iCyclades - Cyclades Discovery Guide

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A small village in Valais, above Sion, some 1,500 m (4,921 ft) above sea level. Facing south, it's a very popular destination as official weather statistics rank it as the sunniest place in Switzerland.

At the end of Val d'Hérens, high above Evolène, this village gave its name to a white pine high-altitude species that grows only in the Alps and in the Carpathians. A beautiful hiking and skiing area at the foot of wild glaciers.

A small village on the road to Zinal, opposite the Grimentz valley, untouched by the tourist influx of the two famous Val d'Anniviers destinations. If you love old-fashioned charm and tranquillity, this is a place to stop!

Built between 1954 and 1958 above Grimentz, the Moiry dam created the lake of the same name, which has become a popular tourist attraction during the summer months.

Situated at an altitude of 2128m above Grimentz, Bendolla is a mountain pasture that becomes a ski resort in winter and an open-air leisure park in summer.

Last village before the Grand-Saint-Bernard mountain pass (and the tunnel) connecting Switzerland to Val d'Aoste (Italy).

This charming Valaisan village is situated at the mouth of the Rhone where it feeds into Lake Geneva. It is known for its beautiful beach and its amusement parks, the Aquaparc and the Swiss Vapeur Parc.

Chalais lies at an altitude of 522 m at the foot of the southern slopes of the Rhône Valley, just a few kilometres from Sierre. It is the departure point for the cable car that climbs to the famous village of Vercorin.

The charming Valaisan resort of Champéry is nestled at the foot of the Dents du Midi and Dents Blanches massifs at an altitude of 1,050m.

Nice winter sports and summer hikes destination on the shore of the eponymous lake, 1,500 m above sea level.

This village in the Val d'Anniviers was the home of the famous explorer and writer Ella Maillart until her death. A permanent exhibition is dedicated to her in an old chapel in the heart of the old village.

There are in fact two Chermignons, one at an altitude of 920m, the other at 1100m, above the slopes of Sierre. Chermignon d'En-Haut can be spotted from afar thanks to the tall silhouette of its church tower. Since 2017, the two villages have been part of the municipality of Crans-Montana, a famous destination further up the mountain.

Just above Noës, the first hamlet on the road from Sierre to Montana-Crans is nestled among the vines, offering passers-by the fleeting sight of a pretty chapel next to an odd modern church.

A few kilometres from Vissoie, the Anniviers Valley splits into two branches, becoming the Zinal Valley to the east and the Moiry Valley to the west. Between the two lies the Sorebois Horn, which rises to 2895m.

An important winter sports resort above Sierre, in Valais. Together with the neighboring village of Montana, it's the world-famous Crans-Montana destination.

Crêt-du-Midi rises to an altitude of 2333m and can be reached by cable car from Vercorin. A must-see place in winter and summer for all ages, with a self-service restaurant and huge terrace.

A hamlet in the Municipality of Conthey, in the canton of Valais (Switzerland), located at 1,450 metres in an isolated valley on the south side of the Bernese Alps. One of the highlights of any Swiss trip!

A village in Val d'Hérens (Valais), famous for its natural sand pyramids topped with rocks. A quite strange sight!

A very typical village high in Val d'Hérens (Valais), the valley where cows are so aggressive that they fight each other... Every spring, such fights are publicly organized and the winner becomes the Queen of the Cows!

This small village hangs on the slopes of the Châtelard Hill, on the Sierre hillside. Situated on the sunny right bank of the Rhône Valley, it is part of the commune of Lens, and its winegrowers are renowned for their production of an emblematic Valais grape variety, Cornalin.

In Val Ferret, at 1,600 m altitude, a village set in a wild alpine setting. It is a family resort with a bewitching character, and one of the stopovers of the Mont Blanc tour. Winter sports and summer hikes of every level.

The high mountain pass between Valais in Switzerland and Val d'Aoste in Italy. Home of the famous St-Bernard rescue dog, the one that has a keg around the neck!

Granges is a former municipality that has been part of Sierre since 1972, even though the village is more than 6km from the town. From its beautiful church nestling in the greenery, you can follow a path up to the ruins of its castle perched on a hill overlooking the Rhône plain.

A typical village in the Val d'Anniviers, Grimentz is a winter sports and summer hiking destination. The Moiry dam and lake are just a few kilometres away, offering beautiful views of the Dent Blanche and the glaciers.

