Winter trip to Valais; help

Old Dec 14th, 2009, 11:21 AM
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Winter trip to Valais; help

We haven't yet been to Switzerland in the Winter, so we are planning about a three week visit starting in late February. This time we want to see the Valais region. We don't ski and are too old to learn, but I think we might risk some sledding. We like to see any art museum we are near, but generally try to avoid touristy areas. We use public transportation. I prefer to stay at least 3 or 4 days, or more, anytime I unpack, so we look for bases where we can stay and day trip to activities.

We will fly into Geneva and return from Geneva. I plan to start with four days in Boltigen (between Spies and Gstaad) as that is my ancestral home. Then we will cross the mountains to the Valais, ending with 3 or 4 days in Vevey or Montreux (I'm leaning toward Vevey as less touristy, and a little more convenient to get to the Airport for an early flight). I know its not wine season, but Vevey has always looked attractive when we have passed it.

Between those stays, I don't have a good idea of where it would be convenient to stay. Sion looks interesting, and perhaps Aletsch. We want to visit Fiesch to ride the cable car and, if it takes no skill, ride down their long sled hill. We want to visit Zermatt for the scenery, but not stay there. Saas Fee also looks interesting. Martigny has an art museum we would like to visit. I'm sure there are other places to see that I haven't found yet. And I don't know where to stay that is pleasant, and would be a good base or two.

So I am asking for suggestions and information to fill out our itinerary. We're not stricty tied to three weeks; isn't retirement wonderful?
clevelandbrown is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2009, 10:00 PM
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Hi clevelandbrown,

Sounds like a great plan; you'll be covering some of my favorite spots!

While in Boltigen, if the bike trails are clear, consider biking the vallley as it's perfect for that. Once I rented a bike at Zweisimmen and cycled past Boltigen on the Simmental House trail -- great day. If the trails are too snowy for bikes, you could always walk part of it.

For the Valais portion, you may want to base somewhere like Riederalp or Bettmeralp above Brig. Brig would be a good base, I think, as it's just on the train line and is small and quaint. Just fyi, here's a link to a great trip report for this area:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-of-bliss.cfm

It may give you some ideas, particularly when you look at the photos.

If you go to the Trip Advisor Switzerland forums, there is a poster (Hambagahle) who lives in Martigny. You may be able to get a lot of detailed information there!

For the Lake Geneva portion, I don't recall if you've seen my links (w/photos) of my favorite activities there. If not, here they are again:

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

I think Vevey would be a wonderful spot as a base, as it's more residential and less touristy than is Montreux -- though in wintertime that's much less of a concern. I don't think Vevey will be all that more convenient for the airport; you'll still probably have to change at Lausanne, and Vevey will only be about 15 minutes closer.

As for me, I'm always drawn to the lakeside promenade in Montreux. It's shorter in Vevey though I really like the part at La Tour-de-Peilz.

Anyway, good luck with your research!

s
swandav2000 is online now  
Old Dec 14th, 2009, 10:02 PM
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Regarding basing in Riederalp, Bettmeralp, or Brig -- I should have said that Riederalp/Bettmeralp are good bases if you just want to hike and soak up the views. Brig would be a better base to see other parts of the valley.

Sorry!

s
swandav2000 is online now  
Old Dec 15th, 2009, 12:22 AM
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HI

Hiking etc in the winter is somewhat restricted as you will need to stick to marked and "pisted" hiking trails, or get snow shoes (which is fun). If yu do that ask the local Tourist Office where to go as there is danger of avalanche in some places.
Sion is a good place to base yourselves as there is a fair chocie of hotels, some good restaurants and all the trains stop there. Brig is less interesting, I feel. the old town in sion is really lovely...
the Fondation Gianadda here in Martigny is amazing. The current exhibition is of Russian art and icons and that is great is this interests you. They have a wonderful sculpture garden and a very very good Roman section. In fact Martigny is very much a Roman town, and there are a lot of Roman ruins to be visited.
Another interesting museum in Martigny is the St bernard dog museum, and there are puppies there right now. I am not sure if they will still be there in February though.

here is a walking tour I have done to helkp people find their way around Martigny:

WALKING TOUR OF MARTIGNY

Note : This tour assumes you will arrive at the station. If you are driving, there is convenient parking at the Fondation Gianadda and you can walk all over town from there. You can park there for free for 5 hours.

Walk from the station up the avenue de la Gare. The Tourist Office is on your left as you walk up, just before the Place Centrale. You can obtain maps etc from them.

At the Place Centrale, turn right on the rue Marc Morand. Continue on this road, past a park on your right, to the covered bridge. On the road as you walk by you will see several buildings which were former hotels, including the beautifully restored Hotel Clérc. Cross the covered bridge. This is the only covered bridge still used by motor traffic in Switzerland and was built in about 1820 to replace a former bridge.

You have now entered the quarter of La Bâtiaz. There is a little chapel on the left, along the river Dranse which is very pretty, if you can go in (not always open!). The British painter Turner painted this area in 1802 and it has not significantly changed since then!! Continue down the road, following signs for the Château de la Bâtiaz. Turn left up the hill, among the vineyards to the Château. If you are here in summer you can visit the castle, which is 12th century. You will have a lovely view of Martigny and the plain of the Rhône from here as well as views up towards France and the Forclaz pass and down towards Sion. Note the rocky outcrops of the Pierre à Voir on the ridge in front of you and to the left.

