From E-Biking adventures to Cheese Hangovers: Discover the Best of Valais, Switzerland
Send an Irish Mirror sports journalist into the world of travel writing, and you’ll get cheese hangovers, close encounters with cows, and e-biking through the Swiss Alps
It's not every day you get the chance to visit the picturesque mountain region of Valais, Switzerland. So when the opportunity arose, this sports writer swapped fields into travel writing.
The journey began with a flight on Swiss International Airlines, kindly organised by Switzerland Tourism. A fun perk of flying Swiss? The complimentary chocolate, which, much like the country’s flag, was a big plus.
Travelling solo, with my UK counterparts arriving the next day, I faced the daunting task of catching four trains and a bus to reach Veysonnaz in Valais. Adding to the challenge, my mobile provider does not include Switzerland in its data plan. Cold Turkey it was. Thankfully Fran Lambert from Switzerland Tourism gave me a detailed list of trains I could catch and assured me of the Swiss travel system’s efficiency. So off I went on my Swiss Travel Pass, a handy pass that gives you access to trains, buses and boats all around Switzerland and is a must-buy if you are thinking of travelling around the country.
Fran was right — the journey was surprisingly smooth. I arrived at Sion 40 minutes early before catching the last bus up to Veysonnaz where I arrived at the Hotel Chalet Royal, just in time for a quick evening meal in the accompanying Le Magrappé restaurant and heading to bed.
Arriving late the night before, the next morning I was greeted by stunning views. This is ski country in the winter and hiking country in the summer — and it was easy to see why. There is nothing quite like being up in the mountains.
With my fellow journalists and tour organiser arriving later that day, the local Veysonnaz Tourist Office kindly arranged some e-biking for me. This is where I met my tour guide Cameron, a contender for the world’s coolest person. A South African nomad, he has travelled the ski slopes of the world before settling in Switzerland with his wife, who he met on a flight from New Zealand to Doha. Valais normally has 300 days of sunshine a year — unfortunately, Cameron and I chose one of the wettest days of the year to e-bike through the mountains. Despite the cloudy conditions, stunning views were abundant. It wasn’t until the end of the tour, after stopping for food at Restaurant Les Chottes, that I remembered I was there as a travel writer and had not taken a single photo — a rookie error!
Later that day, my new English friends arrived, and after a quick meet-and-greet, we explored the nearby Yoga Path, one of the many walking trails, before returning to Restaurant Le Magrappé. I had never experienced fondue before, and it was exactly as advertised. A big bowl of melted cheese for dipping bread and vegetables. I was in my happy place.
There is no better way to recover from a cheese hangover than by hiking along one of Switzerland’s historic waterways known as Bisses. We headed to Nendaz, making a quick stop for lunch at Planchouet. While everyone else opted for the salad with local cheese, I went for the burger made from locally sourced beef (but more about them cows later).
Continuing along the Bisse Vieux, known for its artistic hand sculptures dotted along the route, we arrived at the busier town of Nendaz. Our group was staying at the newly opened Hotel Mad Mount where we were greeted with a beer upon arrival.
Throughout the walk that day, my fellow travel journalists hyped up the raclette we were set to enjoy that evening. I had no idea what a raclette was or what to expect. Picked up by our tour guides from ZigZago, we were driven to a nearby forest where all the local cows gathered. Yes, they all had the famous bells around their necks, and yes, I felt bad about eating one of their friends earlier that day.
Now it was time for the main event: the raclette. After setting up at a campfire I learned all you do is melt a very large wheel of cheese by a fire and scrape it over your plate. Simple but effective, it was possibly the highlight of the trip.
Waking up to another cheese hangover, it was time for more e-biking. Tour guide Romaine was equally as cool as my previous guide, Cameron, and runs his own company called On Ya Bike. We explored the scenic mountain region of Valais before stopping at the very Himalayan looking village of Clèbes. It is here that I tried croût for the first time — a delightful mix of bread, cheese, egg, and mushrooms. The greasy treat was so filling that nearly all of us were getting sleepy on our e-bikes during the ride back. A glutton for punishment, I convinced Romaine to take me out for more solo biking and he truly humbled me on some of the wild mountain biking tracks Nendaz had to offer.
After checking out the hotel spa, it was time for one final meal at the nearby Le Grenier, where our table was split between local steak (sorry again to the cows) and more raclette. As my trip to Switzerland was coming to an end, I waved goodbye to my brief stint as a travel writer but there was still one more activity in store. We used our travel passes to catch a bus to visit the vineyards and tourist centre of the Celliers de Sion.
With a flight to catch, I squeezed in some early-ish morning wine tasting before making my way back to Zurich (this time I only needed to catch two trains!) before being whisked back to Dublin after a trip I’ll never forget.
Switzerland Information and Tour recommendations
- NENDAZ-VEYSONNAZ For more information on Nendaz-Veysonnaz, visit nendaz.ch / veysonnaz.ch
- CELLIERS DE SION For more information on the Celliers de Sion, visit celliers.ch
- TRAVEL SWITZERLAND Travel Switzerland offers international visitors to Switzerland unlimited travel on consecutive days across the rail, bus and boat network, plus scenic routes (seat reservation fees apply) and local trams and buses in around 90 towns and cities. It also includes the Swiss Museum Pass, which grants free entry to 500 museums and exhibitions. Prices start from £229/€268 for a three-day second-class ticket. www.switzerland.com/travel
- SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES (SWISS) SWISS connects Switzerland with the world, operating regular flights from Dublin to Zurich and Geneva and twice weekly flights from Cork to Zurich. One-way fares start from €35 to Zurich and from €45 to Geneva, and include all taxes, fees and surcharges, one piece of checked luggage weighing up to 23kg and one piece of hand luggage. See swiss.com
- MORE INFO For further information about Valais and travel to Switzerland, visit www.myswitzerland.com
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