Valais: travel guide

Why visit Valais

Valais is Switzerland’s southernmost canton and its most Alpine. The long Rhône Valley cuts east to west through the heart of the canton, flanked by two of the greatest mountain chains in the Alps: the Bernese Alps to the north and the Pennine Alps to the south. The Pennines contain an extraordinary concentration of high peaks — 36 summits above 4,000 metres, more than any other comparable area in the Alps — including the Matterhorn (4,478m), the Dom (4,545m), and the Monte Rosa massif reaching 4,634m at its highest point.

This geography makes Valais the undisputed heartland of Swiss alpine culture. Mountaineering history was written here — the first ascent of the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper’s team in 1865 is one of the most famous events in the history of sport. The ski resorts that grew up around the high mountain villages — Zermatt, Verbier, Saas-Fee — are among the most prestigious in the world. And the combination of southern latitude, low annual precipitation, and the protective wall of the Alps gives Valais Switzerland’s sunniest and driest climate, producing apricots, asparagus, and some of the country’s most distinctive wines in the Rhône Valley vineyards.

Key destinations

Zermatt

Zermatt is the most iconic of all Swiss mountain resorts and one of the few places in the world where the physical presence of a single mountain — the Matterhorn — so completely dominates both the landscape and the identity of a place. The car-free village sits at 1,620 metres in a deep valley at the end of the Mattertal, looking directly up at the pyramid of the Matterhorn, which changes colour through the day as the light shifts across its rock faces.

The resort operates year-round, with summer hiking and the Klein Matterhorn cable car (reaching 3,883m — the highest cable car station in the Alps) carrying visitors to glacier terrain even in August. The ski area is the largest in Switzerland, connecting via the Theodul Pass to Cervinia in Italy for cross-border skiing. The Glacier Express begins (or ends) its celebrated journey across the Swiss Alps in Zermatt. The Gornergrat rack railway climbs from the village to 3,089 metres, with views of the Monte Rosa massif — the most spectacular mountain panorama accessible by rail in Europe.

Verbier

Verbier is the more international, more party-oriented of the great Valais resorts — a sun-drenched terrace village at 1,500 metres above the Val de Bagnes, with its own distinct personality. The 4 Vallées ski area (330 km of marked pistes) is the largest in the Swiss Alps, connecting Verbier to Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Thyon, and La Tzoumaz. The terrain ranges from gentle beginner slopes around Verbier to the legendary Tortin mogul field and the steep Stairway to Heaven couloirs above the Mont-Fort glacier.

Verbier’s summer programme — the Verbier Festival classical music event, mountain biking, hiking — has made it a genuine year-round destination. The village has a cosmopolitan nightlife and dining scene that sets it apart from its more traditional Valais neighbours.

Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee is often described as the “Pearl of the Alps” — a car-free village completely surrounded by a horseshoe of 4,000-metre peaks and glaciers, accessible only by electric vehicle or on foot from the car parks at the village entrance. The scale of the glacial landscape above Saas-Fee is extraordinary: the Feegletscher fills the entire upper cirque, and cable cars reach the Fee Plateau at 3,500 metres where a summer ski area operates year-round.

Saas-Fee is smaller and quieter than Zermatt, with a more family-oriented atmosphere and lower prices. The Metro Alpin underground funicular (the world’s highest underground funicular) and the revolving restaurant at 3,500 metres are engineering curiosities worth experiencing in their own right.

Leukerbad

Leukerbad is Europe’s largest alpine thermal spa resort, a village of 1,400 metres in the Dala Valley where 65 thermal springs produce 3.9 million litres of water per day at temperatures between 28 and 51 degrees Celsius. The thermal baths have been in use since Roman times; the modern facilities include the Burgerbad Leukerbad (largest thermal spa in the Alps) and the Alpentherme, with both indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, and steam rooms.

Leukerbad also has a ski area (mostly north-facing, excellent snow reliability) and is the starting point for the spectacular Gemmi Pass trail — a high-level route over the mountain wall to Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. The combination of skiing in the morning and thermal bathing in the afternoon is one of the great Valais pleasures.

Top experiences

The Gornergrat railway

The Gornergrat rack railway from Zermatt to the 3,089-metre Gornergrat station is the most scenic rack railway in Switzerland and one of the finest mountain journeys in the world. The open-air terrace at the top looks directly at the Monte Rosa massif (29 peaks above 4,000m) with the Matterhorn to the left. In clear conditions, it is possible to count 29 four-thousand-metre peaks from the Gornergrat viewpoint — no other accessible point in the Alps offers a comparable mountain panorama.

Sunrise from the Kulmhotel Gornergrat — Switzerland’s highest hotel — is the finest way to experience the view: the Matterhorn turns blood-red before the peaks around it catch the light, a phenomenon that happens on clear mornings year-round.

