Sierre

Sierre is the self-proclaimed wine capital of Switzerland, a well-deserved title, given that it boasts a Museum of Vines and Wine and a wine trail linking it to neighbouring Salquenen, another wine-growing Mecca.

Sierre is the venue for the annual Vinea Wine Fair, which brings together more than 150 wine producers from all over Switzerland. Vinea started out in 1994 as a simple winegrowers meeting, and has since transformed Sierre into an open-air wine cellar lasting 3 days. It is also a centre of expertise that organises prestigious competitions such as the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse, the Mondial du Pinot Noir and the Mondial du Merlot.

During the rest of the year, a visit to Sierre would be inconceivable without a visit to the Castle of Villa, a superb 16th-century patrician residence that houses an incredible wine library of Valaisan vintages and part of the Valais Wine Museum.

Some of the town's old buildings are also worth a visit, including the House of Courten, where the Rainer Maria Rilke Foundation has set up a museum dedicated to the great Prague poet. Rilke spent the last years of his life close to Sierre, in the medieval tower of Muzot, in Veyras, which had been donated to him by a Swiss patron.

Just outside the town, the small lake of Géronde, with its almost phosphorescent colours, is a popular destination for walks and leisure activities during the summer months, with its large open-air swimming pool.