Transportation in Wallis

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Travelling in Wallis
Summary

Travelling in Wallis

Generally spoken, the public transport companies in Wallis co-operate very well. Because of that you will not even notice that you are dealing with a number of different companies. The most important transport companies in this region are the federal railways SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen), the regional railway company BLS (Lötschbergbahn) and the narrow gauge railway company Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. Below you will find a map showing the most important railway connections in Wallis. You can click on the map to view a larger version.

The major railways and stations in Wallis. Click on the map for a larger view.

A narrow gauge train on its way from Täsch to Zermatt.

The most important road follows the flow of the river Rhône. It is a dual carriage way between the Furkapass near Oberwald and Sierre. There's a highway between Sierre and the Lake of Geneva. From this main route several smaller roads lead you far into the side-valleys. The same can be said for the railway connections. You can use express trains in the Rhône valley west of Brig, and on the sections Brig - Bernese Oberland and Brig - Italy. Narrow gauge railways have been built in other areas, often combined with cog railways because of the steep slopes. These connections are significantly slower, but this is well paid-off by the beautiful views on the way. A car trip in these areas usually takes more time as well.

The public transportation is of such quality, that it is often possible not to use your car during your holidays. In a number of cases public transportation is the only way to reach your destination. Places like Zermatt, Riederalp and Bettmeralp cannot be reached by car. Frequent train or gondola services are available here. There are not always frequent services though. This mainly goes for the less densely populated side vallies of the Rhône valley and for small villages. If you need to change on your way, it may be worth knowing in advance how much time this will take. Many hikes start at the mountain station of a gondola. In that case you can park your car at the valley station. If you are not making a perambulation, you will also have to use public transport to get back to your car. Transportation during your holidays will therefore often be a combination of your car and public transport.

Buying train tickets for every single trip may be rather expensive. Therefore we advise you to estimate the number of journeys and places you want to visit in advance. Often a season-ticket will limit the costs. For travelling in eastern Wallis the Adventure Card may be a good choice.

With a season-ticket like this you can cross the region for a day and visit a number of viewing points for a reasonable price. The Bernese Oberland can be reached via the Grimselpass in the very east of Wallis. A more obvious route is through Goppenstein and the Lötschberg tunnel, which is for trains only. If you like, you can put your car on the train in Goppenstein to have yourself transported to Kandersteg. More information about this subject is provided by the BLS. If you have travelled to the Bernese Oberland by train, you can choose for the beautiful route through Zweisimmen, Gstaad and Montreux, back to the western part of Wallis. For this kind of longer trips you will mostly need another ticket than the Regional-Pass. A good alternative is the Swiss Pass. It is advisable to know the possibilities of your season-ticket well, so that you will know whether a gondola or bus route will offer you free travelling or a discount, and in the latter case: which percentage. There are so many different European, Swiss and regional tickets, that even the personnel of the transport companies does not always know all the details.

The parking lot in Täsch for travellers to the car free town of Zermatt.

One way to reach Italy is through the Simplon-pass near Brig. The train uses a tunnel here, through which you can reach the city of Domodossola in a short period of time. This part of northern Italy is certainly worth paying a visit. If you want to travel to France, you can choose to do so through the passes Col de la Forclaz and Col des Montets. This road will take you to Chamonix, at the base of the Mont Blanc. Chamonix can also be reached by train from Martigny, through a spectacular narrow gauge railway.

A tip as a final word: check the timetable of gondolas if you depend on them for reaching the valley again after a hike. Most gondolas shut down at the end of the afternoon, some of them continue until late at night. Many gondolas and funiculars do not run in spring and fall, because of maintenance and the fact that there are less passengers. There may be maintenance in summer as well for some gondolas, resulting in limited or no services on that particular day.

Summary

• Not all towns can be reached by car. Examples are Zermatt, Riederalp, Bettmeralp and nearly all mountain stations of gondolas. If you travel by car, you have to use public transportation in some cases.
• The frequency of public transportation and the time to change trains is not optimal in all regions. Be informed about travelling times in advance.
• Buying a ticket for every journey will turn out rather expensive. Make sure you are informed about season-tickets.
• Gondolas mostly shut down at the end of the afternoon. Some of them continue until late at night. Many gondolas do not run in spring and fall and may temporarily be closed for maintenance in summer as well. Take this into account if you depend on a gondola to reach the valley on your way back after a hike.