Vertiginous ravines, 4000m (13,100ft) peaks and an monumental glacier are Valais’ calling cards.
Anchored by the soaring pyramid of the Matterhorn in southwest Switzerland, this canton abounds with Swiss icons – think ridiculously handsome mountains, warm and gooey AOP Raclette de Valais cheese and slobbery St Bernard dogs.
This is where the world’s most storied little red train, the Glacier Express, pulls out of Zermatt on its mythical journey east through 91 tunnels and 291 bridges to St Moritz. This is where ski fiends fly down moguls the size of small cars on Champéry’s “Mur Suisse” (Swiss Wall) and powder hounds carve the first tracks in Verbier. It’s where locals speak both Swiss German, in the east – and French, to the west and across and the invisible Röstigraben (Switzerland’s linguistic divide).
In short: Valais is Switzerland distilled, and where you can expect the ride of a lifetime – and one like no other. Here are nine places you’ll want to add to your itinerary.
1. Zermatt
Best spot for Matterhorn adoration
Though it’s one of the most famous mountain views in the world, nothing prepares you for that first intoxicating glimpse of Zermatt’s emblematic peak, which rises like a shark fin above the historic mountain town. From the second you step off the train (Zermatt is car-free), looking repeatedly up toward the Matterhorn for a view of its hooked 4478m (14,690ft) summit without clouds swirling around it becomes an obsession. Matterhorn aside, this glittering Grand Tour favorite seduces pretty much everyone – from summertime walkers to style-conscious skiers, families to couples on a romantic weekend – with exciting Alpine history, spectacular scenery, glitzy window shopping, nightlife and year-round glacier skiing. There is no other place like it in the world.
Planning tip: Don’t leave town without riding three cable cars up to Klein Matterhorm (3883m / 12,740ft) – the 360-degree panorama of 14 glaciers and 30-plus peaks above 4000m (13,123ft) will blow your mind – or Europe’s highest cog-wheel railway to Gornergrat (3089m / 10,135ft).
2. Sion
Best town for a weekend break in fall
If you didn’t grow up in Valais, you probably won’t have heard of this disarmingly bewitching toy town. While French-speaking Sion is wedged on the floor of the Rhône Valley, its pair of…
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