The village of Grône lies on the left bank of the Rhône, between Sion and Sierre, at the foot of Mont-Noble. The municipality stretches from the plains to the mountains, with two-thirds of its land covered in forest, and also includes around ten hamlets and most of the Réchy valley.

A small village overlooking the junction of the eponymous valley and the Val d'Hérens. At the top of the Val d'Hérémence is built the famous Grande Dixence Dam, tallest gravity dam in the world.

Built on a steep slope, this vertiginous village overlooking Riddes in the Rhône Valley has been secluded during centuries, until the construction of a cable car in 1942 and of a road in 1960.

One of the villages of the 4 Vallées (4 Valleys) ski area (Veysonnaz, Thyon, Nendaz, La Tzoumaz, Verbier) and a good starting point for summer hikes.

Just a stone's throw from the banks of the Rhône, the small lakes of La Corne and La Brèche are popular and easily accessible places to relax, swim and stroll. They are located on the left bank of the river, about halfway between Sion and Sierre.

An inaccessible, wild biotope located just a few hundred metres from the Rhône, opposite the village and the valley of Réchy.

Village in Val de Bagnes. End station of the train from Martigny, downhill station of the cable car to Verbier.

Nestling at an altitude of 1100 metres in a hollow on the Châtelard hill overlooked by the statue of Christ the King, Lens is an independent municipality in the western part of the Crans-Montana tourist region. The village preserves a rich and well-presented heritage and is definitely well worth a visit.

Surrounded by summits peaking over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the sea, a village built where the valleys of Arolla and Ferpècle meet to form the Val d'Hérens (Hérens Valley).

Les Marécottes is a family resort situated in the Trient Valley, connecting Martigny in Valais and Chamonix in France. A very beautiful area with many attractions for kids and parents alike.

A Gallic-Roman town, Martigny is a favorite destination for gastronomy, congresses, fairs, and it's an important crossroads of the Alps, with mountain passes to France (Forclaz Pass to Chamonix) and Italy (Grand-Saint-Bernard Pass to Aosta).

Along with Venthône and Veyras, Miège forms Noble-Contrée ('Noble Country'), a municipality above Sierre. Like its neighbours, it is a south-facing wine-growing village with beautiful views over the hillsides, the plain and the Valais Alps.

Miex, above the village of Vouvry, in Chablais, is the starting point for many beautiful hikes, especially to beautiful Lake Tanay.

Once a municipality in its own right, Montana played a major role in the development of the tourist destination known worldwide as Montana-Crans. Nowadays, it's a quiet little hamlet with charming village houses that bear witness to a past of farming and transhumance.

Heart and economic capital of the Chablais and gate to Val d'Illiez, Monthey is known for its festive character and love of culture.

One of the Swiss resorts of the Portes du Soleil (a ski area ranking among the largest in the world with 650 km of marked pistes and 200 lifts, spread over 14 valleys in France and Switzerland).

Just above Sierre, an old village that once served as a pied-à-terre for the inhabitants of the Val d'Anniviers, who moved between vineyards on the plains and livestock and agriculture in the mountains.

One of the villages of the 4 Vallées (4 Valleys) ski area (Veysonnaz, Thyon, Nendaz, La Tzoumaz, Verbier) and a good starting point for summer hikes.

An old Valaisan hamlet, at the gates of Sierre, which once served as a pied-à-terre for the inhabitants of the Anniviers Valley (Val d'Anniviers) who practised transhumance between the vineyards of the plains and livestock and mountain agriculture.

It bears the same name as a famous wine-growing village in the Chablais region of Vaud and, like it, nestles in the heart of the vineyards, but it is a pretty Valais village perched on the sunny slopes of the right bank of the Rhône, halfway between Saint-Léonard and Sierre.

10 km from the motorway, at the foot of the Muverans chain, the holiday resort of Ovronnaz enjoys a mild, tonic climate at an ideal altitude of 1,350 metres.

Pas de Morgins (1,371 m above sea level) is a mountain pass in the Alps connecting Monthey in Switzerland and Abondance in France. It's a nice stop for a walk or just to rest a while, as you'll find there a beautiful little lake in an enchanting surrounding...

The forest of Finges (Pfynwald in German) is one of the largest pine forests in Central Europe. It is located in the Rhône Valley and marks the border between the French-speaking and German-speaking parts of Valais. It is a nature reserve of national importance, home to an exceptional wealth of species.

