Sion is famous for the Tourbillon Castle and Valère Basilica which are located on a hilltop in the city center. I went there on a sunny Saturday morning on the SBB train which passed through Laussane, Montreux, and Martigny. The journey takes about an hour and 45 minutes and goes around Lake Geneva.

Upon arriving I went straight to the Tourbillon Castle. After asking around how to reach the hilltop I found that the castle was closed (and would reopen later during the day) so I instead went to Valère Basilica, which was located on the opposite side of the hill.

The church was going through renovation work, and some parts were closed for tourists. It provided spectacular views of the city and the mountains.

Since the city is surrounded by mountains, there are numerous tourist attractions on the outskirts of the city. I decided to go to the Bisse Savièse Torrent-Neuf which is located in the commune of Savièse. It is located about 9 KMs away from Sion, however, it has an elevation of 1236 meters (with Sion having an elevation of only 520 meters).

I brought my folding bicycle with me but it proved to be futile against the steep elevation gain, so I had to drag it uphill which took around 2 hours (but the views were very pleasant). On my way to the bisse I passed through some villages and found a variety of cows with bells tied around their neck and a few rabbits.

Torrent-Neuf is a suspension bridge which was built during the mid-15th century for creating water channels to the city. The site is now restored and remains a popular tourist attraction.

I came back to the city before evening. From there I was to go to Vex, where I would be spending the night. This village is also located on a hilltop (on the opposite side of Savièse). Although its elevation is less (943 meters) compared to Savièse, it is about 7 KMs away from Sion, so the gain is much steeper. Again, it proved to be faster to walk rather than bike uphill. There was only one road which went to the village, but I found a small street which allowed me to cut through one turn. I reach to the hilltop during late evening, and went straight to the AirBnB I had booked. The room was very comforting after the long journey.

On the next morning, I went out to explore the village. The house tenants were taking their skis for waxing to prepare for the upcoming season. I first went to a Boulangerie and bought some croissants. There were numerous small farms in the village, and being on a hilltop it overlooked Sion and other surrounding places.

I found on Google Maps that there was a waterfall nearby, but I could not find it. I also found a castle, but there was no visible entrance.

The ride back to Sion was very fun, as can be imagined because of the abrupt elevation drop. To go down from the mountain took me no more than 15 minutes, which had taken me around 2 hours when going up. From there I caught my train back to Geneva.