117 © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Val d'Hérens Sion LANGUAGE: FRENCH & :

Gianadda Fondation Pierre

AREA: 5224.5 SQ KM

( p129 ) ( p126 ) Fondation Pierre Gianadda Fondation Pierre ( p135 ), or, for those with the right stuff, scaling it p135 ( ( p132 ) while admiring the massive mountain ) while admiring the massive p132 ( Sion Val d’Hérens Val Skiing, snowboarding and hiking emblematicthe shadow of ’s in Matterhorn ( p120 ) in the bovine Cheering along your favourite spring and autumn cow battles in the villages of the castle and Exploring the medieval centre, basilica of thermal baths of Frolickingin the regenerative Leukerbad stone walls around the town Checkingout the world-class art exhibitions at ’s POPULATION: 281,000 POPULATION:

A certain supply of snow plus challenging slopes makes the Valais region one of the most one region A certain makes slopes the Valais snow plus challenging supply of limitless hiking for all levels, possibilities stunning in summer, offering as are The the canton is dot- of Alpine tourism, farmers until the advent of struggling Long a region Martigny is not just about yomping and chomping. hosts one of the country’s Valais The muscles in its thermal bathing centres, nerves is also good for soothing and tired Valais HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

With the 10 highest mountains in Switzerland – all over 4000m – this scenic canton offers scenic canton offers 4000m – this – all over Switzerland highest mountains in With the 10 high life. for those who enjoy the pinnacles of pleasure cuts south into the Alps from A series of mountain valleys skiing. popular in the world for to ski slices east to west through the canton, leading the Rhône valley, which resorts as on your choice Depending culturally mixed. challenges as they are varied in scenery and of ski resort, you can ski Switzerland into or German from Francophone Switzerland same day! into Italy and back in the France and Italy. Blanc circuit through Switzerland, including the classic Mont and, lower down in the Rhône valley, vineyards with delightful high mountain villages ted a perfect accompaniment are country’s best wines – the whites some of the that provide . p52 on about which you can learn more to a local cheese speciality, raclette, dramatic castle and museums. key art and Sion is notable for its medieval core, centres notably those of Leukerbad. Valais VALAIS 118 0 20 km 0 12 miles

VALAIS VALAIS To Speiz To Bulle Lauterbrunnen URI (8km) Furka Andermatt FRIBOURG Eiger Pass (2km) (3970m) St Gotthard Stechelberg Grimsel Gletsch Pass To Lausanne Mönch Pass

(16km) (4099m)

BERN r Jungfrau e Ulrichen

Kandersteg i (4158m) c Münster

a To St Moritz Vevey l (172km) G Nufenen Gstaad A12 Aletschhorn h Eggishorn Pass c (2927m) Lake (4195m) s Niederwald Montreux t Geneva e Fafleralp l Fiescheralp (Lac Léman) A VAUD Gemmi Blatten Pass N19 Lötschental Leukerbad Torrenthorn Goppenstein Le Sépey Mörel (2998m) Rhône Bignasco Bosco du Rhône Brig Aigle Leuk Vallée Gurin Montana Salgesch Cevio Crans Sierre Villars Brigerbad Visp Simplon Cimalmotto Simplon Val Tunnel Monthey N9 I T A L Y Bex Vercorin Pass Morgins A9 Vétroz Sion St Luc Troistorrents Ovronnaz Vissoie To Locarno St d' Aproz Gondo (55km) Val Maurice Lavey-les-Bains Saastal Hérémence Grächen Val d'Illiez Leytron Nendaz Val d'Hérémence d'HérensGrimentz Champéry Dents Ayer St Niklaus A9 du Midi Lake N9 Camedo (3257m) Rhône Saxon Zinal Mont Gelé Moiry Les Saas Grund (3023m) Grande Evolène Domodossola Marécottes Saas Fee Martigny Dixence Dam F R A N C E Le Châble La Forclaz Mont Fort Lake Les Ferpècle Täsch Bruson (3329m) Dix Haudères Orsières Val d'Entremont Fionnay Arolla To Saint Gervais Vichères Mauvoisin Matterhorn (4km); Le Fayet www.lonelyplanet.com (5km) Dam Lake (4478m) (3090m) Dranse Mauvoisin N21 Bourg St Pierre (4314m) Cervinia Bourg St Bernard Tunnel Mont Blanc (4807m) Great Great I T A L Y St Bernard St Bernard Pass Tunnel To To Milan (2km) (71km) Fleuri 6,Sion; Fleuri www.wallis.ch; RuedePré www.matterhornstate.com, 70; the SwissConfederation in1815. dominate Valais the routes intoItaly. joined little manwithbigplanswasdetermined to Napoleon Bonaparte calledbyin1798.The Diet, aregional parliament. the levers of controlintothehandsof the of powerinthe1630s,shifting theirsecular up theValais region strippedthebishops dependently mindedcommunesthatmade andthein- opposition wasjustasweighty was freed atthebattleof Internal Planta. the helpof the Savoyard armybesieged Sionin1475.With encroach onthebishops’territory anda succession of Dukes of Savoy managed to stretched fromMartigny totheFurkaPass. from AD580.By1000,thebishop’spower with hispresence, makinghishomethere when theBishopof Valais thetown blessed boys fromRome. the passageof theramblinggeneral andhis facts andarchaeological remains stillattest to ably integrated intotheRomansystem. Arte- tribesof theValaisthe fourCeltic were peace- Once underRomandomination,itappears ing inthevalley,penetratingasfarSierre. communityliv- army toconquertheCeltic an we doknowtheRomanleaderbrought torecord whetherhepackedfail hisskis,but parts.Historians ‘tourist’inthese an early As inneighbouring Vaud, was JuliusCaesar History www.lonelyplanet.com and Tunnel). Themostdirect route from and Tunnel) andBrig(via theSimplonPass Martigny Pass (viatheGreat StBernard The smoothest routes are to fromItaly &Around There Getting tourist office, the 6thcentury. in theupper(eastern) halfof thecantonsince used hasbeen the lowervalley,whileGerman FrenchFrance andItaly. speakers dominate Alps thatmarkthesouthernfrontierwith AlpstothenorthandValaisanBernese ranksof theserried the east towestbetween abroad,sunnyvalleyfrom carves The Rhône &Information Orientation The Valais wasnotinvadedagain until That powerdidnotgouncontested. A Sion becameakey centre inthevalley Information isavailable at the regional h 8am-noon &1.30-5.30pmMon-Fri) Swiss Confederation, thecity Valais Tourisme Valais Tourisme ( % 027 32735 . LOWER VALAIS ••WesternValais &Val d’Illiez At Troistorrents, theroadforks. Youcan ing town of Monthey, youswingsouthwest. tions. Passing thelargely through uninterest- snowparks forsnowboarders. too –243kmof trails.There are alsoeight fun forall.Cross-countryskiingis abundant sides of thefrontier,there isplentyof ski nate) spread outontheSwissandFrench pistes of (intermediates allclasses predomi- soleil.com) Les Portes duSoleil LesPortes tensive, knownas international skiparadise in the Val d’Illiezisattheheartof anex- The hamletof Champéry (population1180) duSoleil Portes Champéry &Les WESTERN VALAIS &VAL D’ILLIEZ some of Switzerland’sbest wines. snow-sport options,andthesourceof the the Valais region isrich inhistory,artand The western, predominantly French, halfof LOWER VALAIS (adult/childport withinaweek Sfr48/38). bad. Itgives youthree days’unlimited trans- pass, which runsfromMartigny toLeuker- AnotherpassistheValaisthe passes. Central counts. Ask atthetowns’touristofficesabout Sion version includessomecable-cardis- Blanc Express/St Bernard Express ais. TheMartigny Pass includesthe Together theycover thewholeof LowerVal- Martigny +Regionare available insummer. daystoo.on those onmostliftsandsportingactivities 50% off area withinaone-monthperiod.Itgives you unlimited travel inthe ontrainsandbuses ers totwo,three orfive days’(Sfr89/109/169) speaking UpperValais) area andentitles hold- transport cardfortheOberwallis(German- viathebordertownofItaly Domodossola. major railline,withabranch route into bya route isserved Thesame Geneva. to Geneva and thennorthtofollowLake motorway, continuingtoSion,Martigny Sierre itbecomesthedualcarriageway A9 mainjunctionslike through passes Brig.In canton intheeastviaFurkaPass and from Martigny. enters TheN9highway the Chamonix inFrancetotheValais isbyroad To get tothepistes youhave op- several Special forSion+Regionand bus passes The Adventure Wallisisageneral Card . With a total of. Withatotal 208liftsand650km

(Gateway to the Sun; www.portesdu totheSun;www.portesdu (Gateway trains. The trains.The Mont

119 VALAIS VALAIS & 4.30pm Tue-Sun May, Jun, Sep &Oct) Jun,Sep & 4.30pmTue-Sun May, 2pm, 3.15pm&4.30pmTue-Sun Jul&Aug,10.30am,3pm adult/child Sfr6/3; one hour). hourtoChampéry(Sfr12.40, Monthey every atrainrunsvia from Martigny toLausanne), source of infoiswww.chablais.info. (Sfr6, 15minutes). Martigny runaroundthree timesanhour h -bains.ch; admissionforupto3hradult/4-16yrSfr22/14; The south of StMaurice alongthemotorway. of neighbouring Vaud, isLavey-les-Bains justinsidethe cantonalfrontier Although Lavey-les-Bains ( struction of the11th-century Their faithwascommemorated bythecon- tians orworship theancientgodsof Rome. for refusing tomarch againstotherChris- are tohave said cuttopiecesinAD302 been Christian companionsinaRomanarmyunit and horriblemassacre. Maurice andhis Christian martyr,wasthesite of anancient (population 3680),namedafter anearly knowthatthisquietvillageYou’d never St Maurice www.champery.ch) oryouth. senior/student cost Sfr55/37/44/46 peradult/child to16/ foradaythewholeareariaz. Skipasses The maintownontheFrench sideisAvo- to Morgins. Liftsoperate frombothvillages. continue 8kmtoChampéry,orbranch west 120 to Lavey (Sfr2.80,to Lavey 10minutes). andBrig, Geneva on thetrain linebetween under fourmaynot enter. Jacuzzis, steam baths Children andsaunas. threeprise pools(indoorand outdoor), October ingoodweather. The Planachaux cablecaroperates aslate as to Augustforhikers bikers. andmountain cable car. wander fromthetopof the Planachaux peaks.Theviewpointisonlyashorttain view of thenearbyDentsduMidimoun- The towncastlealsohasa % From Aigle (20minutes alongthetrack Croix deCulet Local postal buses runfromStMaurice, buses Local postal The Champéry’s skiliftsoperate fromJune 9am-9pm Sun-Thu, &Sat) 9am-10pmFri 024 486 04 04; www.stmaurice.ch; Ave024 4860404;www.stmaurice.ch; d’Agaune 15; LOWERVALAIS ••Martigny thermal baths Champéry h will tell youmore. Another (1963m) affords aneagle’s (1963m)affords

visits 3pm Tue-Sun Nov-Apr, 10.30am, visits 3pmTue-Sun Nov-Apr,10.30am, tourist office tourist

