Trip Report: A Week in Valais/Wallis (Southern Switzerland)

Posted by History Traveler on 04/19/24 02:33 PM

Here's the trip report from the first segment our Switzerland trip. This series of trip reports is based on travel during April/May 2024

We relocated to Visp and the Valais (Willis) canton for our next week, visiting the town of Sion in transit. Sion is flanked by two hills -- one with a castle complex; the other a fortress/church. It was really hard to get a good perspective of them from the streets and parks, and our best view was by train on the way out of town. We joked that probably the best, BEST views were in 19th century lithograph engravings, before all the modern buildings went up. We still managed a few decent photos and a nice lunch at Alex restaurant -- headed by a sharp chef with a good eye for the classics.

It probably seems odd that having just left Lake Geneva, we returned again the next day. The reason was rooted in wanting to take a Belle Epoche cruise, which was only available on Sundays, the day after we left. So we headed back -- and gosh was it a good decision. The Belle Epoche ship was a thing of beauty, and we made reservations to eat in the dining room. If ever you wanted to feel like Hercule Poirot at the beginning of one of his adventures, treat yourself to this experience. Part of what made it is that we boarded in Bouveret, far from the madding crowd, and disembarked in Montreux. A short cruise, but enough to enjoy salads, wine, and tons of ambiance. Afterwards, the weather remained glorious, so we headed to Brig for a look at the Stockalper Palace -- a real stunner. Head over to the adjacent Schlossgarten for the best views and photos.

Next up we tackled the famed Glacier Express route from Visp to Disentis. Note the word "'route"! The regional trains cover all the same tracks as the expensive, tourist-thronged Glacier Express. We spread out in relative solitude with picnic feasts and the same amazing scenery as those who had ponied up a king's randsom. In Disentis we headed to the little gem of Sontga Gada church, with its frescoes from 1430 to 1460. The details within the Adoration of the Magi fresco are especially noteworthy. (Helpful hint: if you are interested in this site, disembark one stop earlier at Acla da Fontauna -- it will shorten things considerably.) In all, the Glacier Express route we took was nearly seven hours of train travel, which seemed daunting. But the time flew by, and it is such an iconic journey, we were glad to have traveled this significant segment.

With weather in the Valais Alps conspiring against us, we opted to use the direct service to sunny Domodossola for a day in Italy. For foodies, Domodossola has a new must-visit destination: Adhoc. Opened in 2023, this fine dining restaurant provided one of the best meals we've had in a long time. Michelin Guide watchers should definitely keep an eye on this place. They wowed us with the Gorgonzola macaroons amuse bouche and chef's take on red mullet is worth the trip all by itself! After lunch we continued to the very atmospheric medieval village of Vogogna, with cobblestone streets and a well-preserved castle. But Vogogna has another reason to visit for all anglers and fishermen -- Marco Barone has assembled an impressive store dedicated to fly-fishing. Barone makes not only his own flies, but his own rods as well, and his shop Barone Sport is a temple to his craft.

Posted by History Traveler OP

04/19/24 02:33 PM

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We "downshifted" a bit after a long run of major activities and excursions. Curious to see a classic Swiss ski village -- as we are not skiers (and not counting passing through Zermatt on the way to the Matterhorn) -- we used a local Postbus to head to Saas-Fee. Trains get all the glory in Switzerland, but the Postbuses are a wonderment too. Our trip up in the mountains seemed to defy the laws of physics as we journeyed through hairpin turns and across soaring bridges. As for Saas-Fee...it was...fine. It is in a beautiful setting and the streets were cute and clean. But it also seemed like one big money grab -- 4 CHF for the carafe of tap water? Really?! We were much happier focusing on a stop we'd spotted on the way up, where we could take in the beauty of Fellbachfall, a gorgeous waterfall. You can walk right up to it (bring your raincoat!) and admire the power of nature. This was much more our speed than Saas-Fee!

The next day we headed up to Bern to visit the very interesting Bern Historical Museum, which was showcasing an exhibit on the Bronze Age. While both this and the floor dedicated to Einstein were enjoyable, the most impressive part of the museum was actually the 20th century section on the top floor. It was hugely informative and features terrific designwork. For lunch, we found a homey Nepalese restaurant called Pokhara Nepali Kitchen which was tucked amongst the embassies. The food was outstanding. The region had seen snow for the past several days, so we thought some snowy photography might be in order. We picked the town of Kandersteg, and a picture-perfect snowy village awaited us. This was everything Saas-Fee was not, including sitting in a cozy cafe with normally-priced cappuccinos looking out on chalets, snow-flocked evergreens, and towering mountains. Kandersteg and Saanen (from the previous week) were just what we imaged when we conjured "Swiss Villages" in our minds.

For our final day in the Valais/Wallis canton we combined a couple previous themes. Having traveled through the Simplon Tunnel, both on this trip and previous ones, we thought it might be interesting to see the topography from above. Fortunately, there's a Postbus for that! We headed to the towns of Simplon Dorf and Gondo. Fun Fact: Although the Simplon Pass had been used for centuries, it was only in the 1600s that it became a major thoroughfare thanks to a pioneering salt merchant wonderfully named Kasper Stockalper. He's the same Stockalper that used his Simplon Pass fortune to build the palace in Brig. The bus ride was spectacular, and both towns were interesting. Gondo was especially moving because of the blank space created by the deadly 2000 landslide. Food was a little more hit or miss (emphasis on the miss), although I suspect Molinari Sempione in Simplon Dorf would have delivered the goods as we were turned away because there wasn't an empty seat in the place by 12:15. Their speciality is local smoked and cured meats. Otherwise, the day was more about absorbing the landscapes and history.

Back in Visp we checked out the small Friday evening farmer's market for any last-minute goodies. We really liked Visp as a Valais/Wallis hub, and enjoyed walking up and down the central corridor to Old Town, where we stayed. I'd definitely recommend Visp over Brig.

Click here for the next leg of the trip: Locarno and the Ticino Canton.