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Region

Valais

Sleep in one valley base; reach the side valleys by train plus postbus, not by hire car.

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Key facts · Switzerland

Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Visa
Depends on your passport
Currency
Swiss franc (CHF)
Language
German, French, Italian and Romansh
Plugs
J · C · 230 V
Time zone
CET, UTC+1
Month by month hereIn detail ↓
Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
  • Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
  • Switzerland ↗Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not the EU: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
  • Switzerland ↗Switzerland is outside the EU customs area: allowances on meat, alcohol and tobacco are strict and checked at borders.
  • Switzerland ↗Motorways need a vignette (sticker or e-vignette) before you drive on them.

Valais is one long L-shaped Rhone valley with side valleys climbing off it. Trains run the floor of the valley; postbuses and mountain railways climb from the stations. Pick one base for 3–4 nights and day-trip the rest rather than moving hotels every night.

Sleep

Which bed, for how many nights, and what to do from it

Where to sleep

10 places in this region

Sleep base

  • ZermattCity guide

    Car-free; Matterhorn views and high-altitude lifts.

    Best Jul–Sep, Jan–Apr

    Open Zermatt →

  • BrigPlanned

    Main rail junction; Simplon and Italy trains.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

  • SionPlanned

    Canton capital; two hill castles, valley trains.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Day trip

  • Saas-FeeCity guide

    Car-free village; Mittelallalin cable car.

    Best Jul–Sep, Dec–Apr

    Open Saas-Fee →

  • VerbierPlanned

    High plateau above Martigny; ski and summer lifts.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

  • Crans-MontanaPlanned

    Sunny plateau above Sierre; mountain railway from the valley.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

  • LeukerbadPlanned

    Thermal baths; bus up from Leuk station.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

  • SierrePlanned

    Valley town; base for the Crans-Montana funicular.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

  • FieschPlanned

    Cable car to the Aletsch glacier area.

    Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.

Also here

  • VispCity guide

    Where north–south and east–west lines meet; change here.

    Best Jun, Sep, Dec–Mar

    Open Visp →

Night sequences

3 nights
Zermatt 3, day-trip Saas-Fee or the Gornergrat
4 nights
Zermatt 2 + Brig or Sion 2, day-trip Leukerbad and Crans-Montana
5 nights
Zermatt 2 + Sion 2 + Brig 1, add Fiesch for the Aletsch
  • Valais is large: Gletsch to Saint-Gingolph is over 170 km, so a 'quick' side-valley hop can eat half a day.
  • Off-piste skiing and alpine tours need the avalanche bulletin and often a guide; helicopter rescue is billed by the minute and runs to thousands of francs.

Day-trips door to door

ToFromDoor-to-door p50Last returnNote
Saas-FeeVisp75 minunknownBus from Visp or Stalden; last descent is early evening — check.
LeukerbadLeuk40 minunknownBus climbs from Leuk station; baths need a booking in high season.
Crans-MontanaSierre35 minunknownFunicular from Sierre; check seasonal timetable.
Fiesch / AletschBrig70 minunknownTrain to Fiesch then cable car; go early for glacier views.

Bags between cities

Luggage forwarding between Swiss stations is usually next-day (D+1); the receiving hotel must accept it.

When and how

Months, arrival and passes

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

CountryJFMAMJJASOND
Zermatt
Saas-Fee
Visp
Switzerland (country-wide)
Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month
ZoneJFMAMJJASOND
Rhone valley (Sion)Valley floor, about 480 mcoolcoolokbestbestbesthothotbestbestokcool
High resorts and passesZermatt, Saas-Fee, Great St Bernardsnowsnowsnowokokbestbestbestokoksnowsnow
best: dry, mildok: workablecool: jacket, greyhot: short walking windows
Rhone valley (Sion)
One of the driest, sunniest parts of Switzerland; summer can hit 35 °C, and long dry spells bring forest fires every few years.
High resorts and passes
Snow from November to April; the Great St Bernard Pass sits near 2,470 m and is a winter route by ski or helicopter only.

Christmas, the February sports holidays and Easter are the ski peaks; January is the quiet month. September and October are mild and quiet for walking.

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate
FromToHowp50Note
Geneva AirportBrig via Martigny, Sion, VispDirect train, twice hourly~2 h 41 to BrigStops include Martigny (~1 h 51), Sion (~2 h 05) and Visp (~2 h 32); not all trains stop everywhere.
Zurich AirportBrig via VispDirect train, hourly~2 h 33 to BrigRuns through the 34 km Lötschberg base tunnel.
Milan MalpensaBrigTrain with changescheckFewer connections and no direct train from the airport.
Bern / SpiezBrig via the old Lötschberg lineRegional train, change required~1 h longerScenic descent with a stop at Goppenstein for the Lötschental; popular with hikers.

Regional passes

Verdict first

Swiss Travel Pass

check

Covers SBB, RegionAlps and most postbuses; run the fares for your legs before buying.

Half Fare Card

check

Pays off if you ride several mountain railways, which are discounted but rarely free.

Point-to-point tickets

buy

All timetables and tickets sit on the SBB site, even for private lines.

Eat and move on

Regional food

Where and when it works
DishWhereTiming / trap
RacletteValais-wideCheese melted and scraped onto potatoes or bread with gherkins and pearl onions.
Croûte au fromage / KäseschnitteValais-wideBread soaked in Fendant wine, baked under cheese; ham or egg versions exist.
CholeraValais-wideCovered pie of potato, leek, apple and cheese.
Assiette valaisanne / WallisertellerValais-wideCold platter of rye bread, dried meat, cured ham, cheese and sausage.
BrisoléeValais-wideCold cuts with hot chestnuts and dried fruit; an autumn dish.
Apricots and apricot liqueur (Apricotine)Valais-wideLocal fruit around July; buy boxes labelled Wallis or Valais.

Go next

Lake Geneva Region

Train west from Martigny or Sion

Montreux, Lavaux and Chillon; the natural end of the valley.

Geneva

Train ~2 h from Sion

Fly home from here if the ticket is open-jaw.

Domodossola, Italy

planned

Train ~30 min from Brig

Then the Centovalli line to Locarno; Swiss passes cover it.

Bern

planned

Train from Visp via the Bernese Highlands

Pairs with a Valais stop on a north–south route.

Travel to Switzerland Up to Switzerland

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Sources