( % 024 4861555;www.lavey-les

military museum military museum ( % . Trains from . Trainsfrom Abbey Church 024 4792020; here com- . every aspectofevery thesite. visitor isgiven free rein towanderround scene of occasionalsummerconcerts.The Sun rest ofyear) & 10am-noon &4-6pmSunJulAug, closedSatafternoon 9am-noon&2-6pmSatinsummer,also & 1.30-6pmMon-Fri, PlaceCentrale; 20; www.martignytourism.ch; Gianadda The mainattractionisthe Sights &Activities world passby.The ment cafésandbars, thelocalswatch the is. Sittingatoneof thelonglineof pave- iswhere Tree-lined theaction PlaceCentrale &Information Orientation controlled thearea from15BC. of thecity’sancientRomanmasters, who ble culturalattractions,includingreminders offer ahandfulofpelling, itdoes considera- muddled feel. Whilenotimmediately com- Martigny hasamodernandsomewhat betheoldesttowninValais,It might but 476m pop 14,050/elevation MARTIGNY (Our Ladyof the Fields; Ruedel’Eglise) Nov, 10am-6pmDec-May) Forum; adult/student/seniorSfr15/8/13; Roman Amphitheatre pressure foralongtime,andtherestored the roadatanyminute. late 19thcenturyonlookready totake to polished-up automobiles datingfromthe premises. Some50 onthesame Museum), power inthe finest pieceistheheadof abronzebull. pre-Roman times foundinthevicinity.The coins, potsandsculptures fromRomanand the exhibitions. Above themainartgalleryis couple of unrelated butcuriouspermanent ern halfof thecountrytoadmire them. the worldandpeoplefromallover thewest- attracts top-classartexhibitionsfromaround in1978, established setting, This delightful likes of Henry Moore andAlexanderCalder. porary sculpture, withcontributionsfromthe The latter doublesasashowplaceforcontem- rambling acrossanarea of pretty parkland. Romanesque andGothicchurches, andeven The baroque The RomanEmpire withstood barbarian bullsareMighty replaced byhorse- Included in the entry price is access to a Included intheentrypriceisaccesstoa Musée Archéologique Gallo-Romain Archéologique Musée

( % can help with inquiries. can helpwithinquiries. 027 722 39 78; www.gianadda.ch; Rue du 027 7223978;www.gianadda.ch; Ruedu Musée del’Auto Musée Église de Notre Dame des Champs DamedesChamps Église deNotre

(admission free) tourist office tourist , aspaciousartgallery www.lonelyplanet.com hidesremains of Fondation Pierre Fondation Pierre (Automobile h

isagainthe ( % 9am-7pm Jun- h , housing , housing 027 721 22 027 72122 9am-noon 9am-noon Château delaBâtiaz Château voto paintings.Perched above thechapel is of Compassion)iscuriousforitsex- Lady the river, a 4th-centurybaptistery. BytheDranse www.lonelyplanet.com ber least theydoinMartigny. The10-dayOcto- At fight. Pigs don’tfly,butcowscertainly Festivals &Events castle tavern forsomerefreshment. ture. sickened, Suitably youcanstopoff atthe warengines and instrumentsofmedieval tor- display insideisacollectionof remakes of views over surroundingvineyardsalone. On Oct). French; 4 1 3 2 MARTIGNY It is worth the climb up the hill for the Itisworththeclimbuphillfor Chapelle de Foire duValais Foire Dranse SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION C apSt...... D3 TCS CampSite...... Hôtel ForclazTouring...... Roman Amphitheatre...... Musée del’Auto...... (see5) Gallo-Romain...... (see5) Musée Archéologique SaintBernard...... Fondation PierreGianadda...... desChamps...... Château delaBâtiaz...... Compassion...... Future ChiensetMuséedu Église deNotreDame Chapelle deNotreDamela C2 Tourist Office...... h To StMaurice(18km); 4-6pm Thu, 11am-6pm Fri-Sun mid-May–mid- 4-6pm Thu,11am-6pmFri-Sun Champs-Rue du-Bourg du Lausanne (71km) AC

Notre DamedelaCompassion Notre Rue de Rossettan de Rue

Chemin (Valais RegionalFair) ends

des (Bâtiaz Castle;www.batiaz.chin 12 Ave de la Fusion

Rue des Barriéres Rue St-Théodule Rue

To CheminDessous(3km); Epineys Chemin Dessus (4.5km); Hôtel BeauSite (4.5km) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Le Belvédère(3km); C2 C4 C4 B3 C2 B1 B2

Ch de Rue 2

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5 Forum d'Oche 14 Rue du Manoir Rue Hôtel- Rue du Nord 13 1 de Ville 7 .chemin.ch; s/dSfr70/130) Hôtel BeauSite Hôtel Sleeping prize porkers sincetheMiddleAges. Local residents have pickingonthe been the thrillyou,there’sdoesn’t sizzlingactionat Sfr10 tostand. p129 ). Tickets are and aroundSfr16 forseats theboxed(see text CowEncounters, Close with abovine bash-aboutof epicproportions or winter, itsbucolicpositionwithviewsof rural getaway wasbuiltin1912.Insummer central Martigny). Thischarming four-storey going theextrakilometre (actually6kmfrom 10 Rue du Rhône 6 If theideaof watching crunch-tackle cows Centrale

Foire duLard Foire Place

4 de Rome

R Alpes R Rue du Grand-Verger du Rue Place Marronniers 15

Rue des Ave de la Gare Rue d'Octodure Rue Ave de Fully 8 Chemin du Vivier ὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆

Rue du Simplon LOWER VALAIS ••Martigny To Lausanne(71km);

Rue de la Déléze Geneva (136km) ( %

(Bacon Fair) (Bacon inDecember. Rue de la Moya la de Rue Rue des Bonnes-Luites 027 7228164;CheminDessus;www TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING e orse...... B3 Les Touristes...... Buses toAosta...... Sunset Bar...... Le LoupBlanc...... La VacheQuiVole...... Restaurant LeGourmet...... Café duMidi...... Station

Train Ave des Neuvilles des Ave 16

Sometimesit’sworth

0.2miles 300m 0 0 Rue d'Aoste Rue 9 Rue du Levant

Rue des Finettes D To Aproz(22km); To Chamonix Pied (200m) Sion (26km) To Verraà 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 (147km)

C1 C2 B2 C2 A4 C2 121 VALAIS VALAIS 4; mainsSfr20-35; bar andshops. the towncentre. Ithasitsownrestaurant, from and isahalf–hikingboot’sdistance cilities andgoodviewsof thecountryside, ing venue hasaswimmingpool,sportsfa- On sunnydaysheadupstairs totheterrace. meal overence foranItalian goodlocalwine. chairs makes andtables, forapleasingambi- down locale,withwhite linenandwooden eat thisdishwiththeirhands. andafew selection pickles).Note thatlocals pally madeupof mixed coldmeats,acheese valaisanne perfect ifyouare after fondueoran don’t make placeslike thisanymore, andit’s this isanold-stylecaféandrestaurant. They oldcentrepleasant of Martigny bythechurch, Site. tions fortheHôtel Beau thedirec- withpan-friedbeef foiegras).See foie gras poêlé dishes as over valleyandsuch succulent theRhône a finerestaurant. Youcanenjoyviewsout road, thisisasplendidmansionturnedinto country tigny upanarrow,high-climbing Thu-Sat, lunchSun) French; CheminDessous;mainsSfr26-42; Le Belvédère Eating viewsisawinner.with mountain utterly functional.The6th-floor restaurant are andreasonably comfortable spacious,if and windowframes,butinsidetherooms is anawfulconcrete blockwithpurpledoor No 5headsuphere hourly(25minutes). du-Bourg toCheminsurMartigny. Localbus from theroundaboutof RuedesChamps- with aterrace. Toget here followtheroad it apeacefulspot.Ithasitsownrestaurant valleymake the hillsanddowntoRhône 122 190; Ave duGrandStBernard74;mealsSfr100- .le-gourmet.ch; dining area transmits reminders of thecity’s décor, the its amphorae andsalmon-pink this istheleading restaurant in town.With forclaztouring.ch; RueduLéman15;s/dSfr100/150) forclaztouring.ch; Sfr45-55; Levant 68;person/tent/dmSfr7.40/9.20/21) Restaurant LeGourmet Restaurant Les Touristes duMidi Café TCS campingground ForclazTouring Hôtel h LOWERVALAIS ••AroundMartigny daily) h tournedos deboeufet defilet son Tue-Sun) (aka Housed intheHôtel duForum, Housed

( % h

( (atournedosof Val d’Herens ( % % About 3kmsouthof Mar- 027 7231400;www.lebelvedere.ch in Walliserteller, Wed-Mon) Aclassic,straight-up-and- 027 72 95 98; Rue de l’Hôpital 1; meals 027 729598;Ruedel’Hôpital1;meals 027 722 00 03; Rue des Marronniers 027 7220003;RuedesMarronniers

( % ( %

Tucked away in the Tucked awayinthe ( % 027 7222942;www.hotel 027 7224544;Ruede 027 7221841;www adishprinci- h Thiscamp- lunch &dinner assiette Yes, it main road totheColdu Great St-Bernard 40; www.tmrsa.ch) 20; Léman 15; variety of andlocaldishes. Italian themenuoffers toeat, if youwanttostay a (localandforeign for winetasting wines) and for everyone. It’samodernbarthatisgreat h Sets start around 9pm. around9pm. start Sets sional localDJorbandThursday toSaturday. Forclaz building,thebarattractsocca- h La Vache QuiVole Drinking with foiegrasandpistachios). lapin aufoie gras et pistaches You mayfindsuch items asthe Roman past.Themenuchanges regularly. the Val d’Entremont. borderalong heading southto theItalian to Orsières branches southatSembrancher, The & Val d’Entremont StBernardPass Great AROUND MARTIGNY least twodepartures perday). (Sfr30.60, at inItaly nard TunneltoAosta Martigny viaOrsières andtheGreat StBer- (Sfr24, gofrom 50to 65minutes). Buses (Sfr22, 50minutes) toBrig from Lausanne Martigny isonthemainrailroute running &Away There Getting minutes) viaSembrancher. tion forVerbier) andOrsières (Sfr9.80, 28 (Sfr9.80, 27minutes; skiliftorbusconnec- St Bernard Express Martigny isalsothedeparture pointforthe are season. upto12tripsperdayinthehigh monix (Sfr31, 1½hours) inFrance. There limited menu. the terrace anditalsooffers snacksanda are theorderof theday.Youcansit outon laid-back lounge bar,where goodlocalwines to comeforpre-dinner drinksonly. generous hours meanyou’llprobably want the best-stocked placesintown,butthe un- fine littlewinebarislocated. Thisisoneof the enormousfour-star hotel inwhich this Sunset Bar The private Verre àPied Verre Le LoupBlanc h 10-1am) 10.30-1am) St BernardExpress 10.30am-1pm &5-9pm) h The ‘White Wolf’offers something 6pm-1am Tue-Sat) The ‘Flying Cow’ is an inviting, The‘FlyingCow’isaninviting,

(www.sunset-bar.com inFrench; Ruedu ( % usually goes hourlytoCha- usuallygoes Mont-Blanc Express Express Mont-Blanc

( ( % % 027 7201616;RuedesPrés-Beudin , which goes to Le Châble toLe , which goes 027 722 38 33; Place Centrale 2B; 027 7223833;PlaceCentrale2B; 027 7235252;PlaceCentrale; Orsières trainfromMartigny www.lonelyplanet.com Don’t be put off by Don’tbeputoff Set inside the Hôtel insidetheHôtel Set (rabbitterrine isjustoff the

( % terrine de terrine 027 72168 open to people who wish to sleep overnightopen topeople whowish to sleep up tosix months of theyear, itremains www.lonelyplanet.com menu Sfr65/115; ginning of thelittle-visited and like-named tunnel,andmarksthebe- conditions. preferences (viewsortime?)andweather road, dependingonyour winding mountain border, which youcancrossbytunnelorthe ber itisagoodwalkfordeer-spotting. range andeponymousstream. InSeptem- trail leadsdownalongtheCombede l’Ahill kilometres before reaching thehamlet.This track thatleadsoff theroadacoupleof Keep forasignedwalking youreyespeeled forDranceandheadVichères.Turn off the N21roadfurthersouthtowardsDrance. (4314m) totheeast. where theviews includetheGrandCombin Breyawinter (2374m), andsummertoLa it’s a1¾-hourwalk.Acablecaroperates in sits byalooking-glass lake. FromOrsières handful of modestrooms. game meattakes prideof place. Italsohasa best timeisautumn,whenfreshly hunted intheknowinsist Those a rusticsetting. asSfr180 in intheevening) ashigh and rise aslowSfr30tions (which atlunch start ant. Itoffers op- mouth-watering set-meal it isnowanenticingvillage-square restaur- route toandfromthe Pass,Great StBernard A formerhostelry forlonelytravellers en bernard.ch; dmSfr17-45, dSfr56-69) L’Hôtel desAlpes L’Hôtel in Orsières youmaybetempted tostopby Although the Although The N21continuessouthtothe Italian Animal lovers withavehicle couldfollow A branch leadsto road each summer,asusual.The thetouristshappy,aposseofdoggiesAnd tokeep uptostayatthehospice willbe taken to theRomanAmphitheatre, topreserve therace. dueforcompletionin2006)aswellkennels stepped inandsaved door theday,puttingupmoneytocreate (next amuseuminMartigny seem tohave thanus,’remarked becomemore one).Amulti-millionaire important fromGeneva care all andsundrybyannouncingtheycouldnolongertake hospice shocked ofthedogs(‘who handful ofageingmonkswhohadlongraisedthemandmaintainedamuseumattheirmountain lost soulsanddidtherescuing. The dogshave longstoppeddoingtheworkandin2004, And sothelegendof St Bernarddogswasborn,asittheywhofrequently foundthe spiritual succourtopeopleinthemountainsandonoccasionrescue travellers lostinthesnow. Since the11thcentury,monkshave maintainedahospiceattheGreat StBernardPass togive A SHAGGY DOGTALE 9am-noon &1-6pmJunSep) h

