Valais
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of…
Must-see attractions in Valais
Valais
This renowned gallery harbours a stunning art collection with works by Picasso, Cézanne and Van Gogh. The sculpture garden (with cafe and picnic area)…
Valais
Clinging to a crag above town, 800-year-old Bâtiaz Castle is worth the 15-minute uphill climb. Once there, add another 120 steps to the top of castle for…
Valais
Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…
Valais
Slung on a hillock opposite Château de Tourbillon is this 11th- to 13th-century château that grew up around a fortified basilica. The church interior…
Valais
Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which…
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Zermatt
Views from Zermatt’s cable cars are all remarkable, but the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is the icing on the cake. Ride the world's highest-altitude 3S…
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Valais
Don't miss this stunning art gallery with mountain peaks looming large on its dazzling mirrored facade and silver-leafed edelweiss in the Alpine rooftop…
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Zermatt
This crystalline, state-of-the-art museum provides fascinating insight into Valaisian village life, mountaineering, the dawn of tourism in Zermatt and the…
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Valais
Lording it over the fertile Rhône Valley from its hilltop perch above Sion, the crumbling remains of this medieval stronghold, destroyed by fire in 1788,…
Valais
The Aletsch Glacier is a mind-boggling sight and riverside Fiesch on the valley floor is a top place to access it. From the village, ride the cable car up…
Valais
The village of Chandolin, high above the valley floor on the eastern side, entices skiers with 75km of broad, sunny runs and fairy-tale panoramas. It is…
Valais
This mountain pass (2005m) links Brig with Domodossola in Italy. In the middle of the 17th century, Kaspar von Stockalper used it for bringing salt by…
Valais
Nothing stirs the soul quite like seeing the sun rise from the top of Mont Fort, at a panoramic 3329m. The Médran cable car offers departures on Thursdays…
Valais
This glacier, although only about 5km in length, is extremely impressive, about 12km south of Grimentz. PostBuses make the journey to the road-end, where…
Valais
Year-round, the underground Mittelallin funicular climbs to an icy 3500m where the world’s highest revolving restaurant on the Allalin glacier basks in…
Valais
At 1670m, Zinal is 12km south of Vissoie, at the end of the Val d’Anniviers. While Matterhorn climbers start from Zermatt, a valley to the east, climbers…
Valais
A summer-must in Riederfurka (2065m), a chairlift ride or 20-minute walk uphill from Riederalp (1925m), is this Alpine garden and exhibition on local…
Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard
Valais
A tribute to the lovably dopey St Bernard, this museum next to Martigny's Roman amphitheatre includes real-life fluff bundles in the kennels. You can join…
Valais
From the tiny Valais village of Gletsch (1762m; 10km to the Furka Pass), a steep 6km hairpinned road climbs north to the mighty Grimsel Pass (2164m),…
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Valais
If in Chandolin, make sure to visit Espace Ella Maillart, dedicated to the remarkable Swiss adventurer Ella Maillart (1903-1997), who lived in Chandolin…
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Zermatt
Take the Sunnegga Express 'tunnel funicular' up to Sunnegga (2288m) for amazing views of the Matterhorn. This is a top spot for families – take the Leisee…
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Valais
The exhibition at this museum, in the same building as the Auberge de l’Hospice on the Col du Grand St Bernard, tells the complete story of this remote…
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Sierre Musée Valaisan de la Vigne et du Vin
Valais
This enchanting wine museum with old presses and other wine-related curios sits inside the 17th-century turreted manor of Château de Villa. Taste…
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Valais
This cable car whisks walkers up to the Gemmi Pass (2322m), clearly visible high above town, in next to no time. From the top, Lake Dauben and the…
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Valais
At 1572m and 7km south of Vissoie on the valley's western side, Grimentz entices skiers with its Valaisian granaries (built on stilts to keep out thieving…
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Valais
There's a lot of fun to be had from Saas Grund, down in the valley below Saas Fee. The Kreuzboden and Hohsaas gondolas are ready to whisk you up to 3145m…
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Valais
At 1655m and a steep 5.5km up from Vissoie on the valley's eastern side, St Luc is often paired with Chandolin as their ski areas are interconnected. St…
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Valais
At Ulrichen, 21km on the Valais side of the Furka Pass, a clearly marked road turns southeast and twists its way south out of the Valais and into the…
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Valais
This gabled wine museum turns the spotlight on wine growing around Salgesch with the focus on education. This is also the start (or end) of the Sentier…
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Valais
Medieval Vissoie, at 1200m and with a population of about 500, has been inhabited since the 13th century and acts as the main village and a crossroads for…
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Valais
Kaspar von Stockalper (1609–91), a shrewd businessman who dominated the Simplon Pass trade routes, built this whimsical palace and dubbed himself the …
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Valais
The Torrent cable car carries winter skiers up to Rinderhütte (2350m) from where a chairlift continues to 2610m. Downhill skiing is intermediate. In…
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Zermatt
A walk in Zermatt’s pair of cemeteries – the Mountaineers' Cemetery in the garden of Zermatt's St Mauritius Church and the main cemetery across the road –…
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Valais
Tiny St Léonard, 5.5km northeast of Sion, hides Europe’s biggest underground lake. To see the emerald waters shimmer, join a 30-minute guided tour by boat…
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Valais
Lodged in a small château, this well-curated fine-arts museum showcases works by Swiss artists including Ernest Bieler and Caspar Wolf, alongside star…
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Valais
This 15km-long tunnel, opened in 1982, plays an important part in the history of the Furka Pass. It runs from Oberwald in Valais to Realp, 8km short of…
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Valais
At the mouth of the valley on its western side, Vercorin is geared up for families with gentle skiing on 35km of downhill slopes. It can be accessed by…
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Zermatt
Best known for its herby hard-boiled sweets, Ricola has a short herb-garden hike at Blatten where you can learn about the 13 herbs that go into every drop…
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Valais
Meander along the main street, past the church, to this old wooden Valaisian house where village life in the 19th century is evoked through traditional…
