Canton Valais and the Swiss Alps

After 34.6 kilometers/21.5 miles of darkness and ear popping through the Lötschberg Base Tunnel – which, when it was originally completed, was the longest railway tunnel in the world – we popped out of the Swiss Alps in Raron in the canton of Valais. A quick transfer in the mountain village of Visp onto the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and it was up into the Matter Valley towards the resort town of Zermatt.

We didn’t actually stay in Zermatt, instead shacking up in the picturesque mountain village of Herbriggen, population 192. There are a handful of villages dotted through the Matter Valley below Zermatt, most of which are home to only a few hundred full time residents but all easily accessed by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn train system which runs up and down the valley every 30 minutes. (The train didn’t actually stop in Herbriggen by default, we had to press a special button in the train station or on the train to tell the driver to stop!) We were all blown away by Herbriggen as we disembarked the train: a collection of quaint wooden Swiss chalets with slate-tiled roofs and vegetable gardens in between each house, a beautiful church in the center of town, and the towering peaks of the Pennine Alps flanking the houses on each side. With a single hotel and solitary grocery store in the middle of town, it was the quintessential Swiss mountain village. Our apartment next to the church was a wonderful place to spend a few days, with stunning views of the Alps out each window and a playground next to the house where the kids spent hours enjoying the mountain air. Such a great location for Lilia and Max, they both loved being able to roam about town on their own during the afternoons following each day’s adventure. We could lean out the window with a glass of local Chasselas to beckon them inside for meals, almost guaranteed they’d hear us from wherever they were in the village. The mountains of the Alps on each side of the apartment were so dramatic that we had to lean down next to the windows inside to see the sky above the peaks.

Zermatt is the end of the line for the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Glacier Express rail systems, and was a short ride up the Matter Valley from our digs in Herbriggen. The exclusive resort town nestled in the Alps is a haven for outdoor sports and is famous for its huge ski area nestled below the striking peak of the Matterhorn. I commented earlier about the eye-opening cost of goods when we arrived in Zürich. Well, Zermatt took that to another level: we couldn’t believe the prices as we strolled around the car-free village and along the main Bahnhofstrasse, where a burger would have set us back a cool 35 francs (US$38/A$52) or wiener schnitzel in excess of 50 francs (US$54/A$74). Needless to say, we ended up cooking quite a few meals in our abode in Herbriggen during our time in Valais (which was actually a blessing, as Lisa was inspired by all the locals harvesting their potatoes before winter and whipped up an exceptional batch of potato leek soup for us all, perfect for the autumn mountain temperatures). We were also thanking a higher power for our Eurail passes whilst in Valais, as they allowed us unlimited travel on the train system in the Matter Valley. Without them, each 30 minute round trip between Zermatt and Herbriggen – which we completed four times – would have set us back 116 francs (US$125/A$172)!

Zermatt’s Bahnhofstrasse – the main drag that begins at the train station and extends up the Matter Valley toward the Matterhorn – was littered with high-end jewelry stores, fancy restaurants, an almost countless number of mountain outfitters and even a couple of helicopter taxi operators that piloted guests on rides through the Alps and around the Matterhorn. As a car-free town, the only way to get to Zermatt was on the train from one of the lower stations in the Matter Valley. And once there, travel was on foot, bicycle or in one of the handful of small electric taxis purpose-built for the narrow alleyways and streets of Zermatt. In spite of the prices, it was a beautiful place to explore, it’s no wonder it’s the place on which most North American ski resort towns are modeled.

Charles Kuonen Hängebrücke

We dodged some inclement autumn mountain weather during our first couple of days in Valais, so instead of heading up into the alpine on one of the cloudy days we took the train to Randa – the next town up the Matter Valley from Herbriggden – for a hike to the Charles Kuonen Hängebrücke. The suspension bridge is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, and on a clear day is visible from the Matterhron Gotthard Bahn train spanning a ravine almost 3000 vertical feet above the valley floor. The two mile/3.2 kilometer climb up to the bridge was incredibly steep in some spots, the grade in excess of 50% for some short stints. We were thankful for the cool temps and occasional misting rain as we climbed, it would have been crushing if the sun was beating on us. When the bridge finally came into view stretching perilously across a ravine with its other end masked by the clouds both kids said there’s no way they were going to walk on it. Lilia actually sat down on a rock and said she wasn’t going any further!

