Sion is the capital of Valais and quite striking as you approach it - it’s known for its stunning hilltop fortifications: the 13th-century **Tourbillon Castle ruins and the ***Basilique de Valère complex, with a basilica housing a playable organ over
One of the last valleys in Valais, this area features highly vertical terrain, winding roads, and a variety of year-round athletic activities. French-speaking, proudly so. ***Saint Luc is a favorite on our ski list; *Grimentz/Zinal less so. If you visit for
Verbier has the notable distinction of being one of our least favorite places to go. It’s a Brit-magnet, features high prices (seriously, really high), and has a splashy elitist vibe I find unappealing. To quote the SeeVerbier.com website, “Verbier has
A valley over from Zermatt, the experience is very different (low-key, not particularly touristy, lacking the bling and high-end shopping, generally giving 1990s vibes). In addition to the more famous Saas-Fee itself, there are two other towns within a 15
Belalp is one of our favorite destinations - a magical town hanging over the Sion Valley, with views of the Matterhorn and Sion pass. The skiing is remarkable, not crowded, steep in places and wide open. There’s even a tunnel
The valley to Martigny is ancient, strategically important, and packed with easy sight-seeing. Aigle **Aigle Castle is an especially pretty little castle with a wine museum inside. Makes for a pretty walk, especially in the fall as the leaves change. We have not
Upper Valais, also known as the Grosse-Wallis, is the eastern-most, German speaking part of Valais. It's a sporty, rural area with excellent mountain access and beautiful scenery. For convenience, I'm clustering the central valley floor destinations in this post, but
Easy to access, but with a feeling of real remoteness. This is the largest valley on the northern side of the Rhône valley in the canton of Valais, with a relatively small population of only 1500 people - and sadly,
Crans-Montana is a Vail Ski Corp property, which means it’s one of the most expensive places to ski in Switzerland, has extremely long lift lines, and fast lane stupidity. It’s also the most crowded place we’ve skied in Switzerland. In
Leuk & Leukerbad have been around a very long time - controlling access to the Gemmi Pass, which passes over to Adelboden, this valley had some importance from the time of the Romans, going back at least to the 5th