( lunch &dinnerThu-Sun,Mon) hospice % 027 7831102;lunch/dinnerset

( % operate insummeronly. issnowedinfor 027 7871236;www.gs kennelsandmuseum Val Ferret Champex , which . While . .chamonix.com and www.courmayeur.com. Chamonix andCourmayeur, check outwww Courmayeur. Forinformationon skiing in side,themainresortrun. OntheItalian is Blanc thatconstitutes the world’s longest ski 20km glacierdanglingfromtheside of Mont The biggest skiattractionis less easilybytrainandbusfromMartigny. accessible byroadfromthere andalittle andeasily popular withfolksinGeneva In Francethemainskiresort isChamonix, totouch. enough times youthinkitclose it’snotinSwitzerlandthereand although are Alpinepeak, thismighty zerland youcansee From numerouspointsinsouthwestSwit- 4807m elevation MONT BLANC the buswon’tgopastBourg StPierre. cost fromMartigny isSfr18.50. Otherwise the connectingbus(45minutes). Thetotal to Orsières (see opposite ) andchange for summer, take the becomes anecessityinthemountains. inanavalanche.caught Thissmallcourtesy will wonderwhetheryouhave gotten lostor they expectyouanddon’tturnup, if decide nottogo,letthemknow,because weather maymake itinadvisable.If you again justbefore youplantoarrive, asbad space. In winter especially,youmustcall and findoutifitisopenthere is tocallahead 7km downhill.Itisessential skis) fromtheentrancetoroadtunnel or way upordownisonfoot(snowshoe up here thelongwinter. through Theonly layworkers orderandseven stay St Bernard or justget abite toeat.Five brothers of the

(adult/child/senior Sfr7/5/6; To get tothehospicefromMartigny in LOWER VALAIS ••MontBlanc St BernardExpress h 9am-7pm Jul&Aug, Vallée Blanche train

123

, a , a VALAIS VALAIS summer skiing onitsglacier. toallow enough guls!). Mont Fortishigh Mont Fort(3329m; have funonthemo- skills,particularly atAttelas and off-piste opportunities for theexpertstoflaunttheir and Thyon. Four Valleys area stretches east toNendaz cluding MontFortare alsoavailable. The whole area ex- costsSfr62. Cheaperpasses of runs and94skilifts.Apassforthe (Four Valleys) skiarea, which offers 410km Verbier isattheheartof the Activities ( where youwillfindthe Centrale, Verbier village. The hubof Verbier isPlace terminus. The resort properisuphillfrom facing ledge above Châble,thelocalrail Le Verbier isscenicallysituated onasouthwest- &Information Orientation local bars asyou’llfindontheslopes. as much iceclinkinginwhiskytumblers at Verbier becomesamajor partyvillage, with season, the snowbelowtheirfeet. Inthehigh snowboarders, whooften look cooler than tracts ayouthful,trendy crowdof skiers and is butayoungpupof askiresort. Italsoat- With itsfirst skiliftonlybuiltin1947, Verbier 1500m pop 2500/elevation VERBIER the 215km lava flowandhikers wanttotake on might reach mountain mighty intoSwitzerlandlike Thelowerreaches fromGeneva. of buses the See p122 fortravel There details. are also 124 6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon&4-6.30pmSat,Sun) 6.30pm Mon-Fri, pass, reached bybusfromMartigny. Champex ( p123 ) andtheColdelaForclaz of goodplacestocommence,including 14 days.InSwitzerlandthere are anumber more than2500mandtypicallytakes 10to The walkreaches amaximumaltitudeof a thirdof Switzerland. through which passes on liftpricesforskiingandhiking. citizensget discounts and senior substantial Families, season. inthehigh children service cludes thecablecars. Theresort hasafree bus to earlyDecemberandduringMay. Thatin- nus. Verbier ismostlyshutfromlate October square bustermi- andpostal isthe postoffice Hours are Justoff the longer inpeakseason. % The skiingisexcitingandvaried, with 027 7753888;www.verbier.ch; LOWERVALAIS ••Verbier Mont Blanccircuit in summer, about insummer,about h Quatre Vallées Quatre 8am-noon &2- tourist office tourist .

Rue deMédran5;duptoSfr250) Sfr200; verbier.ch; Rue deMédran12;perpersonhalfboardupto sion foodbar. It’s100m off PlaceCentrale. Downstairs italsohastheNetsu sushiandfu- Some have views. balconiesandmountain comfy andallwithownbath cable TV. party hotel’s roomsare asgoodany,clean, a bite anddrink(untilaslate as2am),this gather inthevariousnooksandcranniesfor bit of chaos attheendof thedaywhenskiers .xtremeverbier.com) aredem flights available. hang-gliding or paragliding. Soloandtan- thenyoucantake totheairby enough, high des Vaux. Creblet, anddownintothecrater toLac it takes twohours toascendtheridge at offers plentyof Ruinettes, hiking.FromLes coach foryou! arrange They caneven atennis to Zermatt. ing afive-day trek alongtheHaute Route interesting (andexpensive) options,includ- heli-skiingandothermountaineering, Sfr170. both offer from 30-minute flights tandem events include events sical musicandspoken-word Sports event. hosts the The resort facesthemusicinJulywhenit Festivals &Events ( ably higher inwinter thaninsummer.ably higher spring andautumnpricesare consider- but bookinadvance. Mostplacesshutin Private rooms andchalets are reasonable, Sleeping 82 82;www.verbierfestival.com) 771 5555) range of excitingmoves. of fun,withsnowboarders a goingthrough spell alot does department, buttheevent bealittlelaxinthespelling tition might bright rooms and the food is hearty. roomsand thefoodishearty. bright in summer. Timber dominates inthemostly accommodation. Prices droptolessthanhalf that iscentrallylocated and hasno-nonsense sport.ch) % Maison duSport Maison Hôtel DeLaPoste Hôtel If beingonthetopof isn’t amountain With thesnowgoneinsummer,Verbier Hôtel Garbo Hôtel 027 7716818;www.flyverbier.ch) ps , behind the post office, offers, behindthepostoffice, ski- , based in the Hotel Rosa Blanche, intheHotel Rosa , based Verbier Festival &Academy )

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charm. PlaceCentrale. It’sabout50moff pizza andpoorMexican their begintolose and very Swissoptionwhenhamburgers, raclette thismakes withlocalcheese, acosy andcognac),orsimplya one withmustard a choice of 14typesof fondue(including Creux; fondueperpersonSfr28-34; to November. late Apriltolate JuneandfromSeptember four orfive clubsinVerbier. Itshutsfrom upfood. broadly. Downstairs italsoserves tobeinterpretedand closingtimeseems April only).Shots are theorderof the night price tipples)is4pmto5pmdaily(January to ofbase Attelas cablecar. Happy hour(half- two storeys inthisVerbier classicnearthe lanxes of after-drinking skiers gatherover ful of gourmetoptions. serious as cheap andimaginative aschips toahand- hungry inVerbier. Therange spreads from about theresort anditsruns,youwon’tgo With about45restaurants andeateries spread Eating www.lonelyplanet.com one that crosses the mountain frontier themountain one that crosses hiking trails fanoutfrom here, including voisin) andits impressive dam.Several deMauvoisin Mau-and uptoLac (Lake Châbleit’sa19km driveFrom Le south VAL DEBAGNES minutes. full tripcostsSfr15.20 andtakes about50 or, whenit’srunning,thecable car. The Châble. FromthereLe youeitherget abus round, take 30minutes andterminate at Trains fromMartigny runhourlyyear- &Away There Getting Pub MontFort Drinking dipped intoboilingoil). fondueinwhich(a beef cubesof meatare along withasizzling allthelocalcheesyRuinettes. classics, Itdoes Chable anduptoLes main liftdowntoLe in 2005,thisplaceishandilyplacedbythe The GoodSkiing andSnowboardingGuide Voted restaurant ‘mountain of theyear’by .ch; RuedeMédran;mainsSfr20-40; 4am Dec-Apr,Jul&Aug) 10; Au Vieux Valais Vieux Au Taratata La ChanneValaisanne h 3pm-1.30am dailyNov-Apr&mid-Jun–Aug)

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pass andentrytothe the slopeswithbathtime. Acombinedlift What makes itespeciallyfuniscombining liftreachesthe slopes.Thehighest 2500m. mediates, butmakes dayon forapleasant the village neartheCoopsupermarket. 305 1111;www.thermalp.chinFrench; 306 4293;www.ovronnaz.ch) and Rue de Lausanne. of alongAvedistance thestation, delaGare of theareas of interest are withinwalking modern, commercial heartof Sion.Most south of theoldtowncentre, facingthe isdownhilland Thetrainstation Rhône. The French-speaking townliesnorthof the Orientation the way. churches along seums, andhistorichouses old towncentre, passing acollectionof mu- Château deTourbillon’sperch downtothe skelter of cobbledstreets ramblefromthe architecture.its attractive medieval Ahelter- Valére andTourbillon. drop, sheltered bythetwinbattlementhillsof hasadramaticback- Sion (Sitten inGerman) 490m pop 27,700/elevation SION The Ovronnaz. to 10km roadleads motorway, awindingmountain which isonthenorthsideofLeytron, the turn-off. From the A9asfarLeytron mal baths. FromMartigny, headeastup but pleasingfamilyskiresort withther- Few foreign visitors cottonontothissmall OVRONNAZ count onit. ofhotel atthebase thedamopen,butdon’t Châble. Youmayfindthe simple,lone Le runonweekends andholidaysfrom buses Valley inItaly’s region. d’Aosta Three daily (2797m) anddownintotheValpelline val- overwith Italy theFenêtre duDurandpass have similaroptionsfromSion. tron) hourly(Sfr13.40, about onehour).You and apartments. canhelpwithvariousB&Bs tourist office them separately). costs Sfr53 (asaving of Sfr8 onpayingfor The skiingislimited andmostlyforinter- The capital ofThe capital Valais hasretained much of Buses runfromMartignyBuses (change atLey- There isonlyahandfulof hotels, butthe LOWER VALAIS ••Val deBagnes isatthenorthendof Thermalp baths Thermalp tourist office tourist h 9am-8.30pm)

