Rhône-Route

Arrival in the Goms, the wide valley of the young Rhone, with the remarkable, sunburnt wooden houses.

In this part of Switzerland, the Rhone is still called the Rotten. You ride through the sunny high valley towards Brig. In the evening you visit the World Nature Forum in the neigbouring village of Naters with information to the UNESCO World Heritage - Region Jungfrau-Aletsch.

The main valley in the Valais widens, sun warms the dry mountain slopes. Between Leuk and Sierre an unruly part of the Rhone, and the Pfynwald, a nature reserve on a huge mound of glacier detritus; this natural park marks also the borderline between german and french spaking Valais.

The capital Sion shows its historic castles, churches and mansions. The lower Rhonetal is dominated by the high-alpine scenery of the Dents du Midi. A world of fertile fruit orchards and vineyards.

From the heights, a round tower guards Martigny on its bend in the Rhone. At the valley’s narrowest point, St-Maurice guards golden church treasures. High mountains and lowlands, Lac Léman hidden behind reeds and defiant Schloss Chillon on the water.

Lac Léman, a small silver sea surrounded by snowy summits and vineyards, e.g. UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux. Along the shores: Vevey, Montreux, and the metropolis of Lausanne, «Olympia City» and nerve centre of the people of Vaud.

Above the terraced La Côte vineyards, below on the lake the market towns of Morges, Rolle, Nyon. Open shore becomes rarer, villas and yachts larger, soon cosmopolitan Geneva greets us with boulevards and its 140m-high water fountain «Jet d'eau».