Page 105 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland

The Lac des Dix framed
by alpine peaks and the
Grande Dixence dam

number of wine-tasting stops 11,962 ft); and to the south dam at VerticAlp Emosson on
along the way. The route con- climbs Mont Blanc de Cheilon the Swiss border, involving
nects the museum’s two parts. (3,870m/12,697 ft) and Pigne three types of funicular.
d’Arolla (3,796m/12,454 ft). Hikers can walk all the way
Wine Museum Sierre A cable car runs from the foot up to the permanent ice of
" ⌂ Château de Villa, 6 Rue of the dam, where there is a Trient Glacier and spend the
Ste-Catherine # Mar–Nov: restaurant, up to the lake. night in one of the Swiss
2–6pm Wed–Fri, 11am–6pm From here you can hike to the Alpine Club’s mountain huts
Sat & Sun ∑ museeduvin- Cabane des Dix, a mountain dotted across the terrain.
valais.ch refuge, walk around the lake Visitors can learn about
or take the six-hour hike to the animals that live – or
the small resort of Arolla. used to live – in the Alps
29 Val d’Hérémence joins the at the Zoo des Marécottes.
Wolves, ibex and black bears
Val d’Hérens (p106) at the
Barrage de la Grande small town of Héré mence. are all here, and there’s also
Dixence The town is a good base for the added attrac tion of a
skiing on the eastern slopes natural alpine swim ming pool.
! C6 @ Late Jun–mid-Oct of Mont Rouge, and also for
∑ grande-dixence.ch
hiking in the mountains. VerticAlp Emosson
The world’s highest gravity ⌂ Route du Châtelard 6,
dam and the greatest feat Le Châtelard # Mid-May–
of modern engineering in 30 Nov: 9am–5pm daily
Switzerland, this extraordi- ∑ verticalp-emosson.ch
nary hydro electric dam towers Trient Valley
285 m (935 ft) high, across the ! B6 £ @ n Rue de la Poste Zoo des Marécottes
River Dixence, at the head of 3, Martigny; www.vallee " ⌂ Les Marécottes Mon &
the Val d’Hérémence. dutrient-vallorcine.com Tue 10am–5pm, Wed–Sun
The Lac des Dix, the stretch 10am–7pm ∑ zoo-alpin.ch
of water that fills the valley Linking Martigny to Chamonix
above the dam, is surrounded in France over the narrow
by mountains. Rising to the Forclaz Pass, Trient is an
west is Rosa blanche (3,336 m/ almost forgotten valley of Did You Know?
10,945 ft); to the east soars tranquillity and pastoral life.
Les Aiguilles Rouges (3,646 m/ A rack-railway train, the “Mont One of the funi culars
Blanc Express”, carries pas- up the Trient Valley
sengers along the edge of to Emosson climbs
the valley, offering views car at an incline of
Sion, capital of the French- drivers will never see on the 87 per cent.
speaking Valais, dramatically road. Most spectacular is the
set amid rocky outcrops journey up to the lake and
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