Spectacular geological formations rise above the torrent that marks the language border between the French-speaking Valais and the German-speaking Upper Valais.

This small village on the left bank of the Rhône rises from the bottom of the valley of the same name and is part of the municipality of Chalais, as is the famous resort of Vercorin, further up the mountain.

A beautiful medieval village on a rocky hill in the middle of the wineyards of Valais, part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites, where was killed Farinet, a famous outlaw known as the Robin Hood of the Alps.

This village, on the Franco-Swiss border on the south bank of Lake Geneva, boasts the longest beach on the lake, in a unique setting at the mouth of the Morge river, connecting the French Haute-Savoie with the Swiss Valais.

Located in Valais, along the Rhone valley, in the heart of the Swiss Alps, St-Léonard is not only renowned for its subterranean lake, the largest in Europe, but also for its orchards and wineyards.

Nicknamed "The Resort of the Stars", this village in the Val d'Anniviers focuses on astronomy, with its François-Xavier Bagnoud Observatory and its Planet Trail.

A small town at the border between Chablais (Rhône Lowlands) and Valais (Swiss Alps), with a prestigious abbey and mysterious fortresses.

Sanetsch Pass, 2252m above sea level, connects Valais to Saanenland (Gstaad area). It's open only from June till September, but it's really worth the visit!

A small town with fewer than 7,000 inhabitants, Saxon is the heart of Valais apricot growing. Its population has doubled since 2000 and its modern part is not very interesting, but its old village, perched above the Rhône plain, has retained its charm of yesteryear.

Sierre is the self-proclaimed wine capital of Switzerland, a well-deserved title, given that it boasts a Museum of Vines and Wine and a wine trail linking it to neighbouring Salquenen, another wine-growing Mecca.

Sigeroulaz, at an altitude of 1866m, is the mountain pasture where the mid-station of the cable car from Vercorin to Crêt-du-Midi is located. Beautiful alpine scenery and a friendly mountain restaurant.

Oldest town of Switzerland with some 7,000 year of history and capital of the Valais, Sion is rich of 4 castles, 4 museums and a beautiful historical center, but it is a modern city, with all facilities and much more.

One of the villages of the 4 Vallées (4 Valleys) ski area (Veysonnaz, Thyon, Nendaz, La Tzoumaz, Verbier) and a good starting point for summer hikes.

Situated at an altitude of 2184m above Saint-Luc, the ‘Village of the Stars’, the Tignousa alpine pasture is part of the Chandolin-St-Luc ski area, but it is also a paradise for astronomy enthusiasts, with a well-equipped observatory and a planet trail that fascinates young and old alike.

This tiny hamlet just below Flanthey is, like its neighbour, part of the municipality of Lens. You can visit the Castle of Vaas, a beautiful mansion that has become the "House of the Cornalins", where you can learn all about this emblematic Valais grape variety.

Together with its neighbours Miège and Veyras, Venthône forms the Noble-Contrée ('Noble Country'), a municipality above Sierre. It is a wine-growing village with panoramic views of the Valais Alps, and some fine, well-preserved medieval buildings.

All the beauty and charm of a mountain village developed in harmony with its surroundings. More than 400 km of well-kept footpaths, and a ski area extending between 1,500 and 3,300 metres above sea level in a spectacular mountain landscape.

A typical village built on a plateau 1,320 m (4,330 ft) above the sea, overlooking the Rhône Valley above Sierre. Beautiful winter sports and summer hikes destination.

Together with its neighbours Venthône and Miège, Veyras forms the Noble-Contrée ('Noble Country'), a municipality located above Sierre. It is a village built on a south-facing plateau, ideal for growing vines, which has inspired many artists and delights the taste buds of lovers of fine wines.

One of the villages of the 4 Vallées (4 Valleys) ski area (Veysonnaz, Thyon, Nendaz, La Tzoumaz, Verbier) and a good starting point for summer hikes.

The former capital and religious centre of the entire Val d'Anniviers, Vissoie is not a winter sports resort, so this large village is much less well-known than Grimentz, Chandolin or Zinal, but it is well worth a visit.

The last village in the Val d'Anniviers, just 24km from the Rhône plain but 1100m higher, Zinal lies at the foot of the majestic "Imperial Crown", the nickname given to the series of 4000m peaks that surround it. Although the village has become very popular with tourists, many of its old traditional "mayens" have been preserved.