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VALAIS VALAIS town iswellworththeclimb. the exterior theviewof walls.However, the daily Jun-Sep) Sfr7/4.50/15; ( (Rue desChâteaux;adult/child/familySfr3/2/6; a contains lon, thisfortifiedheight On thehillopposite theChâteau deTourbil- BASILIQUE DEVALÈRE trekIt’s arough uphilltothis CHÂTEAU DETOURBILLON for twodaysover a15-dayperiod. tous musées) A one-offticket toallmuseums Sights &Activities 12.30pm Sat). Planta; ( Sion hasa Information 126 medieval walls,isthe medieval thegateexiting through inthecomplex’s frescoes. Downhillfromthebasilica,before iscoveredchoir Theapse stalls. withbright Justinsideareto see. thebeautifully carved instead.inserted Thisisthepartyoupay takenend, itwasnever down,butadoorway removed, buthere theclergy resisted. Inthe century thePopeordered such divisionsbe be herdedintotheotherside. Inthe17th the clergy andnobles,whiletheplebswould sidewouldgather typical. Onthemainaltar times such divisions werewall. Inmedieval of thethemdepictingStSebastian. organ isare 15th-centuryfrescoes, thebest In thefrontpartof thechurch where the (from 4pm)frommid-Julytomid-August. Festival), heldhere onSaturdayafternoons (International AncientOrgan andMusic l’Organ AncienetdelaMusiqueAncienne especially fortheFestival International de Concerts are heldhere nowandthen, every century, itwasrestored intheearly2000s. stern of caravel. amedieval Builtinthe15th likeside wallopposite theapse thetimber oldest playableorgan jutsoutfromthein- ing inparttothe12thcentury.Theworld’s 6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pmSat) 6.30pm Mon-Fri, 606 4745;RuedesCháteaux;admissionfree; visits 10.15am-4.15pmTue-Sun, plus5.15pmJun-Sep) mid-Mar–mid-Nov) % % The interior of thechurch isdividedbya 027 606 47 10; adult/child/family combined with basilica 027 6064710;adult/child/family combinedwithbasilica LOWERVALAIS ••Sion 027 322 77 27; www.siontourism.ch; Placedela027 3227727;www.siontourism.ch; h 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am- 8.30am-12.30pm &2.30-5.30pmMon-Fri, h . Itoffers ablend of ar- medieval postoffice isavailable forSfr12. Itisvalid 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-May, 11am-6pm 11am-6pm 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Oct-May, , andallthat’sleftare ruinsof

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ern.com; RuedeScex;s/dSfr132/190; the area aroundSion. chalets andB&B-styleaccommodationin tels, thetouristoffice canprovide alistof In additiontovarious(mostlymodern)ho- Sleeping www.lonelyplanet.com Rue de l’Industrie 2;dm/dSfr29/72) Rue del’Industrie in summer. sit outsidethemodernbuildinginyard therealthough are somedoubles.Youcan hostel are mostlyequippedwithfourbeds, youth roomsinthisclean,bright station, costs Sfr10. spacious ifsomewhatblandrooms.Parking a pretty thismodernblockoffers fountain, 4 1 3 2 SION Hôtel duRhône Hôtel SYHA Hostel SYHA Hostel Lausanne (98km) Martigny (26km); Pont delaMorge(3km); To Airport(2km); TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING SLEEPING Musée Cantonald'Histoire C2 Musée Cantonaldes Musée Cantonald'Archéologie.. Cathédrale deNotreDamedu Postal BusDepartures...... Hertz...... Grande DixenceDamBusStop.. Avis...... P'tit Loup...... Le Rouge&Blanc...... Contrejour...... L'Enclos deValère...... Grand Pont...... Cave deTousVents...... SYHA Hostel...... Hôtel duRhône...... Tour desSorciers...... Musée Cantonald’Histoire...... (see5) Naturelle...... Beaux-Arts...... Maison Supersaxo...... Église deStThéodule...... Château deTourbillon...... Glarier...... Basilique deValère...... Ancien Pénitencier...... Valais Tourisme...... Tourist Office...... Post Office...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION AC ( %

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127

7 VALAIS VALAIS for thebest-dressed scionsof Sion. with goodwinesandmoodmusic,alldone hangout intown,thisisaslicklounge bar, ing fromapowerfulstereo system. stringstotheheavyguitar soundsreverberat- jockey forpositionatthebar,vibrating like is therage here. Agrunge of leatherjackets parts 10; parts great in winter. an assortmentof heartymeatdishes.It’s such favourites asraclette and fondue, and cellar atmosphere forlocaldining,including minutes’ walkwest of theyouth hostel. free parking bytheswimming pool,five bySion.There’sThe A9motorway passes CAR &MOTORCYCLE at Sion. Brig (Sfr17.60, 35to50minutes) stopin (Sfr28, 50to70minutes) andLausanne All trainsontheexpress route between TRAIN Forinformation,call station. leave buses Postal fromoutsidethetrain BUS The AIR &Away There Getting Contrejour Drinking Dec-May) Châteaux 16;mealsSfr40-60; peppers). There’s akids’menustoo. (foal filletwithblack,green andSichuan 128 and Zermatt. to resorts Verbier such asCransMontana, operate directshuttle buses fromtheairport London andCorsica. Duringtheskiseason year-round toZürich flights (50minutes), theretion; busNo1goes (Sfr3.40). There are about nearthestreet-side windows. back tothebetter-dressed punters lounging ers, fromthepoolplayers whohangoutthe rowdy pub-styleplacethatcaters toallcom- 1am Mon-Thu, &Sat) 6pm-2am Fri 34 oraskatthetrainstation. h Route del’Aéroport) Le Rouge&Blanc Cave deTous Vents Cave P’tit Loup 5pm-midnight Tue-Thu, &Sat) 5pm-1amFri LOWERVALAIS ••AroundSion airport h Wanderdownstairs intothisperfect

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( % 027 3238082;RuedesRem- h 027 3224684;Ruedes Easily thehippest Easily daily Jun-Nov,Mon-Sat % 027 32734 Hard rock h 6pm- A 33) at Garage Delta. h .com inFrench; rperpersonSfr52) see ahuddleof called houses see upintothesky. torise which seems of switchbacks of uptothebase thedam, Itthenmakes to trackstatus. afinalseries into asmallplainbefore theroadnarrows rows asyougainaltitude,finallyopeningup The heavily valleynar- woodedanddeep come twosmallhamlets,ProlinandMâche. strange-looking Cubist-style concr (southwest). road asfarVex, where youbranch right and theVal d’Hérens, which share thesame dam intheworld. Dixence dam.At284m,itisthehighest its southernendbytheenormousGrande south of offat Sion,thevalleyissectioned of moderntimes.Stretching about30km to visitoneof thegreat feats engineering Little explored, thisvalleyisworththetrip Val d’Hérémence AROUND SION ( Vex andthen way inthevalley’s villages isSunday. peopledressed upthis The bestdaytosee dressing andworkingintraditionalcostume. their authenticwayof life, which includes Locals of thisvalleypridethemselves on &Vald’Arolla Val d’Hérens Arolla, asix-hourtrek forthefit. cross over intothenextvalleyandmake for lake andthevalleystretching outbelow. cubic metres this of between cementstand green water, remember thatsixmillion tothetop.Asbase youstare acrossthemilky downstairs. timber-lined roomsandasnugrestaurant the make forwalkers handybases inthearea. Try to acoupleof bijouhotel-restaurants that looking rock pinnaclescommonly known the latter, underGaudiesque- theroadpasses % isatGarage duNord,andthere’s also Europcar Just before you’ll embarkingonthatroad After From Sion,followthesignsforthisvalley Coming up from Sion, you pass through Coming upfrom Sion,youpassthrough Hikers candoacircuitof thelake or Take the the Take 9.30am-12.20pm &1.15-6.20pm) Val desDix 027 3222077;Ave deTourbillon23-25) Hérémence

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( % . They have been . Theyhave been Evolène stands insplen- stands 027 2837000;www inGerman),cowfightsare on organised invillages,particular , which rep- . Here is The château ishometothe tered vineyards! withpostage stamp–sized part of thetown,someof which isstilllit- iscurious,asittakes youintotheolder itself alongAvetrain station duMarché. Thewalk ground about a 20-minute walkfromthe .chateaudevilla.ch; Rue Ste-Catherine 4) RueSte-Catherine .chateaudevilla.ch; daily highseason) gesch.ch; sons though. Firstsons though. there is the The château isworthvisitingfor other rea- tobe madeandstored. used the grapenectar presses andothermemorabiliashowing how 5pm Apr-Nov) (wine store; century outside. ings are private andcanonlybeviewedfrom brochure haswalking routes butmostbuild- The touristoffice’s and History isreflected inthenumerous Sights &Activities The this isoneof Switzerland’ssunniesttowns. Great weatheralsocomesupvictorious,as French although German), isfavoured. pete forprominencein Sierre (Siders in The French languages andGerman com- 540m pop 14,360/elevation SIERRE &AROUND cier from the Château deVillaisthe the restaurant (see p130 ). you cantaste before buying.Then there is extensive collectionof wines, someof which Of these, themostinvitingis16th- Of these, A 10-minute walk,partlypast vineyards, , which is set with a series of with aseries , which other villas, isset tourist office tourist grand houses LOWER VALAIS ••Sierre &Around h Château deVilla Château h 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noonSat,8am-7pm 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, , amodestdisplayof oldwine 10.30am-1pm &4.30-8.30pm) is in the train station. isinthetrainstation.

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VALAIS VALAIS villa.ch; Rue Ste-Catherine 4; racletteSfr30; villa.ch; RueSte-Catherine outside the station runstothe nearby fu- outside the station a red SMC shuttle bus( point forCrans-Montana; the leaping-off route. The townison theGeneva–Brig Around twotrains anhourstopatSierre &Away There Getting Bois deFinges Sleeping &Eating the winehamletof the othersideof thelanguage frontieris grounds anytime. butyoucanwanderthe and similarevents, formajorThe wholelotisused receptions orangery inapretty andformerstables park. 130 find the the Château deVilla. InSalgesch youwill route Sierre through andvineyardsfrom Franco phones). Youcanfollowawalking the forest edge andneartheRhône. cluding thisone,which isprettily located on campinggrounds,in- several land contains the towncentre, anarea of protected wood- with excellentlocalwine). sixtypesoftasting (washeddown cheese château proposes a marvellous raclette château amarvellous proposes ing theTerminus arunforitsmoney,the Sfr6.40/10.40/17; sitesperperson/tentonly/car&tent /camping-bois-de-finges; Gregor Kuonen &Söhne. and loadsof wineriessuch astheexcellent of intheChâteau deVilla, themuseum Just 3.5kmawayfromSierre andon Château de Villa Villa de Château nip -terminus.ch; Ruedu Bourg 1;s/dSfr120/190; Hôtel TerminusHôtel AUTHOR’S CHOICE is the high altar of avant-garde cooking.is thehighaltarofavant-garde yellow andblack(andwithalovely terrace), tasting menusSfr120-185; rant guide. The restaurant (mainsSfr70-75, Year bytheprestigious wasvotedCourten, the2006Cookof The chefbehindtherestaurant, Didierde fi). Ask aboutthebigdoublesinloft. andwi- furniture plasmaTV (toucheslike Rooms are pleasinglylaidoutwithmodern gourmet pilgrimagesite withsnazzydigs. one oftheregion’s topaddresses, thisisa LOWERVALAIS ••Crans-Montana Weinmuseum Sfr8) h

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late Apr–early Oct; late Apr–earlyOct; Recently transformedinto ( ( % % 027 4550284;www.tiscover.ch 027 4551351;www.hotel 027 4551886;www.chateaude Salgesch

( h Gault-Millau navette, 2-5pm Apr-Nov) h (Salquenento ps Tue-Sat), in h free) from restau- daily) ) East of East , part

feast, Giv- 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noonSatrest oftheyear) 2-6pm Mon-Fri, & 4-6pmSunDec-Aprmid-Jun–Aug, 8.30am-noon& crans.ch; -montana.ch; .petit-paradis.com; s/dSfr75/130; set alongastringofset shimmeringlakes. The resort but isamodern,sprawlingaffair, lesteros, are amongthebestincountry. Bal- of themdesignedbySpanish playerSeve thelocalcourses, one September, ment every host of theEuropeanMasters GolfTourna- ing ismostlyintermediate butexcellent.As tends toattractnewrich Russians.Theski- of President Kennedy andfilmstars, itnow in showassnow.Oncefavoured bythelikes 15km northwestof Sierre are asinterested 1500m pop 7000/elevation Visitors tothis trendy twinresort about CRANS-MONTANA minutes). (Sfr11.40, 15 forMontana nicular station -montblanc.ch in French; Plans Mayens; s/dSfr165/280; -montblanc.ch inFrench; PlansMayens; thetouristoffice.through there are about50).Thiscanalsobearranged in private homesthaninhotels (of which cheaper andsometimesmore homeytolodge website (www.crans-montana.ch). Itisoften theresortYou canbookonlinethrough Sleeping &Eating Just outside Cranstothe northwest,this the Contact 18 holes.Pricesrange fromSfr40 toSfr80. activities. Thegolf are scattered abouttheresort. Glacier Plaine-Morte day. Forabout20%more youcanincludethe forone 48 peradult/child/youth andsenior area costSfr56/34/Crans-Montana skipasses 41 liftsand50kmof cross-countrytracks. ing onAve delaGare in Montana. build- inCransand thepostoffice Centrale branches intheScandiabuildingonRue spotless withtypical woodpanelling. beat anywhere intheresort. else Roomsare is acosyplaceatpriceyou’llfind hardto below Cransinthehamletof Bluche, this to climbing. mountain you aboutadventure sports,from canoeing The Auberge duPetit Paradis Auberge In summer,hikingand golf are theprime The skiarea 160kmof comprises slopes, Hôtel Mont-Blanc Hôtel h tourist office tourist May-Oct) h golf club 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat,10am-noon . The tourist offices cantell. Thetouristoffices

