Experiences in Valais

The Abbey of Saint Maurice in Valais was built 1500 years ago as a place to honor martyrs. The pilgrimage destination was once the spiritual center of the Burgundy Empire and today houses one of the richest ecclesiastical treasures in Europe.

Along the Fairy Tale Path, the kids hear exciting stories and legends about Saas-Fee and the surrounding mountains.

Four treasure hunt trails around Nendaz make family hikes an exciting adventure. This way of hiking is great fun for children as well.

Relax and enjoy the thermal waters with a unique panoramic view.

A tropical landscape of grottos, cascades, wave pools and caves can be found at the water park in Le Bouveret, the Valais town on the Rhône delta. The park guaranteed water-based fun for the whole family all year round.

The Allalinhorn above Saas-Fee is what gave the area its name. With the right equipment and in the company of a mountain guide, the four-thousand-metre peak is a relatively easy climb for a sporty mountaineer.

The exhibition is devoted to the thing that has made this valley famous far beyond Switzerland: minerals.

Children learn exciting tales about the old Lötschen Valley during a wonderful, easy hike along the Lötschental mountain trail (2 1/2 hours).

Wolli Wonderland combines puzzle fun and playground in one and guarantees a fantastic family experience!

It is said that they once lived everywhere in Oberwallis – the Gogwärgini- those hard-working dwarfs. At some point they disappeared. But the stories about the "Gogwärgini" have remained up to this day and can be discovered on the Gogwärgi theme route.

Immerse yourself in the wild Gorner Gorge. On wooden walkways and galleries you follow the thundering glacier water through 220-million-year-old rock. A natural spectacle just a 15-minute walk from the centre of Zermatt.

Opened in spring 2007, the wine trail is an ideal way to discover the Valais and birthplace of some delightfully palatable regional wines.

In Crans-Montana even the youngest visitors are given great attention. Grown-ups too can let off steam and experience the ultimate adrenaline rush.

The Ravensburger Games Trail offers a fun alternative to hiking, with exciting challenges for the whole family.

In the Valais town of Leukerbad, follow a steel footbridge through the wild Dala Gorge and draw warm thermal water directly from the spring with a rope pull. A suspension bridge leads you to the 35-meter-high waterfall.

Drive over one of the most historic Valais Alpine passes: On the Grosser St. Bernhard, you will visit the almost 1000-year-old hospice, meet St. Bernard dogs and hike through the alpine landscape on the border with Italy.

The hiking routes around the resort of Zermatt – site of Switzerland’s most famous mountain, the Matterhorn – offer you breathtaking panoramic vistas, lush flowering meadows and fragrant larch forests.

Accessible to all types of hiker, this easy route takes you from the village of Saillon to the Farinet footbridge over the Salentze gorges.

On a sunny high plateau (at 1,480 meters above sea level) one finds Birkendorf Bürchen. During an easy two-hour hike from Bürchen to Zeneggen, discover the squirrel trail and the didactic forest trail, where you can learn many important and interesting things about these two topics.

As visitors enter the Valais, they are greeted by impressive mountain cliffs and a waterfall that is, unfortunately, smaller than it used to be.

The fairy grotto near Saint-Maurice takes you 500 meters deep into the mountain. At the end of the illuminated galleries, an underground lake with a 50-meter-high waterfall awaits you. A journey into a mystical underworld in Valais.

In the 16th century, the architect Ulrich Ruffiner built the St. Romanus fortified church on the rock spur above Raron. Almost 500 years later, the people of Raron opened the cavernous St. Michael rock church. Together with the grave of the poet Rilke, the pair of churches are a magnet for tourists in the community in Valais.

Deep in the enchanted forest of Ernen in Valais, someone has stolen Brüna the squirrel’s supply of winter nuts. Between gnarled spruce trees and moss-covered boulders, the squirrel’s story leads us through the adventure playground and inspires us with the pine cone run, swinging tree, suspension bridge, ravine trails and barbecue areas.

Nepal and the Valais have a lot in common. The educational trail along the Massa Trail shows in a remarkable way the parallels between the two cultures.

This activity is somewhere between rambling and mountaineering, and is suitable for both children and adults.

The Schöllenen Gorge is to the Gotthard Pass as the Gondo Gorge is to the Simplon Pass.

Safe and secure all the way, you traverse some truly impressive rock formations as you make your way up a total 305-meter climb in around 2 hours to find yourself at the top of the Eggishorn - best vantage point on the grand Aletsch Glacier and end point of the via ferrata.

There is quite a contrast between the southern village of Martigny at the elbow of the Rhone and the wilderness of Durnand Gorge, or the Gorges du Durnand as it is called in French.

The Simplon Pass connects Switzerland with Italy. In the midst of wild high mountain landscapes, it invites you to hike through lonely high moors, along quiet mountain lakes and on historic trade routes.

A tree-top trek involving a variety of suspension bridges and aerial cableways. A sensational experience, open to everyone (minimum height 1m 10), to be enjoyed at your own pace. Whether you are a fitness fanatic or a couch potato, you can have lots of fun.

Illgraben is a bowl-shaped, steep-sided mountain basin that towers over the Rhone Valley. It is also one of the key starting points for debris flows in Switzerland.

Fondation Gianadda in Martigny is an internationally renowned cultural foundation with multi-faceted aspects. The museum offerings range from archaeological exhibits, a vintage car and sculpture park to art collections and concerts.