We stopped for lunch by the start of the suspension bridge, crossing our fingers that the clouds would part and we wouldn’t have to walk across into the mist without being able to see the ground or the other end of the almost 500 meter/1640 foot span. We waited and waited but to no avail, eventually traipsing across into the abyss. When we were in the middle we couldn’t see the ground or either end of the bridge, all we could hear was the churning of the river in the ravine hundreds of feet below. It was eerie to put it mildly. I am always up for some adrenaline, but I did not like it one bit. I actually had to convince myself to keep moving forward about a third of the way across, but put on a brave face in front of the kids, grit my teeth and kept moving. I think the worst part was when everyone’s footsteps hit the resonant frequency of the bridge and it started to bounce up and down as we walked. Nope.

Five minutes into our hike back down to Randa the fog in the forest began to clear so we turned ourselves around and climbed back up to the southern end of Charles Kuonen Hängebrücke to see it in all its glory. For whatever reason, no butterflies in my stomach or nervous anxiety traversing the span when I could see both ends and the floor of the ravine below. An impressive feat of engineering, at almost 500 meters/1640 feet long and 85 meters/280 feet above the river below at its highest point, with a capacity of 250 people (I would absolutely not want to be on there with 249 other souls!). Max, Lisa and I all went back across but once was enough for Lilia, there was no way she was stepping foot on the metal grate again!

The hike back down was quite a bit more mellow than the steep climb up, we had some stunning views of the Matter Valley and Bis Glacier above Randa through the forest when the clouds parted on occasion. Some impressive deer also flanked the trail at one spot, I think it was the biggest rack I’ve seen on the buck shadowing his herd of does. A memorable adventure, but something I definitely don’t need to do again unless it’s clear!

Zermatt to Zmutt

After our big climb toCharles Kuonen Hängebrücke and hike the day prior from Gornergrat to Zermatt, our adventure was a little less demanding on our last full day in Valais. Zmutt is a tiny village in its namesake valley on the northwestern flank of the Matterhorn, situated only a couple of miles from the main train station in Zermatt. We strolled along Zermatt’s Bahnhofstrasse and window shopped to begin our walk, quickly leaving the main town of Zermatt and crossing over a handful of picturesque mountain farms on our way up above the resort. We were lucky to cross paths with some very friendly black-nosed sheep on our way into the Zmutt Valley, we almost had to drag the kids away from them after spending some time amongst the flock in the shade. As with the cows in the mountain farms across the Alps, the sheep must have very close contact with their owners from birth as they were all tame and comfortable with the kids giving them a scratch. We had more incredible views of the Matterhorn – from the opposite side to the day prior – as we hiked up into the Zmutt Valley, such stunning vistas everywhere we looked.

Picture perfect Zmutt was our lunch stop and turnaround point for the day, where we ate our sandwiches in a pasture with stunning views of the Matter and Zmutt Valleys and glacier-covered peaks in the distance. Zmutt was like something out of a children’s book, with its handful of quaint slate-roofed wooden huts and two restaurants setup to feed hikers on their way up and down the Zmutt Valley. Lilia bought us all Lindt chocolate balls – a few flavors of which we’d never seen before – along the Bahnhofstrasse on the way back into Zermatt as a hiking reward, another great day exploring Valais.

We’d initially intended to spend time in the Swiss Alps around Interlaken, from where we could have explored the mountain areas of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. But the scarcity of accommodation for Interlaken when we wanted to visit coupled with the expense of getting around the Jungfrau Railways in the area – which were not included on our Eurail passes – made us look elsewhere. We’d had recommendations from a few friends to explore Valais and we’re so glad we did. A truly magic part of the world, such stunning natural features and amazing hiking all over the canton. Another spot to which we’d have no hesitation in returning one day.