Enjoy a "bisse" walk and other Switzerland Off The Beaten Path Tips

The Bisses are the vital witnesses of a history, culture and civilisation in Valais. Hollowed out into the ground, cut into or hanging from the rock face, like scars leaden with memories, they symbolise the fight of the people for the control of water.

Borne out of the peasant’s desire to escape from the cruel consequences of drought, the water was collected from rivers and artificially diverted onto the cultivated hills.

The paths that run alongside these Bisses have the advantage of being slightly inclined, passing through very varied locations and always providing surprising detours through the valleys, villages and mountains. Hence the reason why these little trails, without any traffic, constitute very pleasant walks and allow you to discover one of the most picturesque aspects of Valais region.

The Bisses are negotiable from Spring to Autumn and are also accessible to children, their parents as well as their grandparents. Nendaz enjoys the largest network in Europe and the Bisses are terraced at an altitude of between 800m and 2,200m.

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.nendaz.ch/OTNendaz/FHomePageOTNendaz.aspx?tokenPage=lrWrCjstcknl_igpOLEP6P2RA1yx5btje8aPa57PYMA))

Would you like to go skiing or snowboarding right in the middle of summer? Visit Saas-Fee or Zermatt summer ski area on high altitude glacier.

A single ski-pass for Saas-Fee and Zermatt: Saas-Fee and Zermatt are joining forces.
The two biggest and most attractive summer ski areas are for the first time offering combined ski-passes during the summer season from 2 July to 31 October.

Saas-Fee and Zermatt are a 40 minute drive apart. 41 km of groomed carving and mogul runs as well as summer parks with a half-pipe and obstacle courses for freestylers provide the ultimate snow experience on hot summer days.

Leave a Comment

Website: http://bergbahnen.zermatt.ch/e/preise/sommer/saas-fee_zermatt.html

Le pays ou les vaches sont reines...
In our Alps, we have a exceptionnal breed of cow : la race d'Herens. These cows naturally fight in order to establish a ranking in the herd. You can assist to these fight in local contest around Wallis in Spring or on Alps in Summer (inalp).

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.racedherens.ch/

Why not to climb a Swiss peak this summer... The Breithorn climbing for everyone...

The Breithorn (4'164m) is the easiest four-thousand-metre peak in the area. Its snow-capped peak is rather flat and is thus easier to handle than most other mountains. A guide helps one get to the top in about two hours and the descent about 1 1/2 hours.

On the top, the view is absolutely breath-taking, you will feel dominating all alpine peaks surroundings as the Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Dent Blanche, Obergabelhorn, Zinal Rothorn, Weisshorn, Mischabel and of course the Breithorn itself...

You take the cable-car from Zermatt to the Klein Matterhorn and the tour starts at the mountain station of the Matterhorn glacier paradise (3'883m). Please note that one needs to be in good shape.

Reservations at the "Alpin Center" located in the middle of the Bahnhofstasse.

Alternative the Allain in Saas-Fee area:

Your dream could also become true in Saas-Fee region thanks to the Allalin, which is probably the easiest 4000m peak in Valais. It can be undertaken safely with a local guide by almost anyone.

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www2.zermatt.ch/alpincenter/

Experience the Vineyard Walk, an educational footpath winding through the vines (6km). This path linked two sites of the Valaisan Museum of Wine and Winegrowing located @ Salquenen (Zumofen House ) and @ Sierre (Chateau de Villa). If you get thirsty, no worries just visit a local cellar!

The Valaisan Museum of Wine and Winegrowing is open: from Tuesday to Friday (2 pm to 5 pm (April to November).

Address:
Chateau de Villa
Rue Sainte-Catherine 4
3960 Sierre (Valais)

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.museevalaisanduvin.ch/en/sites.htm

Located above the Saillon village, the Vigne a Farinet is the smallest registered vineyard of the world counts only 3 stocks.

Each year, personalities of the sports, arts and politics come to work it as Zinedine Zidane, Micheal Schumacher, Caroline of Monaco, Roger Moore...

Its first owner was Jean-Louis Barrault, movie actor which interpreted the role of Farinet in a film drawn from Ramuz. Nowadays it belongs to the Dalai LAMA.

The grape harvest product is mixed with other grape from this area in order to obtain about 1'000 bottles. They are sold for the benefit of charity organizations.

