Sion, castles and Valais wine cellars

As the valley widens beyond the Forclaz road, forty‑five minutes later you’re on Sion’s cobblestones, with the twin hills of Valère and Tourbillon staring each other down. Climb Valère’s 209 steps to glimpse its still‑playable medieval organ, trace Tourbillon’s ruined ramparts, then look back to the Notre‑Dame du Glarier Cathedral and the Planta square market below. Sion is the Valais capital, and you can read the House of Savoy’s footprint here layer by layer, from the 12th to the 15th century.

Then the vines call. Your driver meets you at your Verbier hotel in a Mercedes and adapts the route to your pace. He follows the coteaux road to Vétroz (15 min from Sion) or Sierre (25 min), while you tour a cellar and taste Fendant, Petite Arvine or Humagne Rouge without watching the alcohol limit. With a private chauffeur in Valais, it’s easy to add the Wine Museum in Sierre, a stop in Chamoson to see dry‑stone walls, and a relaxed return via the Moubra lake if the weather plays along.