In the centre of the glamorous resort of Zermatt lies Elsie’s Bar. Serving first class wines and champagnes and a small refined selection of international and Swiss delicacies, there is a great atmosphere in this small elegant bar which has the spirit of the 1920’s. A favourite destination of the jet set for decades, Elsie’s Bar serves fresh oysters, caviar and snails, foie gras and beef tartare...
Zermatt, like Verbier, is a popular mountain resort renowned for skiing, climbing and hiking. In less than 2 hours by car, you can drive from Verbier to Zermatt which is also in the canton of Valais and park in the large car park in Täsch before ascending to Zermatt by train. Zermatt is a pedestrianised resort where people walk, use small electric vehicles, cycle or travel by horse and carriage. The main...
Gstaad is one of the classiest ski resorts in the world, and frequented by the global elite who have been spending time in the resort since it was a small mountain village. In the centre of Gstaad on the promenade and built in 1823 is the charming Posthotel Rössli. The Posthotel Rössli first opened as a guesthouse in 1845 and it also served as the local post office. With the imposing Gstaad Palace...
Gstaad is easily accessible from Geneva Airport with a 2 hour drive or even better, by Swiss train. From Chalet Spa Verbier or Geneva, you can travel to Montreux and take the famous panoramic Golden pass train which transports you over mountains through tunnels and along valleys of snowy landscapes into the centre of Gstaad where you can easily transit to your accommodation. Gstaad town is at an...
Verbier has plenty of restaurants and cafés to enjoy, but sometimes a ‘cook-out’ on the mountain with a group of friends is a lot of fun too. For a small fee, you can rent Le Hatay Shelter from Verbier tourism which is equipped with tables and benches, 4 barbecues a cold water fountain and parking spaces. This shelter can accommodate up to 80 people so is ideal for family & friend trips and...
One of the most iconic peaks in central Valais, the Pierre Avoi reaches a height of 2,473 meters. Accessed by foot, you can take the Savoleyres ski lift to get a head start on the hike or walk from Verbier following the signs to Pierre Avoi up through the larch forests and steep pastures. The last section of the climb involves some scrambling over rocks, and the last few meters to the peak are climbed...
You don’t walk far in the mountains around Verbier at this time of year without hearing the distant call of Alpine Marmots. Living at heights of between 800 and 3,200 meters, marmots live in the Alpine meadows and sub-alpine grasslands, burrowing into the land up to 3m underground and in burrows of up to 20m long. The moment they sense danger they quickly disappear into their burrows for safety. Marmots...
At this time of year in the Valais, the mountains are full of the sound of cowbells and the most popular type are the Herens. In the middle of Spring, you see cows, newly released from Winter stables, yearning for a tussle. They push and shove each other and lock horns trying to establish who is the strongest of the herd. ‘La Reine des Reines’ or ‘the Queen of Queens’ is a traditional annual...
Biking in Verbier is exciting with well-marked trails for mountain bikes, e-bikes and road bikes. There are guided bike tours, gourmet bike tours, easy routes for families on flat terrain and some very steep downhill runs for the more advanced riders. There are 17kms of tracks, ramps and jumps and the Verbier Bike Park has firmly established the resort as one of the capitals of downhill cycling in...
One very beautiful element of the Valais mountain landscape are the bisses. These are ancient irrigation canals that channel water from the glaciers and alpine springs to the dry plains and vineyards below. Originally the Bisse de Levron guaranteed vital water for the people of Levron. Nowadays, the villagers have other water supplies from the nearby dam but the Bisse de Levron is maintained and...