Hilking next week in Martigny, Valais/Wallis

Hello there,
I'm going to Schwizerland next week for a 2-day hike with two friends of mine (thursday-friday).

We arrive in Geneva, and have asked a bit around, and people seem to agree that Wallis is the most beautiful and interesting place to hike in the western part of Swizerland.

We have no previous experience witrh hiking, but from researching the internet we have tentatively decided to take the train from Geneva to Martigny and try and find some interesting hikes in that western part of the Wallis.

So my question is:

Do you have any recommendations - both for routes and places to stay?
Wold be nice to hike out to a place we can stay for the night and then go back to a city with a trainstation next day.

And also: is there an online guide for hiking novices? All we know now is that we need to bring good walking shoes and water (but how much?) - is it necessary with a map and a compas? and what else is essential?

All advice is very appreciated,
Lasse

ps. all three of us are around 30y old and in good physical shape.

pps. If you disagree on the choice of Martigny, then we are also open for other locations, as long as they are not too many hours away from Geneva.

Hi Lasse,

Wallis is a hikers paradise with a lot of sun hours per day (on average), so it's definitely a good choice. I'm not sure if Martigny is better or worse than any of the other towns in the Rhone valley. Most of these towns offer train/post car connections up into the mountains or into the side valleys. I can't recommend specific routes, but there are plenty to choose from! You really need to buy yourself a good map scaled 1:50,000 or 1:25,000. I prefer the ones which do not only show all the trails but also have the main trails marked with a red line. These maps usually have a yellow cover and can be purchased at local book shops, tourist offices and supermarkets. Such a map makes it much easier to search for trails that seem suitable. As you are no experienced hikers, I would recommend not to select trails at over 2,500 m as these can be more difficult and can still be covered in snow. The local tourist office can provide suggestions as well.

It might be a good idea to start or end your hike at one of the smaller rail stations in the mountains, so that you can enjoy the train ride as well. Examples are Verbier and Orsières. A town to spend the night could be Bourg-Saint-Pierre, at the end of the Entremont valley. I have not personally been there, so may be someone else can provide some details or other ideas.

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