5 fantastic day trips to give you the best of Valais

Make the idea of a marathon a lot more bearable by adding great food and great wine into the equation. Valais’ ‘marathon of flavours’ is a fun sporting challenge where participants jog or hike a seriously scenic 23km route from Sion to Salgesch, stopping along the way at five ‘culinary posts’. At each post you’ll sample local delicacies and taste local wines, made just metres from where you’re standing. It’s a relaxed and social event, with participants running and walking in groups, chatting as they travel. And when you cross the finish line in Salgesch you’ll be in a renowned wine village – so it’ll probably be time for another glass.

It’s not just humans that make the most of Valais. There are many wildlife parks that let visitors see some of the region’s most fantastic creatures in their natural habitat. Le Relais in Les Crosets allows guests to get up close to some of its inhabitants, including kangaroos, pygmy goats and peacocks. L’Arche des Crétillons is another great spot thanks to its location amid 40 hectares of lush, green meadows and more than 200 animals, including alpacas, sheep, ducks and pigs. And while it goes without saying that kids will love the wildlife parks, it’s safe to say that adults will have just as much fun there, too.

Valais boasts more than its fair share of vineyards, but make sure you tick-off Europe’s highest vineyard while you’re there. A great way to get every last drop of enjoyment out of your visit is to follow the well-trodden wine trail, which guides visitors up and up through gorgeous, winding greenery, finally arriving at Visperterminen, where you’ll be in need of a cold glass of Heida, made using the famous grape of the same name. There are lots of traditional restaurants around where you can refuel with traditional dishes, and if you want to work it all off afterwards, take a hike along the Bisse de Beitra, where you’ll find amazing views of the Bietschhorn and Matterhorn mountains.

Those who like to have options should head straight to this historic Alpine town. You can easily spend a day exploring the many charms of Brig itself, such the historic Old Town, great shopping on Bahnhofstrasse and the delightfully grandiose Stockalper Palace. But Brig is also the perfect base for all manner of excursions. Just a few kilometres away, for example, is the Jungfrau-Aletsch region, the first UNESCO-designated Alpine World Heritage Site, crowned by the sprawling Aletsch Glacier. Or you could navigate part of the dramatic and beautiful Simplon Pass that connects Switzerland with Italy, which begins just outside the town gates.

It may be known as ‘little Matterhorn’, but Klein Matterhorn is still, well, huge. And the only way to view it is by using the ‘Matterhorn glacier ride’, the world’s highest tri-cable cableway. The nine-minute journey whisks you smoothly up to Europe’s highest mountain station at 1,608 metres above-sea-level, where you’ll be able to gaze out at this snowy spectacle in all its glory from the highest panoramic platform in the Alps.