3 Best Sights in Valais, Switzerland

This striking modern glass building highlighting contemporary aboriginal and indigenous art is just down the hill from Crans-Montana, in the village of Lens on Lake Louché. Exhibits, which rotate twice a year, include such themes as surrealism and non-Western art, divisionism, and realism. The museum's restaurant, L'Opale, is also worth a stop for lunch or a drink.

The Fondation Pierre Gianadda rises in bold geometric shapes around the Roman ruins on which it is built. Recent retrospectives have spotlighted works by Turner and Jean Dubuffet. The Musée Gallo-Romain displays Celtic and Gallo-Roman relics excavated from a 1st-century temple—striking bronzes, statuary, pottery, and coins unearthed from a time when Celtic tribes ruled Switzerland. Descriptions are only in French and German. A marked path leads through the antique village, baths, drainage systems, and foundations to the fully restored 5,000-seat amphitheater, which dates from the 2nd century. In the gracefully landscaped garden surrounding the foundation, a wonderful Parc de Sculpture displays works by Rodin, Brancusi, Miró, Arman, Moore, Dubuffet, and Max Ernst. There's also a sizable Musée de l'Automobile, which contains some 50 antique cars, all in working order. They include an 1897 Benz, the Delaunay-Belleville of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and a handful of Swiss-made models. You may also spot posters for concerts by international classical stars such as Cecilia Bartoli or Itzhak Perlman—the space doubles as a concert hall.

One of the main reasons to visit the Musée d'Art, housed in the remains of two 12th-century castles, is to discover the work of Swiss artist Ernest Biéler (1863–1948). For three decades from around 1905, he painted life in Savièse, a community in the Sion district. The naive vibe of these scenes and portraits offers a glimpse into the Valais as it once was. The museum also features a small but intriguing collection of canvases, photography, and other works from the 18th century to today by international and local artists.