Sion, Switzerland

Chateau Tourbillon

Chateau Valerie

Chateau Valerie

I came across Sion by mistake, but it was a good mistake! We thought that one of the settings in the very famous Twilight movie was shot here, so curiosity drove us to this quaint Swiss city.












When I think of Switzerland, I think of cities like Geneva, Bern and Lausanne, but the summer of 2011 took us to the city in the French side of Switzerland called Sion. .








From Germany to Sion, one has to traverse a series of autobahns leading to the border city of Bern on the Swiss side. Each car has to secure a sticker which indicates full payment for the use of the Swiss motorways upon reaching the Swiss/German border. It's also important to note here that Switzerland doesn't require a separate visa for visitors holding a Schengen visa. From Basel, the road took us to the capital of Switzerland, Bern.














In Bern, I started to realise how expensive Switzerland is. Set menus are way more expensive than the ones in Germany. But one thing is sure, this is a very prosperous country. It is shown in the cars parked along the main road. What did I like in Bern? The architecture is superb. I feel like going back to the old times.







From Bern. we drove several hundreds of kilometers until we reached the mountainous region of Sion. Snow-capped mountians greeted us They're everywhere! Snake-like autobahns are also very prominent in the area. So why did we go to Sion?

The castles Tourbillon and Valerie are the main reasons why we were in Sion. From our hotel, we could see Valerie castle on top of a hill. I though it was close from the hotel, but I was wrong.

The next morning, we crossed the autobahn and headed toward the center of Sion. From there, we embarked on a 3-hour trek (numbered trek) which was specially guided and prepared by the Tourism authority in Sion. All one need is a map which bears the route and a strong pair of legs (and of course, a good sense of direction).







First, we went through the narrow streets leading to the hill where the paths leading to the 2 castles divide. The left and rather steep path leads to Tourbillon Castle which is actually just a ruin of a majestic structure. From the top, one could see Sion and the adjacent villages including the distant villages and vineyards from the distant mountains.






The other castle however is a church. It's still operational and was actually undergoimg renovation during our visit. More tourists come to this castle because it's easier to reach.