To go there, follow the Farinet path (sentier de Farinet) or stained glasses path (sentier des vitraux) from Saillon village. You could also visit the counterfeit money at Saillon.

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.farinet.net/ or http://www.saillon.ch/

Discover the underground of the Salt Mines of Bex. The total length spreads to almost 50 km, leading undergrounda through a vast maze of passages, shafts, stairs and gigantic caverns. A few kilometres of this labyrinth can be visited. You will learn more about the spectacular and characteristic of the various mining techniques used since the first gallery was excavated in 1684, up to the present times.

An audiovisual presentation (in French, German, English and Italian) installed in an ancient reservoir dug out in 1826 as well as an exhibit allow you to relive all stages of the three centuries of history of salt and the mines. Then a small train brings you to the heart of the mine. From there a pedestrian circuit of about one hour allows you to discover the incredible effort put in the underground search for salt springs, or the desalination of rock containing salt, which, at the time, was worth its weight in gold. Nowadays the mines are still exploited. Every day 150 tons of salt are produced.

New the Trekkmines adventures: Choose among the five available tours and follow the traces of the local miners and go back in time to the 17th century to appreciate the impressive accomplishment carried out exclusively by hand by our ancestors 300 years ago.

Interisting facts to know about the Salt Mines:
- The temperature is 17°C throughout the year
- Sports shoes and warm clothing required
- The tour is not recommended to people suffering from claustrophobia
- Location on foot, from the railway station CFF at Bex to the Salt Mines: about 1 hour or 10min by bus to the Salt Mines.

Leave a Comment

Phone: +41 (0)24 463 03 30
Website: http://www.mines.ch/
Other Contact: info@mines.ch

A great adventure for everybody: a funny 10 km downhill run on a sledge by day or by night in Les Mayens de Riddes!

La Tzoumaz/Mayens-de-Riddes nestles in a valley on the left side of the Rhone at an altitude of 1500m. The valley lies about halfway between Martigny and Sion.

Access to the sledge run is via the Savoleyres cable car (alt. 2'354m). From there you can glide down to the village (1'506m).


Daily rates for non-skiers:
CHF 20.- adults
CHF 16.- children

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.latzoumaz.ch/home/E/homeE.html

Fly over the Swiss Alps, forests, lakes and glaciers and land to share a glass of Fendant between friends...

Alpine Tours

Take a little plane from Sion Airport for 1 to 3 passengers. Prices are very competitive, for example I paid around CHF 290.- a 60 minutes flight for two people to Mont-Blanc then Matterhorn. You could also plan your flight route with the pilot. Enjoy your flight !

If you prefer helicopter, I recommend :

Air Zermatt

Matterhorn 20 min. roundflight for CHF 195.-.

Air Glacier

Flights from 10 to 60 minutes, up to 4 passengers in a helicopter. 10 min flights from CHF 86.-.

Leave a Comment

Website: www.gvmsion.ch/alpine.shtml or http://www.air-glaciers.ch/fr/panoramichelicopter.asp

An original idea for a nap...

You can dine in a Siestahotels and then subsequently have a midday snooze in one of the hotel rooms between 12 noon and 3pm. This midday nap service is free of charge if you have eaten in the hotel. If you decide to go without a meal beforehand and merely have a sleep, the room for this time would cost CHF 20. It is quite easy to check in. Simply contact a member of staff in the restaurant or at reception. Nota bebe: the hotel room for the midday nap may only be used by one person ;-)

Sleep just half an hour so that you do not enter the deep phase of sleep but rather feel fresh and recuperated after your snooze. In the terminology of sleep science, this short sleeping technique is known as a Powernap.

Midday nap in the fresh air, in Zurich and Bern not only do you have the opportunity to take your nap in a hotel room but also in the fresh air, in comfortable original Swiss Hüsler Nest natural beds in the quiet inner courtyard.

Operation peformed by the following hotels:
Best Western Hotel Merian in Basel (november-december)
Best Western Hotel Bären in Bern (all year round!)
Best Western Hotel Flora in Luzern (november-december)
Best Western Premier Hotel Glockenhof in Zurich (november-december)

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.tiloahmels.ch/05_siestahotel.php?lF=english