Bicycle tours by water in Valais

The capital Sion shows its historic castles, churches and mansions. The lower Rhonetal is dominated by the high-alpine scenery of the Dents du Midi. A world of fertile fruit orchards and vineyards.

The Aare Route follows the river from the small glacier lake on the Grimselpass until it joins the Rhine. After a racy stretch down the pass road, it passes the Aareschlucht (gorge) and deep lakes on the way to the Mittelland region.

The main valley in the Valais widens, sun warms the dry mountain slopes. Between Leuk and Sierre an unruly part of the Rhone, and the Pfynwald, a nature reserve on a huge mound of glacier detritus; a motorway will be built here by 2020.

The Grimselpass, a remote Alpine landscape of contrasts: reservoir lakes and power stations ringed by icy, green-grey granite mountains - an optical balancing act. Steep descent to the Aareschlucht (gorge), where the young river enters puberty.

The young Rhone, known in the Goms Valley as the «Rotten», flows through an authentic natural and cultivated landscape. Pretty villages with beautiful baroque churches, stone pine forests, insect-rich flower meadows and a tangy resin aroma accompany cyclists through the sunny high valley.

From the heights, a round tower guards Martigny on its bend in the Rhone. At the valley’s narrowest point, St-Maurice guards golden church treasures. High mountains and lowlands, Lac Léman hidden behind reeds and defiant Schloss Chillon on the water.