(3000m). Five skischools

courses includenineand

( ( % %

( % 027 4813143;www.hotel www.lonelyplanet.com 027 4850404;www.crans

( 027 4859797;www.golf % p 027 4812148;www ) Situated just has p )

Crans and Montana (busstopPavillon).Crans andMontana It’sabout halfwaybetween and tomatoes). filletwithpan-fried(grilled salmon fennel poêlédefenouilet tomatesde saumongrillé, ing onwhatthemarkets offer). Trythe out. Themenuincludesfresh fish(depend- option allowsyoulake viewsfrominsideand resort isstrung,thissmallbutwarmdining one of thepretty littlelakes where much of the the gamemenuisenticing. quite reasonable foodingeneral. Inautumn prettyround, thisspotdoes goodpizzaand of thevery few placeshere toopenyear- from having thedistinctionof beingone three suites. with thefood.Theplacehas10roomsand perfect foreatinguptheAlpineviewsalong spot isknownforitsgrandbalconyterrace, www.lonelyplanet.com Sierre is a narrow roadwindingback northtowards 220km oftals skiruns.About 11kmalong (adult/child/student Sfr45/27/38), which to- .ch). Youcanget askipass forthewholearea for five (www.sierre-anniviers skistations 12th-century church. Itisavalleycrossroads Vissoie villageriving after of 13kminthemedieval up steeplyontheeastflankof thevalley,ar- some fineskiingoptions. valley isdotted bypretty townsandoffers the vineyards.Somecontinuetodoso. The and cometoSierre insummertowork homes who wouldwinter intheirmountain ship withthepeopleof theVal d’Anniviers, Traditionally Sierre relation- hashadaclose VAL D’ANNIVIERS the resort area. FreeCrans-Montana. shuttlesmove around See opposite forinformation ongetting to &Away There Getting pizzas Sfr18-20,meatmainsSfr30-46; in theroomshelptoo. It’sincentralCrans. create atrulywarmwelcome. TheJacuzzis cable taste, combinestonewithtimberto Justninesuites,to stay. alldonewithimpec- grand timber‘castle’isoneof thebestplaces Sfr35-46; Sfr430-650; .relaischateaux.com/pasdelours; RueduPas del’Ours;ste Le Pavillon Hostellerie duPas del’Ours Hostellerie From Sierre, themainroadsouthwinds Le Raphaele , withits13th-centurywatchtower and h Vercorin ps Wed-Mon)

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) ( For sheer splendour,this Forsheer 027 481 24 69; Route de Rawyl; mains mains 027 4812469;RoutedeRawyl; % 027 4803150;RueduPas del’Ours; Overlooking Lac Grenon, Lac Overlooking 027 4555855; www.vercorin.ch)

( % 027 4859333;www h daily) Apart filet ,

.saint-luc.ch) www.bendolla.ch) 475 13 70; www.zinal.ch) 475 1370;www.zinal.ch) row lanes andadornedwith geranium-filled huddled overburned-timber houses nar- the prettiest townsinValais, mountain its from Vissoies intoasidevalley.Itis oneof /hotelweisshorn; rperpersonhalfboardSfr110) .chandolin.ch) ofcombined stations spot sizablegroupsof deer. whenitisoftenlate September, possibleto south to you couldtake aone-hourwalk(signposted) direct fromSierre viaChippis.Insummer of andeat.Itisalsoaccessible placestostay of pistes) butenjoyableskiingandahandful familyresorta pleasant withlimited (35km the village isnothingspecial. At Zinal,too,there isgoodskiing,although tinue alongthemainroadfor and StLuc. modation andeatingoptionsinChandolin is fourhours. There are plentyof accom- delaBella-Tola Tignousa andontoLac ThewalkfromStLucto seasons. between (Sfr13/8 peradult/child return) run doesn’t for youfromStLuc). skis inwinter, whenluggage istransported bikesible onfootorbymountain only(oron hotel, openedin1884,isat2337mandacces- The delaBella-Tola). lakesmountain toLac at Uranusandfollowingatrailpastseveral youleaving thepath the way(avariantsees models of planetsinthesolar system along the hill amblefromTignousa (above StLuc)to Chemin desPlanètes (PlanetsTrail),anup- are plentyof walkingoptions,includingthe champion andskier. sailor Insummer,there andTibet, ghanistan orwinningracesasa wasn’t exploringtheremote corners of Af- adventurer wholived inChandolinwhenshe visit the slopesataround2000m.Whilehere,steep hangingonfordearlifetimber houses tothe latter istheprettier of thetwo,ahuddleof Chandolin another4kmtothenorth.The east of of Vissoie,upaseries switchbacks, and panoramas.StLucis4km runs andfairytale 6pm Wed-Sun) Closer andmuch moreCloser tempting are the Another storyis Back downinVissoiesyoucouldcon- Back The funicularfromStLuctoTignousa Hotel LOWER VALAIS ••Val d’Anniviers Espace EllaMaillart Val deRéchy and , with75kmof broad,sunnyski , dedicated totheremarkable Swiss , 7kmupawinding road Chandolin

( % via thehamletof Ayer. , especiallytempting in St Luc 027 4751106;www.chez.com

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( % 027 4751838;www

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131

027 VALAIS VALAIS to your outdoor bathing meditations. The The to your outdoor bathing meditations. ceived makes foran awe-inspiringbackdrop than anythingthe Romanscouldhave con- the village like an amphitheatre grander entire area underfinancialsurveillance. people involved and the placementof the finally resulted inascandal,jail forvarious sive renovation workswith dodgydebtsthat late 1990s,themunicipalityundertookmas- Oberland. Fromthe1980suntil Bernese Passnegotiating theGemmi to/fromthe 19th centuryitwaspopularwithtravellers hererope. TheRomans settled andinthe the largest thermal centre mountain inEu- Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains inFrench) is 1411m pop 1430/elevation LEUKERBAD for sportandnature lovers. townsactasayear-roundGerman magnet cluster of 4000mpeaksandpretty Swiss image, thesoaringMatterhorn peak.A dominated bythecountry’smostpowerful eastern halfofThe German theValais is UPPER VALAIS www.hoteldemoiry.ch; rperpersonhalfboardSfr105) tongue, a1½-hourhike away. the GlacierdeMoirysticksoutitsdirtywhite dam, where theroadpeters you, out.Before smaller Another 3kmbringsyoutoasecond, LacdeMoiry Gougra stream waters totheturquoise La of for localskiing.The8kmroadsouthalong to Grimentz!).Thetownmakes alovely base kilometresalong several of theapproach road of hangingpotsof maintaining geraniums flower boxes (somelocalcitizenshave thejob 132 from Grimentz to Lac deMoiry(Sfr9.80). from GrimentztoLac runthe20minutesIn summerthree buses tripstake aboutonehourfromSierre.these Zinal (Sfr15.20) andGrimentz(Sfr13.40). All tions forChandolin(Sfr14.20) viaStLuc, Sierre toVissoie, where youmake connec- ble version too. layer of Reblochon There’s cheese? avegeta- tartiflette, in therestaurant downstairs. Howabouta pings of heartily chalet. awarmmountain Eat optionwithallthetrap- modest, comfortable The majestic mountain walls that encase The majestic walls thatencase mountain In Grimentz, Up to eight postal buses a day run from adayrunfrom buses postal Up toeight UPPERVALAIS ••Leukerbad a potato and bacon pie coated in a andbaconpiecoated apotato ina (2249m)isopenonlyinsummer. Hotel deMoiry Hotel

( % 027 475 11 44; 027 4751144; is a isa downstairs. up typicalValaishas arestaurant serving fare is includedandthe proprietorishelpful.It a welcoming,homey feel. Agoodbreakfast with flowerboxes onthelittle balconiesand central Dorfplatz,thisisacheerful place, centre is and fitnessstudio,which costextra. Another jets.Thecomplexalsohasasauna massage and outside,includingwhirlpoolswater www.lindner.de; Sat) but thebiggest andbestis There are sixmainthermalbathinstallations, Sights &Activities ( road.The along aspectacular This attractive resort is16kmnorthof Leuk &Information Orientation wooded fields. grey outof rockwallsrise pretty green and mail.ch; s/dwithhallshowerSfr50/100) Weisses Rössli Sleeping &Eating student Sfr22/12/17; adult/child/ 472 2020;www.burgerbad.ch;Rathausstrasse; senior. per adult/child sixto11years/student and costSfr44/26/35 1400m. One-dayskipasses ones andademandingrunthatdescends buttheredifficulty, are alsoafew easy (2998m), yieldingmostlyrunsof medium it takes twohours towalkup. cable carisSfr18.50/26 oneway/return, or (2350m). It’sagoodarea forhiking.The ridgenorthern mountain tothe grammes andmedicaltreatments. give of details trainingandregeneration pro- six are notadmitted. Thetouristoffice can three hours withoutextras.Children under pools. TheycostSfr16/12 peradult/child for including anextrathree hours inthethermal required)Irish bath(reservation costsSfr59, where atwo-hourtreatment intheRoman- centre atnight. are Cars inthe and thebusstation. notused aparkinggaragethe townhall,postoffice, in thecentre. complexyou’llfind Inthesame Dec-Apr, 9am-noon&1.15-5.30pmMon-Satrest ofyear) 9am-6pmSat,9am-noonSunJul-Nov& 1.15-6pm Mon-Fri, % The main sideofA cablecarascendsthesheer the . Ithasanumberof different pools,inside 027 472 71 71; www.leukerbad.ch; 027 4727171;www.leukerbad.ch; Lindner h

skiing ( % h 8am-8pm Oct-Mar, 8am-7pmApr-Sep) 8am-8pm Oct-Mar,

Alpentherme 027 4703377;weissesroessli@blue 8am-8pm Sun-Thu, & 8am-9pm Fri area is the Torrenthorn www.lonelyplanet.com Burgerbad

( % Justoff the h tourist office tourist 027 472 10 10; 027 4721010; Gemmi Pass Gemmi 9am-noon &

