ViaFrancigena
Overview
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Distance 16 km
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Duration 4 h
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Ascent 280 m
Intro
From Vevey the route follows the lake to Villeneuve. The Swiss Museum of Games in the castle at Tour-de-Peilz and famous Schloss Chillon are worth a visit before you reach the Chablais wine region.
Description
At the end of the 3rd century, a Roman officer named Maurice was executed at St. Maurice for his Christian beliefs. A place of pilgrimage was then created here, and the Abbey of St. Maurice was founded by Sigismund, the King of Burgundy, in 515. The eighth stage of the Via Francigena starts at St. Maurice train station. You have to take a detour if you do not want not to miss the historic town centre and the abbey on the designated route to Martigny.
Going past residential areas, you leave the municipality and pass Vérolliez. Les Emonets and Evionnaz are next. You will then see the remains of an anti-tank embankment, consisting of “Toblerones” lined up irregularly. The prongs, reminiscent of Toblerone chocolate, served as a line of defence during World War II on the Great St. Bernard axis. A good hour later, you reach the Pissevache waterfall. Its beauty was an inspiration for Goethe, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and other poets and painters. The 116-metre-high waterfall used to be called Salanfe. The French saying, “il pleut comme vache qui pisse” (literally: it is raining like a cow pissing), is said to have inspired a passer-by to rename the waterfall. In the past, you could cross the waterfall via a footbridge halfway up. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible today.
A little later, you walk past the exit of the Trient Gorge. The source of the Valais River is at the Trient Glacier, above the village of the same name in the Swiss Mont Blanc region. An impressive 200-metre-deep gorge has been carved out here. It is spanned by two bridges at a dizzying height, and you can admire the 114-metre-high waterfall from here. This is followed by the last hour of the hike to Martigny, and you cross the Dranse shortly before the finish. La Bâtiaz Castle sits proudly on a rock slightly above the river. Martigny is located on the Rhone bend in the Lower Valais. It is the hub of the pass routes via Simplon, Great St. Bernard and Forclaz.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Start location |
St-Maurice
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Martigny
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| Altitude (meter above sea level) |
500 m
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| Ascent |
280 m
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| Descent |
240 m
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| Distance |
16 km
|
| Duration |
4 h
|
| Duration back |
4 h
|
| Technical requirements |
Easy
|
| Physical requirements |
Medium
|
| Season |
All year
|
| Theme |
Along Water, With panoramic view
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Quick Facts
Route number
