Valais

Valais is a beautiful canton that lies to the south of Switzerland that borders on France and Italy. It boasts some of the highest peaks of Switzerland like Dufourspitze Dom and Weisshorn. Valais is basically a transportation hub with 10 railways and an airport.

Valais is renowned for the Grande Dixence - the tallest gravity dam in the world. With this dam, its great hydroelectric system can produce electricity to about 25% of Switzerland. It concentrates mainly on livestock-raising and agriculture, and is famous for its wines. Its wine industry is the largest in Switzerland. Besides wine, there is a large aluminum manufacturing plant located in Valais, along with production of other metals and chemicals being produced in Visp and Sierre.

One of the most famous tourist attractions in the Swiss mountains is found in Matterhon, near Zermatt. This is a resort that offers winter sports. The mountain railways and cable cars support the tourist centers of Valais. And the scenic rail route that crosses the Furka Pass has its origin in Valais. Winter is the best time to visit Valais, where you find panoramic sceneries for viewing and tones of snow for skiing! Mountains here seem to touch the heavens, and the Rhone River flows like a ribbon of blue that is joined by many tributaries from the valleys. You find paths with breath-taking views, cross country ski trails and to run down the beautiful valleys, toboggans are used.

Most of the people in Valais are Roman Catholic, and speak French. There is a small airport found in Sion, which provides air transport. However, the main forms of transport in Valais are rail and road. Tourism greatly benefits with the rails and roads of Valais as there are extensive networks for both. You can find two major tunnels for rails at Lotschberg and Simplon; and for car transport, there is the road tunnel at the Grat St. Bernard. Most of the road passes of Valais are famous ones, like Grimsel Pass.

A visit to Valais promises winter sports, spas, wine and just the perfect place to relax and chill out! This is a place that will never fail in charming its tourists!