Plan your winter holidays now for wonderful experiences in Valais.

Dear journalists,

Winter officially begins on  21 December 2020, but our winter holiday season here begins well before. It is high time to start thinking about your next holiday on snow. In Valais, there is much more to this season than just skiing.  Pristine snow and blissful tranquillity promise countless different experiences for outdoor enthusiasts, while foodies can discover a mouth-watering range of local specialities. Families enjoy a wide variety of facilities and services tailored to their needs; culture lovers are spoilt for choice, while devotees of wellness are guaranteed pure relaxation. We also recommend you browse our press pack for winter 2020/21. Packed with useful information, it includes details of new developments and attractions, surprising facts about Valais, an inspiring variety of activity ideas, and portraits of some of the people who help make this such a fascinating region. Meet Géraldine Bestenheider-Patterson, for example – director of the Hôtel de l’Étrier, home of “La crèche de Bibi” – and Anne-Françoise & Claude Buchs, proprietors of the Grand Hôtel Bella Tola.

Would you like to find out more about Valais? Don’t hesitate to contact us: we would be delighted to provide you with further information or organise interviews.

Winter walking trails for outdoor enthusiasts

In Valais, you can enjoy many ways of exploring the region even without donning a pair of skis. For example, you can experience the Val d’Hérens in an original way on a walk through the traditional villages of La Sage and Villa. Along the route, 15 poems and watercolours by Francine Carrillo, a local artist and poet, add a touch of colour to your walk. Four holiday destinations – Saas-Fee, Zermatt, Visperterminen and the Lötschental valley – are offering around 10 new marked winter walking trails this winter.

Would you like to enjoy the fresh mountain air and glorious scenery of Valais for a few days? Join our “Winter Nature Experience” press trip from 8 to 12 March 2021 and explore the holiday destinations of Leukerbad and Brig-Simplon. Thermal spas, wine-tasting, Raclette and snowshoeing are all on the programme. Curious? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Delicious local specialities for foodies

If there is one season that lends itself to cooking delicious hot meals at home, it’s winter. From fondue with dried-meat crumble to Valais cordon bleu and the traditional savoury Tarte saviésanne, try our tasty recipes that showcase Valais produce.  These dishes are best enjoyed with a good local wine. We recommend the fine wines certified with the Valais brand, from Fendant and Petite Arvine to Cornalin and Humagne rouge: just take your pick. Cheers and Bon appétit!

Family treasure hunts

Set off in search of treasure with all the family! The Saas valley now also offers a winter treasure hunt, which allows participants to discover hidden faces of Saas-Fee and Saas-Grund in an original way. Pick up a treasure map and search for clues and solve puzzles as you follow a trail through the sparkling winter world of the family destination. Four treasure hunts are accessible year-round in Valais, along which visitors of all ages can explore the many different facets of water in the mountains: our “blue gold”.

Museums, exhibitions and galleries for culture lovers

Hotels perfect for “cocooning”

Imagine a cocoon of wellbeing in which the main activity is living for the moment: the sweet art of doing nothing. Certain hotels have all the ingredients that make them perfect for “cocooning”. This winter, the SchlossHotel in Zermatt is opening a spa offering treatments using CBD (cannabidiol) derived from the hemp plant. The first relaxation centre of its kind in Switzerland will allow guests to benefit from the calming, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects of CBD through different treatments as well as in its herbal sauna. The time has finally come: relax, let yourself be pampered, forget everyday stresses and find new energy in a tranquil setting.