every day at half past nine, with no need to book. You can rent equipment from him and buy gold panned from the Rhine.

Helena, wearing a helmet, went down with dad to the stony bank of the Rhine, right by the campsite. This is where gold seekers wash the sand in their pans. We did not try gold panning this time.

By bus to the La Pendenta bridge

On 12 August we got on the local bus at the stop by the campsite. Our youngest daughter rode in a carrier on dad's back. From the town we walked along a gravel road to the bridge. On the way we stopped at a huge metal gong that stands by the trail.

The La Pendenta bridge opened in November 2024, so we were there in its first summer. It is about 270 m long and hangs about 100 m above the Rhine. It is the longest suspension bridge in Graubünden. At its end stands the old white chapel of Sontga Gada with a wooden shingle roof.

From the bridge you can see the whole valley and the peaks of the Alps. After crossing it we had a snack on a meadow with a side view of the bridge.

Walking back to the campsite

We walked back to the campsite on a forest path. On the way we crossed a wooden footbridge over a stream and stopped at a spring where a small water wheel turns.

The next day we moved on to Schaffhausen, where in the evening we cycled around the Rhine Falls. We wrote about it in our post about the whole 2025 holiday.

Practical info

We checked this in November 2026.

La Pendenta bridge

• The bridge connects the area around the Sontga Gada chapel in Disentis with the hamlet of Mumpé Medel on the other side of the gorge.
• The route across the bridge is about 2.6 km long and takes about 40 minutes.
• The bridge opened on 16 November 2024. Sources give different lengths, from 270 to 300 m.

Gold panning

• Private individuals can pan for gold from 1 May to 15 September, in a marked area of the Disentis/Mustér municipality. Machines are not allowed.
• The permission only applies to the Disentis municipality. Neighbouring municipalities, such as Medel or Sumvitg, have their own rules.
• In July and August Gold-Gusti runs gold panning courses every day at 9:30, meeting by the Rhine at the bottom of the campsite.

TCS Disentis campsite

• The campsite lies on the Rhine, below the town. At the entrance there is a local bus stop called "Camping, Disentis".
• Children under 5 stay for free, and children aged 6-15 pay half the adult rate.