Scenic Railways - Valais

Hello,

My family, wife, ( 2 children 10, 14, (eldest mentally disabled, can walk with help with support) and I are planning to stay in Sion at the begining of this October. We are using public transport to get to places and are happy to do so. Firstly are there any scenic railway trips/ Funicular ride we can take that are not far from where we are staying, I have read about the Chocolate Train is this too far to travel, and is it worth it?Secondly, could anyone suggest ' must see' places not too far ( 2hrs drive) from where we are staying Many many Thanks .

Hello jjchd,

Thanks for your post and welcome to MySwissAlps! Sion has a beautiful town center, so you can explore that when the weather is not that great. For other suggestions in the Valais region you can look here. Not all of those are close to Sion, but there's plenty within 2 hours of traveling.

The Chocolate Train is not an "official" scenic train ride, it's more focused on the cheese and chocolate factories and the town of Gruyères you will visit during the ride. It's quite a long day: first 45 minutes to reach Montreux where the train starts, then a full day of excursions, and finally 45 minutes back. If you are interested in the factories and the town it's certainly worth it. You can also visit one or more of the sites on your own by regular trains.

A really nice scenic trip is Sion to Brig, then change to the regional train that stops in Goppenstein and Kandersteg. Get off in Spiez, and change to Zweisimmen (Golden Pass route). There you change to Montreux and finally back to Sion.

There's also the Glacier Express, but it's only worth it if you're willing to spend 6 to 8 hours on board the train, spend the night in St. Moritz (terminal station) and travel back the next day, either via the same route or another one.

I'm not sure if you have looked into rail passes, but I'd recommend you do as soon as your plans are more or less fixed. It can save you a lot of money. All passes and help on selecting the right one can be found here: www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses.

Thank you Arno, the information you have kindly given me is greatly appreciated.

I feel that the Sion to Brig Scenic trip would suit us all better, its not as long and we can take our time visiting places enroute. I think we may visit the chocolate factory by ' normal train', instead of being always to a time. I am looking into the rail passes as you suggest, as we are coming in from Genieva airport and travelling through to Sion by train ( return the same route ten day later) , as previous message suggests we would also like to travel at least three of the days by train to get to various places. I'm wondering which train passes would we benefit from most? I have also been told about some thermal springs/baths not too far away which sound lovely for the children to visit possibly? Many Thanks

Hi jjchd,

The scenic route Arno suggested is not just the leg from Sion to Brig (that's actually the least scenic part), but the whole route proceeding to Spiez, Zweisimmen, etc. Just want to make sure you got that. The trip up to Rochers de Naye is also something you may want to consider.

A Swiss Flexi Pass may suit your plans, as it includes a few days of unlimited free traveling (perfect for the scenic trip), and a you will get discounted tickets on the other days (for short trips). Please see the link for how it works, prices, etc.

Here are some links to the thermal baths: www.thermalbad-wallis.ch, www.thermalp.ch, www.leukerbad-therme.ch.

Kind regards,

Annika