( % 027 027 is is ,

better rooms andsuites from. tochoose thereseason), isawholerange of bigger and pricehalvespointed (andwhose inthelow rooms,alreadythe standard elegantlyap- tempting Apartfrom bathinstallations. the centre of townwithits135roomsand quite acomplex, plonked downsmackin meal boiledinwater orstock)dishes. winter (athickmush madeof polenta corn- andwarm options,pasta shredded potatoes) range of vegetable-laden rösti(crispy,fried, toafrom triedandtruelocalstandards day) restaurant offers awiderange of dishes, (mains Sfr20 toSfr35; baths. Kanne Downstairs, theWalliser short sprintfromtheLindnerAlpentherme bles, are andyou’re spaciousandlight a Wood-panelled rooms,especiallythedou- stairs restaurant, thisisagoodcentraldeal. its timber-lined roomsandfriendlydown- www.lonelyplanet.com villages p139 eastof Brig (see the Aletsch region, mostly accessiblefrom valleys andglaciers thattogether make up This westernmost valleyof of theseries LÖTSCHENTAL (Sfr13.40, 30to35minutes). toLeukerbad; lastdeparturegoes is7.45pm bus anhourlybluepostal to Brig.FromLeuk isonthemainrailroute fromLausanne Leuk &Away There Getting ner.de; s/dSfr200/400; Dorfplatz; .croix-federale.ch; Kirchstrasse 43;s/dSfr99/180) .croix-federale.ch; Kirchstrasse ing andlittle-visited foretaste. Most people Hôtel delaCroixFédérale Hôtel Lindner Alpentherme Ferden. that operated inthevalley11thcentury. Europe, fromAustria toSardinia),butanotheroneseestheorigin thieves inabandofmasked aimed towardoffthevestiges ofwinter of andevilspirits(similarfigures appearinotherparts in theevening and,thankfully,are alittlemore respectful oftheirsoot-loathing victims. on. Nowadaysafew They womenjoininthislong,traditionallymaleactivity. tend toprowlaround theycouldlaytheirhands would stalkvillagersfromnoonto6pm,rubbingthesootintoanyvictims wooden masksandgloves dippedinsoot.Traditionally(untilaboutthemid-20thcentury)they the waistwithathickbeltfromwhichhangsfatcowbell,thesefellows donscary,locallymade February untilAsh Wednesday.Wearingoldclothescovered inthicksheeporgoatpelts,tiedaround andhairymonstersmasked thatflitaboutthevalley’ssettlements aroundFasnacht timefrom2 The Lötschentalislittleknowntooutsiders,butmanyhave heardvaguetelling ofthe Tschäggättä, FEBRUARY’S FREAKY MONSTERS If you’re inthevalleyon3February, youcancatch aparadeofTschäggättä fromBlatten to How thetraditionwasbornisamatter ofconjecture. Onetheorysuggeststhese‘monsters’

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( Friday toWednes- 027 4721000;www.lind ips % 027 4727979;www ), isanengag- ) Thisis With station astheychangestation ridestoget from the About of themost visitors see Visp isthetrain 650m pop 6580/elevation VISP minutes) fromJunetoOctober. penstein toBlatten, andontoFafleralp (32 west of Blatten. tion onthe vicinity andthere’s alittledownhillac- even hotel, theHotel Fafleralp. dle of chalets andawonderfulmountain the valleyat of aseries villagesdle through totheendof VerbierCrans-Montana, Trun- orZermatt. hueandcryoffar cryfromtheskijetset gradually northeastalongawildvalley, are putoninsummer. to Sfr25 per car,15minutes). More trains Oberland(Sfr20Kandersteg intheBernese Lötschbergtunnel trainthatwhisksthemto road, toloadtheircars ontothehalf-hourly far asGoppenstein, 9kmnorthof theN9 who venture intothearea onlymake itas www.loetschental.ch (inGerman). possible. Tofurther whetyourappetite, see tion butatouch of Alpinegrass,are also waterfalls andlargely bereft of any vegeta- creased bythecascadingwaters of glacial of town.Otherwalksintothe mountains, hike fromthecarparkthatmarks end and istheobjectof afairlyeasy1½-hour cier stretches downtowardsthevillage Up to 12 postal buses run fromGop- buses Up to12postal Cross-country skiingispossibleinthe The icyfinger of the Goppenstein, theroadswings Beyond UPPER VALAIS ••Lötschental Lauchneralp Fafleralp , littlemore thanahud- at Wiler Langgletscher , 3kmsouth-

gla-

133 VALAIS VALAIS at thegrand Monte hotel) Rosa ledthe July 1865 EdwardWhymper (whostayed snowboarders On13 and mountaineers. of actinglike amagnet toskifans, Zermatt, The legendary peak towers over the town itall: One wordsays Matterhorn (4478m). 1605m pop 5420/elevation ZERMATT (adult/child Sfr12/6; bad’s open-air easily accessiblefromtheformerare Briger- Halfway VispandBrigbutmore between BRIGERBAD andthepostoffice. thestation tween in Vispatthe‘parkandride’carparkbe- train,parkingisfreeyou take theZermatt bus(Sfr14.20, 45minutes).hourly postal If minutes). For SaasFee totake the youneed (Sfr32, 65 hourorsotoZermatt run every ter of hotelsTrains nearthetrainstation. tripin25minutes. thesame (Sfr6) does village of 2½-hour hike upthehilltowine-growing bled streets andshuttered windows.Take the old centre isattractive withitscob- enough andSaasFee skiresorts.to theZermatt The trainlineup main linetotheGeneva–Brig 134 frivolous tocurative. Thefive open-air inGerman) www.brigerbad.ch more orlesshourly. fromVisp(Sfr2.80, 12minutes)buses leave a water temperature of 27ºCto37ºC.Postal Should youget stuckhere, there isaclus- alp.ch in German; perpersonuptoSfr84) alp.ch inGerman; you willwalkthe4kminsnowshoes. will pickupyourluggagefromBlatten and place then.Ifyoureserve atthehotel they atmosphereutterly settlesonthe fable-like as fardownBlatten (4kmsouthwest).An ends only),althoughsnowcutstheroadoff hotel remains openinwinter (often week- who don’twanttogetoutinthesnow.The with cosydiningandloungeareas forthose beinginabigfamilyhome,sight. It’slike in wood andthere’s notatelephone orTV rustic getaway.Roomsare madeoflocal a valley, thisisadelightforthoseseeking amid woodsattheendofLötschental Hotel Fafleralp AUTHOR’S CHOICE UPPERVALAIS ••Brigerbad Visperterminen h thermal baths

( % 9.30am-6pm late May-Sep) 9.30am-6pm lateMay-Sep) 027 9391451;www.fafler . Thepoolsrange from ; an occasional bus ; anoccasionalbus

( % 027 946 46 88; 027 9464688; Settled pools have have

mid-Nov–Apr &Jul-Sep) 58; Bahnhofstrasse center inGerman; www.zermatt.ch; Bahnhofplatz 5; Bahnhofplatz www.zermatt.ch; 5pm MondaytoFriday. only from9amto11amand2pm youcanreach thembyphone the off-season ski-touringandheli-skiing.In of Sfr1130 perperson. Alsoaskhere about preparationone week’s andthesmallmatter horn theyrecommend previous experience, (Bergführerbüro) board school guidesoffice andthemountain The townhasa TOURIST INFORMATION ( laptop forawi-fi moment)at You cangoonlineforfree (orbringyour ACCESSINTERNET Information (skiingorotherwise). be seen (aswellasski)and isaplace tosee Zermatt 1960s and1970s.Fortherich andstylish, size duringtheskiboomthatraged inthe down toclimbingup.Thetowndoubledin cemeteries. names are etched instonethetown’s few leave. unluckyindividualsnever Their eers stillcometoconquerthepeak,buta down theNorthWall.Many mountain- bers crashedtotheirdeaths ina1200mfall marred bytragedy whenfourteam mem- climb took32hours butthedescent was first successful ascentof The themountain. to Gornergrat. around five hours towalkupfromZermatt side. Alternatively,the right-hand ittakes the bestviewsof theMatterhorn siton are twotothree departures perhour. For one way)takes 25to43minutes andthere railway(Sfr36 Themountain highlight. trainto cogwheel are almostuniformlybreathtaking. The Views fromthecablecars andgondolas Sights 6pm Sunmid-Jun–Sep). Sep–mid-Jun, 8.30am-6pmMon-Sat,8.30am-noon&1.30- 9.30am-noon&4-6pmSatSunlate 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri, with tumbledown wooden Valais homes, a the oldest partof thevillage. It’scrammed % Alpin Center Skiers and snowboarders prefer going Hinter Dorf Hinter 027 9674040;www.papperlapub.ch) , off Zermatt’s mainstreet, is Zermatt’s , off

( % tourist office tourist . ForclimbingtheMatter- 027 9662460;www.zermatt.ch/alpin contains theskiandsnow- contains Gornergrat www.lonelyplanet.com h

h ( (3090m)isa % 8am-noon & 2-6pm 8am-noon &2-6pm 8.30am-noon & . Papperla Pub 027 9668100;

Their bodieswere found30years later. inAugust1959. was lostinthemountains Universitypair fromCambridge inEngland there are more epitaphs. A Around thebackis velopment andfamousvisitors. of Zermatt ascents,localfauna,thede- about mountain the rodents. the storage barnsare intended tokeep out the church. Thestone discs onthestiltsof world awayfromtheflashyboutiquesby www.lonelyplanet.com daily Jul-Sep, 4-6pmMon-Satrest ofyear) daily Jul-Sep, (adult/child/senior Sfr8/free/4; Rosa andtheMatterhorn.Rosa The merous monumentstell of deaths onMonte asnu- ence foranywould-be mountaineer, 4 1 3 2 ZERMATT A walkinthe

Alte Gasse

Triftweg Brantschenhusstr 5 Oberdorfstr AC Station (ToBrig) 3 Zermatt Train 12 cemetery

1 Neb 13

2 en

Church Bahnhofstr

Bach Englischer Viertel Hinter

Bachstr isasoberingexperi- h English church ὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆

dorf

15 Hofmattstr Seilerwiesenweg str

10am-noon &4-6pm

Paradise Cable Car (350m) Shopping Kirchstr Viktoria Schluhmattstr 6 Center

To Vispa Hinter Dorf Alpine Museum

has exhibits hasexhibits Getwingstr 7 10 4 B , where

8 Bachstr

14 Obere Mattenstr

Steinmattstr

Rechte Uferstr runs), and the starting pointforskiingatthe runs), andthestarting mer skiinginSwitzerland(upto21kmof continent. It’salsothemostextensive sum- providing skiingonthe accesstothehighest inEurope(3820m), cable-carstation highest in three mainskiingareas: test theexperiencedandintermediate skier hasnumerous demandingslopesto Zermatt Activities ners have fewer optionsontheslopes. still goodandtheliftsare lessbusy.Begin- peak timebutinearlysummerthesnowis ferring areas. between February toAprilis of simplifytrans- skiruns,andfree skibuses Klein Matterhorn). Inall,there are 245km horn 11 The KleinMatterhorn istoppedbythe

Ried Brunnmattgasse and str 9 ᝲᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲ ᝲᝲᝲᝲ

Matterhorn GlacierParadise Matterhorn

Cog-Wheel Railway Cog-Wheel Riedweg UPPER VALAIS ••Zermatt 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Blauherd To Hotel DRINKING EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION S’alt Hirschi...... Schneewittchen...... (see 14) Papperla Pub...... Broken BartDisco...... Restaurant Weisshorn...... Restaurant Stockhorn...... Restaurant Ross-Stall...... Parkhotel BeauSite...... Hotel Couronne...... Hotel Bahnhof...... Station...... English Church...... Cemetery...... Alpine Museum...... Tourist Office...... Alpin Center...... School...... (see1) Mountain GuidesOffice&Ski Gornergrat CogwheelTrain

(50m) Sunnegga Funicular Sunnegga Rothorn D (formerly , 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Stock-

135 B3 B4 A3 A4 C4 B1 C3 B4 B1 B1 A2 B3 A3 A1 A3 VALAIS VALAIS every floor.every There are also compact,wood- mecca. Ithas12-bed dormsandashower on posite andamountaineer’s thetrainstation h hof.com; dmSfr33,s/dwithshower Sfr76/96; Bahnhofstrasse; usually book only for one-week blocks). usually bookonlyforone-week than 200holidayapartments(which youcan hotels, hostels andsimilar,alongwithmore andchalets.vate houses There are about120 from five-star luxury downtoroomsinpri- offers plentyofZermatt accommodation, Sleeping monic invenues aroundthevillage. given byaskeleton crew Philar- of theBerlin Festival lookoutforthe pants. InSeptember, zug sound of musicwiththeAlpine comesalive tothe On 15August,Zermatt Festivals &Events cluding Cervinia. andstudentSfr75/38/64child/senior in- costsSfr67/34/57 peradult/ cluding Cervinia) pass andtest-ski rental. a five-star. Thepriceincludesbreakfast, ski hotel (doubleroom)toSfr419one-star in This cancostfromSfr304 perperson ina runs aroundtheKleinMatterhorn glacier. est skistohitthemarket of onalimited set that involves testingpairs of several thelat- foraweekend packagecan headtoZermatt Blanc toAletschhorn) intoItaly. anddeep with 360°viewsof theSwissAlps(fromMont (3883m) youare virtuallyontopof Europe, up tothetopof Fromhere themountain. terhorn, iftheweatherisgood,take the lift overnight!could findyourself staying it toolate toget theliftsbackup,oryou atmospherethe Italian foraday.Don’tleave plenty of optionsanditisfuntoindulge in isbestinMarch), butthere arein Cervinia sidetoo(theskiing be icierontheItalian Klein Matterhorn oneitherside. Runscan theliftsleadingupto weather canclose intermediates andabove. aware thatbad Be is anexhilarating,broadavenue, great for runs. TheNo7rundownfromtheborder potential skiarea total of 313kmof downhill Thisopensupa resortItalian of Cervinia. 136 Hotel Bahnhof Hotel (ex- A daypassforallskiliftsinZermatt tolate NovemberFrom September you When youtake thecablecartoKleinMat- closed aroundmid-Oct–mid-Dec) (Folklore parade),involving1400partici- UPPERVALAIS ••Zermatt , a series of, aseries chamber musicconcerts