Klein Matterhorn cable car

The three-stage cable car from Zermatt to the Klein Matterhorn (3,883m) is the highest cable car in the Alps and gives access to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise — a viewing platform, an ice palace carved into the glacier, and the year-round ski runs of the Plateau Rosa. The view from the top on a clear day extends into Italy (Cervinia is directly below on the south side of the mountain) and across the entire Valais Alpine chain.

Hiking the Haute Route

The Walker’s Haute Route — a 14-stage walk from Chamonix to Zermatt — is one of the great long-distance hiking routes in Europe, traversing the southern flank of the Valais Alps through some of the most dramatic high-mountain scenery in the range. The Swiss stages, from Champex to Zermatt, cross five high passes and pass through the villages of Verbier, Arolla, and Les Haudères. The full route requires good fitness and experience with Alpine terrain; guided versions are available for those unfamiliar with glacier travel.

Rhône Valley wine tasting

The Valais produces Switzerland’s most diverse and distinctive wines — Chasselas in the lower western valley, Petite Arvine and Amigne from ancient indigenous grape varieties, Cornalin and Humagne Rouge for reds. The wine country concentrates between Martigny and Sierre, where the valley is at its widest and the south-facing slopes receive maximum sun on minimal soil. The wine museum in Salgesch and small-producer visits along the Route des Vins provide context for what is one of Europe’s most underrated wine regions.

Thermal spas in Leukerbad

The Burgerbad Leukerbad complex is the place to spend a half or full day when the legs need recovery after hiking or skiing. The outdoor thermal pools sit at 1,400 metres with views up to the Gemmi Pass and the surrounding peaks. The water temperature in the outdoor pools reaches 36-38 degrees, making winter bathing in mountain air a genuinely extraordinary experience. Book accommodation in Leukerbad for an overnight stay — the spas are dramatically less crowded in the early morning and evening.

Getting to Valais

By train

The main Valais train line runs along the Rhône Valley between Lausanne and Brig, with hourly trains from Geneva to Sion (about 1 hour 45 minutes) and Visp (2 hours). Brig is the main transfer point for trains into the mountain valleys — the Mattertal line to Zermatt, the Saastal bus connection to Saas-Fee, and the Lotschberg line over the mountain to Kandersteg and Bern. The Swiss Travel Pass covers the main line and valley trains; mountain railways have supplements.

By road

The A9 motorway follows the Rhône Valley from Lausanne to Brig (about 2 hours). Valley access roads branch south from the main road; most mountain villages are reached by these valley roads. Zermatt is car-free — park at Täsch (15 minutes by shuttle train) or Visp. Saas-Fee requires parking at the village entrance.

By air

Geneva Airport is the most convenient international gateway (2 hours to Visp by train). Zurich Airport connects via Bern and the Lötschberg tunnel or via Visp from Brig — approximately 2.5-3 hours.

Getting around

Within the mountain valleys, trains and postal buses serve most destinations. Cable cars, gondolas, and rack railways connect villages to upper-mountain terrain. The ski resort areas have good local bus services in winter. For a multi-resort itinerary, a car is useful for the Rhône Valley between resort valleys but unnecessary within individual resort areas.

Best time to visit

Valais has the most reliable weather in Switzerland — with an average of 2,000+ annual sunshine hours in Sion — but the optimal season depends on your activity. December to April is prime ski season, with February generally offering the best combination of snow depth and daylight hours. June to September is hiking season, with the high passes clear from late June and wildflower meadows at their best in early July. The Rhône Valley wine harvest (September to October) is a wonderful time to visit the lower valley. November and May are quieter transitional months with some mountain facilities closed.

Suggested itineraries

3 days: Zermatt focus

Day 1: Arrive Zermatt, village walk, evening Matterhorn views. Day 2: Gornergrat rack railway, hike down via Riffelalp or Riffelberg. Day 3: Klein Matterhorn cable car, glacier experience, afternoon in village.

5 days: Valais variety

Day 1-2: Zermatt — Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn. Day 3: Travel to Saas-Fee via Visp — Metro Alpin, Fee Plateau. Day 4: Leukerbad thermal spas and Gemmi Pass walk. Day 5: Verbier — 4 Vallées cable car panorama, village exploration.

7 days: complete Valais

Extend the 5-day itinerary with a day hiking in the Val d’Anniviers (one of the most beautiful and least-visited valleys in Valais) and a day in Sion exploring the twin castle hills and wine museum, before connecting to Lake Geneva or the Bernese Oberland.

Practical information

Zermatt is the most expensive accommodation option in Valais — and among the most expensive resort villages in Switzerland. Saas-Fee and Verbier are more moderate; Leukerbad and the valley towns are significantly more affordable. Booking winter accommodation in Zermatt and Verbier six to eight weeks in advance is advisable for peak Christmas, New Year, and February half-term periods.

For more on comparing the top Alpine resorts, see the Verbier vs Zermatt guide and the Zermatt vs Grindelwald comparison. For information on the scenic train that connects Valais to Graubünden, see the Glacier Express guide. You can book Glacier Express tickets from Zermatt to St. Moritz online in advance.