Must-see attractions in Valais

  • A hiker explores the Aletsch glacier.

    Aletsch Glacier

    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…

  • The Pierre Gianadda Foundation

    Fondation Pierre Gianadda

    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)…

  • The medieval Château de la Bâtiaz in Martigny, Valais, Switzerland.

    Château de la Bâtiaz

    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…

  • Autumn view from the Furka Pass, Switzerland.

    Furka Pass

    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…

  • The Valere Basilica, an ancient fortified church in Sion, Canton of Valais, Switzerland.

    Château de Valère

    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…

  • Rhone Glacier.

    Rhône Glacier

    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…

  • Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

    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…

  • Fondation Pierre Arnaud

    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…

  • Matterhorn Museum

    Zermatt

    This crystalline, state-of-the-art museum provides fascinating insight into Valaisian village life, mountaineering, the dawn of tourism in Zermatt and the…

  • Château de Tourbillon

    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,…

  • Cable Car at Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland

    Fiesch & Eggishorn Cable Car

    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…

  • Chandolin, Switzerland

    Chandolin

    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…

  • Signpost at Simplon Pass.

    Simplon Pass

    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…

  • Sunrise at Mont Fort

    Mont Fort Sunrise

    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…

  • Moiry Glacier in the Swiss Alps.

    Moiry Glacier

    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…

  • The world's highest revolving restaurant on the Allalin glacier.

    Allalin

    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…

  • Alpine village Zinal in the Pennine Alps, Val d' Anniviers, Switzerland.

    Zinal

    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…

  • The Pro Nature Center for the Great Aletsch Glacier region at the Villa Cassel.

    Centre Pro Natura d'Aletsch

    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…

  • Saint Bernard museum at Martigny, Switzerland.

    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…

  • Grimsel Pass, Switzerland

    Grimsel Pass

    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),…

  • Espace Ella Maillart

    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…

  • Gemmibahn

    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…

  • Grimentz

    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…

  • Hohsaas

    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…

  • Sunnegga

    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…

  • St Luc

    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…

  • Nufenen Pass

    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…

  • Salgesch Weinmuseum

    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…

  • Furka Base Tunnel

    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…

  • Vercorin

    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…

  • Vissoie

    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…

  • Stockalper Palace

    Valais

    Kaspar von Stockalper (1609–91), a shrewd businessman who dominated the Simplon Pass trade routes, built this whimsical palace and dubbed himself the …

  • Grand St Bernard Museum

    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…

  • Ricola Herb Garden

    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…

  • Torrent-Bahnen

    Valais

    The Torrent cable car carries winter skiers up to Rinderhütte (2350m) from where a chairlift continues to 2610m. Downhill skiing is intermediate. In…

  • Mountaineers' Cemetery

    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 –…

  • Lac Souterrain St Léonard

    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…

  • Saaser Museum

    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…

  • Musée d’Art

    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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