( % 027 9672406;www.hotelbahn Thishotel isop- Folkloreum- Zermatt Zermatt & mid-Nov–Apr) 6; fondueSfr25-28,meals Sfr40-50; wood fire, headupstairs. on aspit!Formeatspecialitiescooked over cogs thatturnschickens (orderinadvance) a very strange oldmachine and with weights downstairs. Herewant, stay youwillalsosee Alpine chalet. Ifit’sfondueorraclette you mind whenlookingforawarm, cuddly, mid-Nov–Apr) 11; fondueSfr35,mainsSfr35-40; platz 50;mealsSfr50; .ch/blauherd; Wiestistrasse;s/dSfr95/190; the orange glowingMatterhorn lamps. table enitza, the Mexican temple, contrasts with Ross-Stall Restaurant Eating fast, butthere’s akitchen. panelled rooms.Pricesare withoutbreak- /400; hotel-beausite.ch; Brunnmattgasse9;s/dhalfboardSfr240 again withviewstowardstheMatterhorn. you cantake breakfast intheWintergarden, of theMatterhorn. There’s (free) asauna and ones withbalcony,allof which enjoyviews river. Thebestroomsare thesouth-facing is inanexcellentlocationoverlooking the onne.ch; Kirchstrasse 15;s/d/steSfr162/264/304) onne.ch; Kirchstrasse Williamine) tofinish. wine andsorbetwithlocalalcohol (like fondue washeddownwithFendant white to amealconsistingof stairs forthemaindiningarea anddigin verydue, which well.Head itdoes down- infon- thisplacespecialises train station, in atypical-lookingValais nearthe house and whirlpool. and whirlpool. andsteam to varioussaunas baths, apool and suites. Onthepremises you have access sorts of optionsonbigger andbetter doubles If youwanttopayalittlemore, there are all option are already very nice,doneinwalnut. train station. down theroad.Theywillpickyouupat in thenearbyHotel Cristiania,about 50m fast isgenerous thepool andyoucanuse Rooms are break- cleanandcosy,thebuffet friendly chalet-style hotel isafineoption. a bitof awalkfromthecentre, thisvery Restaurant Weisshorn Restaurant Hotel Blauherd Hotel Parkhotel BeauSite Parkhotel Restaurant Stockhorn Restaurant Hotel Couronne Hotel s ) The standard rooms in this opulent roomsinthisopulent Thestandard Thisplaceiswhatyouhave in Thegarishmural of Chich-

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% ( h % 027 9672291;www.hotels-suisse

( 027 9662300;www.hotel-cour daily mid-Jun–Apr) % (

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% ( Walliserteller % www.lonelyplanet.com 027 9673040;Bahnhof- 027 9666868;www.park h 027 967 17 47; Riedstrasse 027 9671747;Riedstrasse 027 9675752;AmBach h daily mid-Jun–Sep & daily mid-Jun–Sep s ) Although Although Housed Housed starter, starter, This 2am Fri &Sat) 2am Fri h eateries intheonecomplex. The Hotel Postishometovariousbars and energy leftover after thedayonslopes. where youcan jive onakeg andexpendany the Hotel Post,thisisapopulardancedive Wash downwithHeida white wine. due withmango,pineappleandnachos! turous willbeunabletoresist thechilifon- tofondue. Themoreand quesadilla adven- The foodrange isjustasodd,fromnachos www.lonelyplanet.com GlacierExpress pointof isalsothe starting the way. Zermatt scenic route isoperated byaprivate rail- minutes), stoppingatVispen route. The Hourly trainsdepart fromBrig(Sfr34, 85 TRAIN before thishappens. the village entrance,butitcouldbea while at andbuildparkingstations as Zermatt the village voted toopentheroadasfar In2005, (Sfr7.80, 12minutes) intoZermatt. covered garages there andtake thetrain (Sfr7.50 perday),orinoneof theseveral in thehuge openparkingarea inTäsch ment, drivers have toleave theirvehicles andsoonaroundtown.Atthemo- taxis as hicles are totransportgoods,serve used iscar-free.Zermatt Dinkylittleelectricve- CAR &Away There Getting 41; Papperla Pub Drinking the same people. the same Schneewittchen club(opento4am),runby downstairs tothe hijinks. Nextdoor,proceed and there’s noshortage of ski-resort drinking prefer, lowlounges. ADJisusuallyinaction of are levels withstoolsor,ifyou tables high Around thecircularbararranged onacouple (like January).a slowtimeintheseason especiallyifit’s après-ski pubinZermatt, there isnoneavailable insummer. alimited range of foodinwinterserves but Glühwein timber dwellingisanatmosphericspotfora upinatraditional this quietlittlebarset .ch; Steinmattstrasse34; S’alt Hirschi Broken BarDisco Broken h 9pm-2am dailyDec-Apr,otherwisesometimes9pm- 10pm-4am) (mulledwine)orotherpoison.It Intheoldpartof thevillage,

( ( % % Downinavaulted cellarof toGraubünden, oneof the

027 9674040;www.papperlapub 027 967 42 62; Hinterdorfstrasse 44; 027 9674262;Hinterdorfstrasse ( % h 027 967 19 31; Bahnhofstrasse 027 9671931;Bahnhofstrasse 2.30pm-2am) Thisis the

9am-noon &3-6pmSun) .ch; Card earnsvariousdiscounts. Card ThelocalGuest intheoff-season. slightly Openinghoursfice andbusstation. reduce top station isthe top station with 20kmof runsabove 2700m.Underthe andAugust) centre forsummerskiing(July minutes. Itgives accesstotheFeegletscher, a Mittelallalin (metro) intheworldoperates allyearto 20km of marked footpaths remain open. summer to Chamonix. along thefamousHaute Route alltheway Ski- one week. ispossible mountaineering adult/child foronedayandSfr340/204 for glaciers. Ageneral liftpasscostsSfr61/37 per piste skiing ishazardous,duetothemany choices. Snowboarding isalsogood,butoff- intermediates experts, though have sufficient of skirunsare more suited tobeginners and Skiing Sights &Activities (southwest) of thebusstation. village centre andskiliftsare totheleft Saas Fee spreads outinalongline. The &Information Orientation of twinklingcheer inthewinter skiseason. butequallyfull westerly neighbour Zermatt a moderncreation, lesscharming thanits thisislargely timber barnsonstilts,survive, bits of theoldvillage, withitschalets and town furtherfromthepiste action.Although drabberpartner Grund (1560m),aslightly summer. Itisperched onaledge above Saas positively feeble intherevealing of light nine glaciers, littleSaasFee (1792m)looks backed bythethreatening icetonguesof theatre of 13implacablepeaksover 4000m, 1800m pop 1600/elevation Hemmed inbyamenacinggrey amphi- SAAS FEE p23). (see trainridesintheworld most spectacular Sfr69 return (children are half-price). Mittelallalin bycable carthenfunicular costs on glacier-related topics.FromSaasFee to 10m belowthesurface of theice. Itexpounds The highest undergroundThe highest funicular hasamapofThe touristoffice 280kmof The h istheprimaryactivity.About 100km 8.30am-noon & 2-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-7pmSat, 8.30am-noon &2-6.30pmMon-Fri, tourist office tourist hiking (3500m), ascending 500m in 2½ (3500m),ascending500min2½ UPPER VALAIS ••SaasFee trailsintheregion. Inwinter,

isopposite thepostof- ( Ice Palace % 027 9581858;www.saas-fee

(adult/child Sfr4/2) 137

, VALAIS VALAIS quiet locationwithaspotof garden. some woodpanelling,carpetandTV. Itisa restaurant. Roomsare with straightforward, friendly andoffers vegetarian foodinits located mid-sizehotel, thisspotisfamily -sonnenhof.ch s/dSfr130/260) inGerman; sprouts. apple, chestnuts, red cabbage andBrussels a heartydishof schnitzel deer withglazed the skiruns! You’llhardlyhaveFinnish sauna. timefor various steam baths, thalassotherapyanda range fromtheFelsgrotte grotto’)to (‘cliff tempting wellness centre andpools,which rooms,a aside fromspacious,comfortable Sfr50; dishes (andagood inmeat hanging fromthewalls.Itspecialises airs hasarusticfeel, withfarmimplements tourist office, thisplacewithcountry chalet -saas-fee.ch in German; rperpersonSfr80) -saas-fee.ch inGerman; Zur Mühle Zur Eating about 60hotels. let optionsscattered aroundSaasFee and brochures. There are more than360cha- Ask accommodation forthetouristoffice Sleeping 138 electric car). of topickyouup inthe thevillage (get staff in aquietlocation beyondthenorthernpart gourmet cuisine with aFrench leaning.It’s top 20restaurants inSwitzerland, offering located atopthetown’sriver. mixedham, onionsandcheese in).Itis various forms,such (with asWalliserteller by here. andcomesin Röstiisthemainstay For sometypicalValais grub,youcouldpop h fantastic garden. fantastic blocks.Thisplaceoverlooksfor weekly a ing area. There are alsoapartmentsrented arranged astwodoubleswithshared liv- and nexttotheswimmingpoolhasrooms ish chalet-style placeleftof thebusstation .beausite.org; s/dSfr220/396) mid-Dec–Apr &mid-Jun–Oct) .ch; tastingmenuSfr140-190; Fletschhorn Romantik Hotel Beau-Site Romantik Hotel La Ferme Hotel Alpenblick Hotel Carl-Zuckmayer-Stube Hotel Sonnenhof Hotel 11.30am-midnight) UPPERVALAIS ••Brig h Tue-Sun)

( %

( 027 9572676;mainsSfr15-20; % ( Sitoutsideontheterrace for %

027 9581569;mealsSfr70-80; On the main street near the Onthemainstreet nearthe (

% 027 9572131;www.fletschhorn ( fondue chinoise % 027 9571645;www.alpenblick Thisclassyhotel offers,

027 9581313;www.hotel Thisisoneof the ( % h

( % 027 9572175;meals 10am-midnight daily 027 9581560;www Acentrally Thislarg- atSfr48). h daily)

