Valais Walking Holiday
- 6 Days
- From £1,299
- Switzerland
- Enjoy a true getaway with a 3-night stay off the beaten track in Belalp
- Choose walking routes to suit your mood and requirements with the help of the hotel staff
- Stop for nights in Basel and Brig to break your journeys there and back
- Holiday available May to October (subject to snow conditions)
- Adapt the route to suit your plans
- Add extra nights, destinations and/or tours
- Take the Glacier Express to Chur and pick up our Graubunden walking holiday
- Standard Class rail travel with seat reservations
- 2 nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast
- 2 nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast and dinner in Belalp
- Two packed lunches
- Hexpress transfer from cable car to hotel in both directions
- Detailed hiking notes and local maps
- Clearly-presented wallets for your rail tickets, hotel vouchers and other documentation
- All credit card surcharges and complimentary delivery of your travel documents
Suggested Itinerary
Catch a Eurostar this morning from London to Paris. When you arrive, it’s an easy connection by RER (rapid metro) to the Gare de Lyon where you’ll board the TGV Lyria service direct to Basel.
On arrival in Basel, check in for an overnight stay at the Hotel GAIA (or similar), just opposite the station. It’s a 10-minute stroll (or short tram journey) into the centre of town, where there are plenty of options for dinner this evening.
This morning, leave Basel aboard a train bound for Brig in the Swiss canton of Valais. Once you get here, you might like to enjoy some lunch in town before catching a PostBus for a 20-minute journey to Blatten. Once you reach your stop, disembark and catch the cable car up to the village of Belalp. The hotel is a lovely 25-minute stroll from the top cable car station but your luggage will be collected for you – and if you would prefer, you can catch the same transfer to the Hotel Belalp, surrounded by the Alpine peaks of the region.
Dinner at the hotel is included this evening.
A short but extremely rewarding hike to start your holiday begins by walking from the hotel back towards the cable car station but turning right at Bruchegg and climbing gently thereafter following signs for Tyndalldenkmal. Take in a beautiful mountain lake and then rejoin the path heading towards Tyndaldenkmall, with spectacular views offered in every direction. The Matterhorn can also be seen across the Rhone Valley to the south. The path continues to climb steadily towards the Tyndaldenkmall, where you can enjoy breathtaking views over the mightly Aletsch Glacier.
Perhaps enjoy your packed lunch here and then either follow the signs towards Aletschbord, arriving back at the hotel from above the small chapel, or head further upwards towards the Sparrhorn. Should you choose the latter, remember to retrace your steps back to Tyndalldenkmal and then head back to the hotel from there. Dinner this evening is included at the hotel.
After breakfast collect your packed lunch from Reception, head out again towards the cable car station but this time continue past it, dropping downhill slightly, passing the Hamilton Lodge on the left, then following the path to Foggenhorn. The path rises steeply, zig-zagging uphill for around 2 hours, before you reach the ridge. The views from the ridge all the way to the Foggenhorn summit are breathtaking along the entire route, with the Matterhorn clearly visible in the distance.
NOTE – the Foggenhorn hike requires a full day (6 hours including breaks) and a good level of fitness. Those preferring a gentle but equally scenic hike can alternatively head from the hotel directly to Nessel via the Foggenhornrundweg and from Nessel, return to Belalp either via the “Nessjeri” route, or head down to Blatten and return to Belalp using the cable car.
After breakfast, the Hexpress will leave the hotel at 10:00 and take you and your luggage back to the cable car station from where you head back to Brig via Blatten. Check in here for an overnight stay at the Ambassador Hotel (or similar) and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the end of your walking break. Alternatively, if you’d like to extend your holiday, you can take the world-famous Glacier Express from Brig to Chur and then pick up our Graubunden walking holiday. Get in touch for prices and details.
Make your way back to the station today and catch a train to Basel, where you pick up the high-speed service back to Paris and onwards under the English Channel to London via Eurostar.
Typical hotels on this itinerary
Basel
The Gaia is a family-run hotel with an historic façade and contemporary interior, located opposite the main SBB station. There are 86 non-smoking bedrooms, all with free Wi-Fi and a complimentary minibar. Guests can also make use of the hotel’s relaxing spa area and welcoming bar.
Belalp
With panoramic views of the Great Aletsch Glacier, the Rhone Valley and all the way to the Matterhorn, Hotel Belalp is majestically situated at 2,137 metres above sea level and at the heart of the Swiss Alps. The rustic-style rooms feature wooden furniture and floors and overlook the mountains. There is also a restaurant with an outdoor terrace (weather permitting).
Brig
This small, family-owned hotel enjoys a quiet and central location only 300 yards away from the train station in Brig. The hotel features an excellent restaurant serving French and Swiss specialities. The rooms combine a traditional ambience with modern comfort, and sound proof windows.
