Where We Be
Sion, Switzerland
The Chateau de Tourbillon, a ruined castle
on top of a hill, is a key landmark in Sion
Robin stands next to a sign advertising wine tasting along the Bisse de Clavau
Closeup of the ruins of the Chateau de Tourbillon
Here you can see both the Chateau de Tourbillon and the Chateau de Valere,
a fortified basilica. These two hilltop fortresses add a lot of drama to Sion’s skyline.
At the end of the hike we descended to the town
of St. Leonard and took the train back to Sion
The hike offered beautiful views of Sion and the Rhone Valley. Imagine
how much
time and effort it must have taken to build these stone terraces.
The Rhone River runs through the valley
We really enjoyed this hike! It was level and
easy, following the aqueduct most of the way.
These terraces seem even steeper than the
more famous Lavaux terraces near Lausanne
Sion is the capital of the canton of Valais and is
known for its sun-drenched vineyards and its
hilltop castle ruins. Our
main goal during our
one day here
was to hike the Bisse de Clavau,
a 2-hour one-way hike that takes you along a
beautiful stretch of the Chemin Vignoble wine
trail. First we had to hike uphill through Sion
itself, which gave us a chance to see the major
landmarks of the city.


At the trailhead, after a short climb, the trail
leveled out and we followed a 550-year-old
aqueduct running heavily with water in spring-

time. Because the aqueduct is only at a slight
gradient, the trail running next to it is a
lmost
level as well, leading to a very pleasant, easy
hike. We were high up the face of the terraced
vineyards, walking among
st them, but nearly
level the entire way. At the end we descended
to the town of St. Leonard, where we caught a
train heading to Sion – all of a 4-minute ride.