Sun Jul-Sep) 9am-6pmSat,9am-1pm Sat Oct-Jun, 8.30am-6pmMon-Fri, 60 30;www.brig.ch; the train station isthe the trainstation theSaltina.its tributary, Onthe1stfloorof The centre andeastof issouthof theRhône &Information Orientation inthisbustlingburgh. you’ll spendanight bumping intoeach otherhere, it’slikely With thenumberof roadandrailroutes pop 11,880 BRIG local GuestCard. cheaper after thefirst dayandifyouuse winter costs Sfr15 (covered parking).Itgets to thevillage, where thefirst 24hours in Saas. atStalden to/from Zermatt train andchange atVisp.Youcantransfer From Brigitismarginally faster toget the one hour)andVisp(Sfr14.20, 45minutes). departfromBrig(Sfr16.80, Hourly buses &Away There Getting drop by long mainstreet of SaasFee. Forcocktails, About adozenbars are strungoutalongthe Drinking Restaurant Matza Restaurant Sleeping &Eating visit 9.30-11.30am&1.30-4.30pmTue-Sun May-Oct) adult/child/7-16yr Sfr7/free/3; the However, ittoItaly. obliged himtohightail ‘Great Stockalper’.Localsdidn’tagree and middle of Brig.He the dubbedhimself even well thathebuiltthiscastlecapriceinthe nated theSimplonPass traderoutes, didso man withaneyeforbusinesswhodomi- Kaspar JodokvonStockalper(1609–91),a STOCKALPERSCHLOSS Sights strasse, leadingtothecentrestrasse, of town. Directlythe trainstation. aheadisBahnhof- 18; s/dwith hall showersSfr40/80) 6am to8pmNovember toMarch). open 6amto10pmAprilOctober and and maincourtatleisure (admissionfree, Youcanwanderthegardens self-worth. three-dimensional memorialtoone man’s oniondomes,isasuitably it’s Eastern-style Saas Fee iscar-free. Park attheentrance castle Metrobar

. Postal buses leave buses . Postal fromoutside / elevation 688m /elevation ( % 027 9216030;AlteSimplonstrasse28;

( h %

( % 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 027 923 15 95; Alte Simplonstrasse 027 9231595; AlteSimplonstrasse 027 9571410; tourist office tourist www.lonelyplanet.com h Thisplace provides hourly 50-minguided h

( % 4pm-1am) 027 921 , with . londres.ch; Bahnhofstrasse 17;s/dSfr70/120) londres.ch; Bahnhofstrasse Sfr20; (South Africa) and wapiti (Canada). (South Africa)andwapiti(Canada). meats includingkangaroo(Australia),kudu cialities andmore interesting slabsof exotic style ambianceinwhich toenjoylocalspe- the 1stfloorforaValais chalet– mountain Geissplatzji; mainsSfr14-36; Geissplatzji; Sundayunlessyoupre-book.closed It’s the oldcentre andperfectly serviceable. While there’s nothingspecialabout it,itisin simple foodandabasicflopforthenight. www.lonelyplanet.com with scattered farmhouses. stretchthe Rhône billiard table–green fields the ever-narrower torrent turquoise thatis beads.Oneitherside ofso manyrosary northeast, waiting tobecounted off like boxes andonion-domedchurches stretches of timberchalets, geranium-filled flower of thefirst of theminvitingly namedBitsch) Goms, astringof mostlypretty villages (one more scene. Knownasthe rural,Germanic thewestofterises thecantongives waytoa clinging tosouth-facing hillsthatsocharac- of andpoetry terracedtainsides vineyards gain altitude. The dramaof pine-cladmoun- valleybeginstonarrowasyou and deep river (here knownastheRotten), thebroad proaching the sourceof Rhône themighty Brig,youenterExiting anotherworld.Ap- GLACIER THE GOMS&ALETSCH your passport). hours) inTicino, viaDomodossola(take from BrigalsoruntoLocarno(Sfr49, 2½ (Sfr55, twoto2¾hours). Trains Geneva (MilanviaDomodossola)and Italy tween toStMoritzandthemainlinebe- Zermatt Brig isonthe &Away There Getting for aroundthree atChristmas. weeks chinoise tournedos(Sfr45) toa from abeef revolvehowever, aroundmeat,anything here, specialities, fromfish House topasta. five-minute walkfromthetrainstation. (inspite ofStadtplatz address), theofficial a old town’spedestrian-onlycentralsquare, onthe andright but theplaceiscomfortable thick dullcarpetandreddish woodpanelling, is rather’70s,withgaudilycoloured curtains, Hotel duPont Hotel Hotel deLondres Hotel Restaurant zumEidgenossen Restaurant h daily) (aboutSfr40 perperson). It’sclosed There’s somethingforeveryone ( % Glacier Express

( 027 923 15 02; Marktplatz 1;meals 027 9231502;Marktplatz % 027 9229393;www.hotel-de h Wed-Mon)

( % linefrom 027 9239207; The décor Thedécor Head to fondue UPPER VALAIS ••TheGoms&AletschGlacier All these placesareAll these car-free. from where cablecars departtoreach them. asdothetownsinvalleyfloor office, of just short of hasatourist 2000m.Each two in theGoms, stopatFiesch andtake the can beeasilyvisited. Ifyou donothingelse The bestthingabout ACTIVITIES 10 70;www.goms.ch inGerman) eralp a ridge of hills.Thewesternmost is of fromtheforest theglacier,separated by There are three resorts onthesouthernrim ORIENTATION &INFORMATION forests inEurope(2000m). by theAletschwald, oneof pine thehighest isfringed Itssouthernexpanse the Rhône. Oberlandtoaplateau above in theBernese Alps. Itstretches fromtheJungfrau(4158m) schgletscher), at 24kmthelongest inthe ofthe icyspectacle the (Alet- north, outof viewfromthevalleyfloor,lies hidesgreatever, Alpinedrama. Fortothe The bucolicvalleyidyllof theGoms,how- Aletsch Glacier followed by .bettmeralp.ch) will firstdropapat… square inwhichyouthinkoneofthebeasts on afieldandletthe cows out.Betonthe another idea. They 49squares demarked aflutter,those wholike thetownsfolkhad shop atfieldsabove theAletschGlacier. For shouted, ascowpatsflewallover the style instrument.‘Four!’theymighthave sible a g game: togive asmanycowpatspos- festival) inSeptember 2005.The aimofthe their first-ever Chüefladefäscht(cowpat this now-forgotten tradition,localsheld promote thegrowthofgrass. Inspired by far aspossibletheanimals’droppingsto summer wouldsmashupandspread as from thehighAlpineplainsatendof the olddays,farmersleadingcattledown in2005.In with anew/oldsummersport cameuplookout fornewdistractions, The ever goodfolkofRiederalp, onthe PULVERISING COWPATS cable cars

( % 027 928 60 50; www.riederalp.ch inGerman) 027 9286050;www.riederalp.ch ood thumpingwithagolfclub– andfinally Bettmeralp ( % 027 9712700; www.eggishorn.chin the glacieristhat it

Fiescheralp ( % , allatanaltitude 027 9286060;www

( % 027 970 Ried- 139

, VALAIS VALAIS man; Aletschpromenade 9;s/dSfr80/160) ing theliftsupfrom thevalleytowns. per adult/child perday,orSfr54/27 includ- termediate costSfr45/23 oreasy.Skipasses ski runsand35lifts.Theskiingismostly in- ing theday’sskiing. will allowyoutomove allthree between dur- Fiesch. Onceupinthevillages, your skipass valley,respectivelyRhône and Mörel, than thethree cable eating options.Theyare farmore interesting offer limited accommodationaswellsome is perhapsthehandiestandprettiest. Each hamlets, theoneinmiddle(Bettmeralp) the three Alpineskivillages. Of thethree In winter, there is somefineskiingamong down toFiescheralp, themidwaystation). up, walktotheglacierandthenback routes (an easyoptionistotake thecable car Aletsch area offers someinspiringhiking with somephysicalactivity.Insummerthe mountains. these Aletsch Glacier isoneofGrosser in aseries ple of generations itmaywellbegone. The square kilometres today.Inanothercou- 128 square kilometres in1973andjust87 covered 163square kilometres in1856, Aletschgletscher)main glacier(theGrosser Heritage site), considerthegrimnews.The (the wholeAletsch area isaUnescoWorld distance. espy MontBlancandtheMatterhorn inthe to thewestof thecablecarexit,youmight Fin- toppedbyanantenna, androckyrise, loose and (3970m) steraarhorn (4274m).Ifyouscamperupthe Eiger (4109m), Mönch of thecountry’sgreatest peaks:theJungfrau, tothenorth,youcanchecktance, off some like afrozensix-lanemotorway.Inthedis- the Aletschhorn (4195m),theglacierlooks awaits onexitingthegondola. nothing canprepare that youforthesight olive, brownandgrey Alpinelandscape, cows andthen,above thetree line,thestark you floatupover thegreen fields,champing This ismostexhilaratinginsummer. As Hotel Toni Hotel SLEEPING &EATING adult/childreturn Sfr42.80/21.40; German; 140 8am-6pm Jun-Oct) In theAletsch region there are 99kmof depressing awaythese thoughts Chase While gawpingatthiswonderof nature around Streaming downinabroadcurve UPPERVALAIS ••TheGoms&AletschGlacier

( % 027 9271656; www.hotel-toni.chin Ger- uptothe car–access towns in the car–access townsinthe Eggishorn Inthemiddle h (2927m). every 30min every ishorn.ch; rperpersonSfr100) s/d Sfr165/320) their ownrestaurant andpizzeria. should askaboutthefamilysuites. Theyhave balconies.Familiescarpet and,insomecases, hotel,mountain withlotsof woodpanelling, style digsare pretty forthiskindof standard chalet- Theroomsinthese lifts inBettmeralp. are elegant,withdifferent décorineach. sleptinhere Goethe in1779.The38rooms thevillage. through literary giant Germany’s snippet of square onabendin the mainroad flower-laden hotel gathered aroundalittle -postmuenster.ch; s/dSfr118/236) hiker anxioustoget uptotheglacier. cable car,andsowellplacedfortheskieror views,isneartheEggishorn ing marvellous with avarietyof rooms,all of themoffer- Hotel Croix d’Or et Poste Croixd’OretPoste Hotel village andwearytravellers inthe take delight babbles contentedly theheartof through the whitethe hillfromabright church. Abrook charming. Tightly packed chalets drop down ied. Ofthemall, of thehotel chain, wasbornandisnowbur- wald cute villages alongtheway,including away fromFiesch, withstillmore postcard- The trailoutof theValais continuesnortheast From Pass Fiesch totheFurka cablecars. on these give youhalf-price Swiss transportpasses cablecars. Variousski passincludethese Someversionsten of uptoBettmeralp. the costs Sfr8 eachasfromBet- way, thesame the trainarrivals.Mörel uptoRiederalp departuresmatt. Cable-car are linked to the trainroute BrigandAnder- between resorts forthese stations areThe base on THERE&AWAYGETTING lifts, thisisacheerful medium-sizedhotel. of Riederalpvillage andastumblefromthe you tothe others of nothing youhave leads seen, ever at others of theSpanish Pyrenees andstill that attimesreminds oneof western Ireland, from Ticino. Impressively barren country the canton that separate into themountains twists itswaysouthoutof theValais and can turnsoutheastdownanarrow road that Hotel Eggishorn Eggishorn Hotel At Bettmerhof Bettmerhof , where Cäsar Ritz (1850–1918), founder , where Ritz(1850–1918),founder Cäsar Ulrichen Nufenen Pass You can’t get much closer to the Youcan’tget tothe much closer youmustmake adecision.You ( % 027 9286210;www.bettmerhof.ch; ( % Münster 027 9711444;www.hotel-egg ( % Thisattractive hotel, (Passo diNovena) at www.lonelyplanet.com ,

027 9741515;www.hotel is easily the most iseasilythemost the extraordinarily the extraordinarily Nieder- Gletsch richen, you willheadslowlyupwardstowards Val . of thepassalongquiet,almostgloomy you willencounter is down theotherside,first major town canton.Dropping into Switzerland’sItalian 2478m, probablythemostremote gateway www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright theterms and conditionsonoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake lakes in Bern cantonandtheeastern Valais,lakes inBern viewswestoverwith itsspectacular several Should youdecidetopush oneastof Ul- . Fromhere themighty Airolo ( p291 ), 24km east east 24km ( p291), Grimsel UPPER VALAIS ••TheGoms&AletschGlacier , train surfaces at Realp (see train surfacesatRealp(see p233 ). underground whenthepassisshut. The a cartrainin Switzerland, butyoucanget yourcaronto mer only,itisthegateway intosoutheast glaciertothenorth.Openinsum- Rhône to which offers superlative viewsover the canton isthe also insummer(see even closed p174 ). drivelies ashort,steep north,butitisoften Marking thecantonalfrontierwithUri Furka Pass Furka Oberwald tonegotiate thetrip (2431m),therunup © LonelyPlanetPublications

141 VALAIS