On the square in front of St. John the Baptist's church, two benches await you on either side of a calvary. One of the entrances to the church is just behind it, so don't hesitate to take a look. |
At the end of the church esplanade, next to the stairs leading down to the street, you find the "Musée à Evolène" (Evolène Museum), dedicated to the traditions and culture of the village. |
The main entrance to St. John the Baptist's Church is on this side, on this pretty esplanade, where you have the best view of its 15th-century bell tower, which is listed in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance. |
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the only church the inhabitants of Evolène had was that of Saint-Martin, further down the valley, some 3 hours away by foot. In 1445, 101 heads of families asked the bishopric to build a church at their own expense. Three years later, the church of St John the Baptist was built and consecrated. |
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the only church the inhabitants of Evolène had was that of Saint-Martin, further down the valley, some 3 hours away by foot. In 1445, 101 heads of families asked the bishopric to build a church at their own expense. Three years later, the church of St John the Baptist was built and consecrated. |
This narrow road, connecting Rue Centrale to Route Neuve which bypasses the village, takes you now on a short tour in the alleys of the Evolène labyrinth. |
This narrow road, connecting Rue Centrale to Route Neuve which bypasses the village, takes you now on a short tour in the alleys of the Evolène labyrinth. |
This narrow road, connecting Rue Centrale to Route Neuve which bypasses the village, takes you now on a short tour in the alleys of the Evolène labyrinth. |
This narrow road, connecting Rue Centrale to Route Neuve which bypasses the village, takes you now on a short tour in the alleys of the Evolène labyrinth. |
This narrow road, connecting Rue Centrale to Route Neuve which bypasses the village, takes you now on a short tour in the alleys of the Evolène labyrinth. |
This narrow road, connecting Rue Centrale to Route Neuve which bypasses the village, takes you now on a short tour in the alleys of the Evolène labyrinth. |
To the right of the fountain, Route des Liavires joins Route Neuve, from where you have a bird's eye view of Evolène and the surrounding area. To the left, Route de Sonville also climbs towards the bypass road and, a few steps away, a street opens up that leads back down to the village centre. |
Route de Sonvill continues to climb and joins Route Neuve less than 150m further up, but our virtual stroll now turns left to go down to the main street of the village. |
Our virtual stroll stops at the end of this street, at the edge of Route Neuve. But when you get there, you can turn left and go a little further to Route de Sonville, which takes you back down to the centre of the village. |
Our virtual stroll stops at the end of this street, at the edge of Route Neuve. But when you get there, you can turn left and go a little further to Route de Sonville, which takes you back down to the centre of the village. |
Our virtual stroll stops at the end of this street, at the edge of Route Neuve. But when you get there, you can turn left and go a little further to Route de Sonville, which takes you back down to the centre of the village. |
Evolène is considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland and a little walk through its alleys will show you why. Our virtual stroll will now take you there! |
Route du Légeret first goes straight up and, looking around, we see the top of the church tower. |
Here the street turns at right angles and, although it is very narrow, it is still open to traffic, allowing residents to park close to their chalets. You will see vehicles all over the village, often in unlikely places! |
We pass the alley of Batuja, which goes down to the main street. Just after, there are works that prevent the passage of vehicles but not of pedestrians. Renovations are underway throughout the village. |
Route du Légeret now passes between beautifully renovated chalets and joins Route de Sonville. From there we can go up to Route Neuve which bypasses Evolène or down to the main street of the village. |
We are here at the top of Route des Liavires, on the edge of Route Neuve which bypasses the centre of the village of Evolène. |
Our stroll starts here, 250m from where the main road becomes Route Neuve ("New Road") to bypass the village. This used to be the main road but we recommend that you follow the Route Neuve to park on the other side of the village. |
Look around you: many buildings bear the weight of the years and the concessions to the modern world still respect the traditional architecture of the village. |
Look around you: many buildings bear the weight of the years and the concessions to the modern world still respect the traditional architecture of the village. |
On the left (approximately north-eastward) is Route du Légeret, an alley which, after some twists and turns, leads to the top of the village. Our virtual stroll will of course also take you there! |
Here we turn our backs on the village centre to look back and admire the architecture of the place and the good taste of the renovations. |
The narrow street you see in front of you is Rue du Four, which leads up into the labyrinth of the old village. |
A few metres further on, you see on the right the narrow one-way street (only 1.80m wide) which leads down to the lower village, from where you can go for a walk along the river. Here, our stroll will pass by the church before continuing further. |
We continue to follow the main street almost to the end of the village, passing shops, cafés, restaurants... You will not die of hunger or thirst in Evolène! |
We continue to follow the main street almost to the end of the village, passing shops, cafés, restaurants... You will not die of hunger or thirst in Evolène! |
We continue to follow the main street almost to the end of the village, passing shops, cafés, restaurants... You will not die of hunger or thirst in Evolène! |
We continue to follow the main street almost to the end of the village, passing shops, cafés, restaurants... You will not die of hunger or thirst in Evolène! |
Rue Centrale, called Route Principale (Main Road) on Google Maps, is a one-way street. It is not closed to traffic but you will not find any parking spaces in the village. Instead, go round via Route Neuve, there is a large car park on the other side. |
Our panorama here is directed towards the centre of Evolène. Behind us, Rue Centrale continues towards the large car park at the exit of the village. We will now take a short walk through the narrow streets inside the village. |
The parking spaces you see are private or reserved for hotel and residence guests. There's no point in hoping to park there and, further on, the road narrows... |
There are plenty of hotels and restaurants to choose from. Evolène is a well-known tourist destination, and the village deserves it! |
The snow-covered peak you see in the distance is the Dent Blanche, which rises to 4358 m above sea level and was not climbed for the first time until 1862, three years before the Matterhorn was first ascended. |
Unlike other tourist destinations, Evolène has never been spoilt by an excess of modern buildings, which makes it one of the most beautiful alpine villages in Switzerland. |
Evolène is open to traffic, often the vehicles parked in every corner spoil the show a bit and one starts to dream of a village without cars like Zermatt and Saas Fee... |
The street slopes gently down to the heart of the village and as you pass you can see some beautiful hotels that look as if they have come straight from the time of the alpine tourism beginning. The one you see here was built in 1901. |
The street and the buildings become narrower, we arrive in the centre of the village, where you will find all the amenities, shops, bakeries, cafés and restaurants, beautiful terraces... |