Val d'Anniviers

The Val d'Anniviers, a landscape of Alpine wilderness, is one of the most beautiful of the seven large transverse valleys in the Valais and definitely worth a visit. At Sierre, toward the south, it branches off from the Rhone Valley and forms in the upper section two side valleys, Val de Moiry in the west and Zinaltal in the east. The end of the valley is skirted by a mountain range called “Grande Couronne” (Great Crown), which includes the Weisshorn, Bishorn Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn, Matterhorn and Dent Blanche.

Mountain farming and Alpine agriculture have characterized the valley’s culture for many years. The sun-darkened houses, the silos, churches, chapels and ancient mills - many of which can be visited - remind us of the time-honored traditions and trades. The typical Valaisian cow battles are also an important part of the local culture.

The picturesque town of Chandolin is located at almost 2000 meters on the sunny side of Val d’Anniviers. It is one of Europe’s highest villages that is inhabited all year. The neighboring village of St. Luc has the astronomical observatory François-Xavier Bagnoud, a Planet Trail and historic flour mills. The beautiful old grain silos of the harmonious town of Grimentz are depicted on many calendars. Vercorin, the first terrace of the valley has a wonderful nature reserve and is blessed with a pleasant climate. In Vissoie you can discover many examples of ecclesiastical art. The mountain village of Zinal, a climber’s paradise at the foot of four-thousand-meter peaks, is the last stop on this tour.

• Summer
• Winter

Highlights

• Grimentz - a harmonious mix of chalet-style hotels, traditional silos and barns define this village.
• Flour mills in St-Luc - well-preserved 18th-century mills for grinding corn, barley, rye and wheat operate from July to September.
• Coppermine “La Lee” in Zinal - in summer there are guided tours to the interior of the mountain, where Switzerland’s only copper mine open to the public is found. It has 500-meter-long galleries.
• Observatory Francois-Xavier-Bagnoud in St-Luc and Planet Trail - observatory and a 6-kilometer Planet Trail located between 2186 meters and 2513 meters.
• Moiry Reservoir Lake - the crown of the reservoir lake is located at 2249 meters and offers a beautiful view of the lake and the Pennine Alps. In summer it can be reached by PostBus.
• Siders (French: Sierre), pleasantly situated on a number of hills and nestling among vineyards, is a small town in the Valais blessed with a great deal of sunshine.

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