Walk back to the Place Centrale, cross it and go to the Parish Church of St Mary in the Fields. This is worth a visit. Under the church there are ruins of a Roman temple! These are only accessible with a guide, however. At the back of the church there is a stand where the town crier in the Middle ages would tell the population of important events and decisions. Across the street in the back is a house where Napoléon stayed on his way to the battle of Marengo in 1800. (He then crossed over the St Bernard pass into Italy). The quarter around the church is composed of very old buildings, and they are charming.

Now follow signs to the Roman ruins (vestiges Romaines). You will walk through an orchard and come into an open area. On your right, under the terrace of a large apartment building, you can see the ruins of an important Roman merchants house. Across the way you will see the skating rink. Under that are the ruins of the Roman public hot baths – and WC’s!! You can see all these through the grill and around the base of the rink.

Now follow signs to the Fondation Gianadda. Across the street from this is an apartment building with the ruins of one of the few Roman temples to the god Mithra in the country. There is a good “son et lumière” there, but again you need a guide to get in. It might be possible for someone from the Gianadda to let you in and if it interests you, ask at the desk at the entrance to the museum. The museum itself has a world-wide reputation and frequently mounts shows in tandem with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY and the Tate in London. They have changing exhibitions all year, plus a good Roman exhibition all related to Martigny, and a vintage car museum as well as a small permanent collection. In the garden around the museum is a lovely sculpture park as well as Roman ruins. There is also a little snack bar, open in the summer months, where you can get a grill, salads, sandwiches etc for a nice light lunch.

After visiting the Gianadda, cross under the railway tracks at the back of the parking lot and walk across the remains of the main road from Rome to London (1st Century AD!!) to the Roman Amphitheatre. This seats 6000 and was excavated 30 years ago. It is now used for – amongst other things – cow fights, open air cinema and special plays. Next to the arena is the Museum of the St Bernard Dogs. In summer they often have puppies there with their mothers, and there are dogs there all year round. The museum is very interesting and there is a good introductory film. It also has special exhibitions.

That is about it for Martigny! It will take you the better part of a day and you might want to eat somewhere other than the Gianadda so here are some suggestions:

For an excellent meal of very high quality – Restaurant l’Olivier near Martigny Bourg.
Pizza etc – “La Nonna” on the Place Centrale or “l’Octodure » near the church
Good restaurant on the Place Centrale – “La vache qui vole”
Good restaurant near the station – « Brasserie du Grand St Bernard »

if I can help with any more specific questions I would be glad to.
Hambagahle is offline  
Old Dec 15th, 2009, 02:14 AM
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Hambagahle, we will be in Chamonix between christmas and new years. Our son will ski, but we won't. I am looking at Martigny and Sion as places for day trips. Is train travel easy? How long would you estimate your walk to take? Would it be possible/reasonable to try to see both Martigny and Sion in a single day trip? For that matter, do you think there's enough interesting stuff to do in Sion to make going on from Martigny a good idea? Thanks And to the OP, I hope this info will be useful for you too.
JulieVikmanis is offline  
Old Dec 18th, 2009, 04:12 PM
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Thanks for the information. I've firmed up our plan a bit.

We will land in Geneva early and be in Boltigen before noon. The train through Bern and the train through Gstaad both take a bout the same time, but I prefer the scenery going through Gstaad. We will stay in Boltigen four days; it is convenient to some runs around Jaun, Gstaad, and Gruyeres.

Then we will go to Brig for five days; it is near more than a few sled runs.

We'll then go to Sion for five days, for much the same reason.

I had intended to only visit Martigny, but it has some cultural attractions, and access to a good number of sled runs.

We will spend only three days in Vevey, as I want to see it, but it doesn't really seem to be a winter type of place, unless they have started making ice wine. Continental has moved their most direct flight, for us, to 0800, but there is a very early train that will get us there on time.

I asked my wife if she had ever sledded, and she said not since she was a child. I had sledded a lot when our kids were young, but just enough to show them how, then they were off on their own. Of course, in Cleveland hills are limited, but we do have one that is about 200 meters long; more if the lake is frozen. But I am used to the flexible flyer type of sled, which can be steered, to a degree. Apparently the Swiss sleds have wood runners, and I'm not sure how to steer them, but I'll ask when I rent one. We're debating now whether to rent a two seater, which I gather are not common, or two single seaters; I'm sure my wife can master one, since we will be doing everything we can to hold down the speed. My last worry is that we will find that we are too old to enjoy the sleds, but I think our itinerary has plenty of scenery to enjoy, even if we don't sled a lot. That, and its not really clear how you get up the hill; we're not good climbers, but I'm sure some of the runs have cable cars or lifts, but I can't recall ever seeing anyone lugging a sled on a lift.

We know where we will be staying in Boltigen, but I would welcome suggestions on the other places. When I was reading about Martigny it seemed very few hotels were in the city center; there were many that were too far out to walk.
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