Valais/Wallis

Valais is the land of the 4,000-meter peaks: around the Rhône Valley, more than 40 summits rise above 4,000 meters (13,100 feet), including the Matterhorn. If you're planning a trip to Valais, you'll find glacier hikes, car-free mountain villages and sunny vineyards that produce some of Switzerland's most distinctive wines.

One Valley, Two Languages

The canton follows the Rhône from the Rhône Glacier to Lake Geneva. In Upper Valais around Brig and Visp, people speak Walliser German; in Lower Valais around Sion, Sierre and Martigny, they speak French—the language border runs near Sierre. Side valleys branch off to the south from the main valley, such as the Mattertal to Zermatt, the Saastal to Saas-Fee, or the Val d'Anniviers with villages like Grimentz and Zinal. The climate is dry and sunny; ancient irrigation channels, known as suonen or bisses, once carried glacier water to meadows and vines and are now popular hiking trails.

Towns and Destinations in Valais

Zermatt is car-free and sits at the foot of the Matterhorn; the Gornergrat Railway and the cable car to the Klein Matterhorn at nearly 3,900 meters (12,800 feet) offer views across glaciers all the way to Monte Rosa. Saas-Fee, also car-free, is surrounded by 13 peaks over 4,000 meters. The municipality of Val de Bagnes with Verbier is part of the "4 Vallées" ski area, while Anniviers offers quieter mountain villages. Sion surprises with two castle hills: Valère is crowned by a basilica with one of the oldest playable organs in the world, while Tourbillon holds the ruins of a bishop's castle. In Martigny, the Fondation Pierre Gianadda presents art exhibitions amid Roman ruins, and Sierre draws visitors with its wine museum and the Pfynwald forest.

In Upper Valais, you'll want to visit Brig with the Stockalper Palace, whose three towers recall a 17th-century merchant baron, and the Goms region with its dark timber houses and cross-country ski trails. Leukerbad, at around 1,400 meters (4,600 feet), has the largest alpine thermal baths in Europe, overlooked by the almost vertical Gemmi cliff.

Sights in Valais

Among the top sights in Valais is the Great Aletsch Glacier, at over 20 kilometers (12 miles) the longest in the Alps and the heart of the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best views are from the Eggishorn or the Moosfluh above Riederalp. The Glacier Express starts in Zermatt and takes about eight hours to reach St. Moritz. The ruins and chapels on the Simplon Pass, the Grande Dixence reservoir with the world's tallest gravity dam, and the St. Bernard dogs at the Great St. Bernard Pass round out the list.

Food and Wine

Raclette comes from Valais: half a wheel of cheese is melted by the fire and scraped off in portions, served with boiled potatoes, pickles and pearl onions. A Valais platter combines dried meat, cured ham, bacon and rye bread bearing the AOP seal. The vineyards between Leuk and Martigny produce Fendant (Chasselas), Petite Arvine, Heida and Cornalin. In autumn, during the grape harvest, many markets roast chestnuts—the brisolée.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Through the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, you can reach Visp from Bern in about an hour; from the west, the train runs along Lake Geneva into the Rhône Valley. The nearest major airport is Geneva. The best time for high-alpine tours and hiking is between June and September; winter sports are possible from December to April, and on the glacier near Zermatt even year-round.