Episode 83: Discovering the many charms of canton Valais

If you’ve started looking for ideas on where to visit and what to see on your Swiss vacation, the famous Alpine resort of Zermatt may well be one of the destinations that you have added to your itinerary.

But Zermatt is just one of many fabulous towns and villages in the canton of Valais that are worth visiting, as you’ll discover in this episode of the podcast.

I’ve travelled through the canton many times by both car and train, and I have been fortunate to visit Zermatt on a number of occasions but I’ll admit I haven’t explored Valais in great detail. And that definitely has to change!

There’s so much I learnt about Valais in my chat with Emilie Morard and Mario Braide from Valais Tourism that I’m itching to take a much deeper look.

From spectacular landscapes to man-made attractions, cute animals to delicious food and wine, vibrant cities to charming villages, there is something to appeal to everyone in Valais.

Add in UNESCO World Heritage sites, hiking, winter sports, and festivals celebrating the customs of the canton, and you really do have the complete destination.

I know you’re going to find plenty of reasons to include some time in Valais in this episode.

[This post may contain compensated links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.]

Roger Federer Grand Train Tour of Switzerland banner

As always, I’d like to say thank you to the team from Switzerland Tourism for sponsoring the podcast. Whether you plan to explore Valais and the rest of Switzerland by bus, car or train, you’ll find lots of helpful info on their website, myswitzerland.com so do go and take a look.

If you need the train ride of a lifetime, you need Switzerland.

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Show Notes

In this episode you’ll learn about:

The unique characteristics of canton Valais
Key natural and man-made attractions in Valais
Towns and villages to visit
Why Valais is a top ski destination
Blacknose sheep, St. Bernard dogs and other Valais animals
Local culinary specialties and drinks
Getting around Valais by public transport
A suggested itinerary for first-time visitors to Valais
Top tips for visiting Valais from a local

Our Guests

Market Manager for Valais Tourism — Emilie Morard

the Market Manager for Valais Tourism — Mario Braide

Emilie Morard and Mario Braide are Market Managers for Valais Tourism. Emilie leads the European team whilst Mario is responsible for the long haul markets (North America, Canada, Asia and Asia Pacific).

Places mentioned in this episode

The Matterhorn and Great Aletsch Glacier are two of the most well-known natural attractions in Valais. Whilst the man-made Grand Dixence Dam, the highest gravity dam in the world, is also worth a visit.

Popular towns in the canton include Brig, famous for the Stockalper Palace, Martigny, home of the famous St. Bernard dog, and the capital city, Sion.

Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Riederalp and Bettmeralp are all mountain villages, and Leukerbad is the largest thermal spa resort in the Alps. Nendaz is famous for its irrigation channels known as bisses.

The canton’s most popular ski resorts include Four Valleys, Port du Soleil, and Leukerbad.

For more information about all the places, animals and culinary specialties mentioned in this episode, see the Visit Valais website.

Great Aletsch Glacier. ©Valais/Wallis Promotion – Frederic Huber

St. Bernard dogs in the snow in canton Valais, Switzerland. — St. Bernard dogs in the snow. ©Valais/Wallis Promotion – Tamara Berger

Useful resources

The Valais Tourism website has all the information you need to plan your visit to this beautiful part of Switzerland.

We also have a number of articles on our website, as well as previous podcast episodes, about places and activities mentioned by Emilie and Mario. You’ll find them on the links below:

Typical Valais platter with dried meats and cheese — Typical Valais platter. ©Valais/Wallis Promotion – Tamara Berger

Man downhill skiing at Verbier in Switzerland — Skiing at Verbier. ©Valais/Wallis Promotion – David Carlier

To see all our podcast episodes, > click here.

This episode is sponsored by Switzerland Tourism

Read the full transcript of this episode > here.

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