ساير

May to October is the best time for the vineyards and walks. Summer is warm and dry. Autumn is the grape harvest. Winter is cool, and nearby ski resorts have snow. The Valais is one of the driest parts of Switzerland.

• The Wine Museum shows the history of winemaking in the Valais.
• Maison de Courten - Musée Rainer Maria Rilke is a museum in a historic house, about the poet.
• Lac de Geronde is a small lake east of the town, good for a walk or a swim.
• Monastère de Géronde is a small monastery on a rock above the lake.
• Château Mercier is a manor house in the town.
• The vineyard paths above the town have views of the valley.

• Walk the wine path through the vineyards.
• Taste local wine in a cellar.
• Visit the museum about the poet.
• Swim or walk at the lake.
• Ride the funicular to Crans-Montana.

• Sion has two castle hills and is about 10 minutes away by train.
• Crans-Montana is a ski and golf resort reached by a funicular and bus.
• Leukerbad is a thermal spa village.
• Brig-Glis is further up the Rhone valley.
• The Val d'Anniviers is a side valley with villages and trails.

• Sion and Brig-Glis are the nearest towns on the Rhone line.
• Crans-Montana and Leukerbad are the nearest mountain resorts.

• By air: Geneva is about 2 hours away by train.
• By train: Sierre is on the main line along the Rhone valley. Check times on SBB.
• Trains from Lausanne take about 1 hour 15 minutes.

• The town centre is small and easy to walk.
• A funicular climbs from Sierre to Crans-Montana.
• Postal buses go to the side valleys.
• A wine path crosses the vineyards above the town.

• A car is not needed in the town centre.
• Parking in the centre is limited at busy times.
• A car helps for the side valleys.

Try Valais wines such as Fendant and the local red wines. Raclette and dried meat are local products. Many cellars offer tastings.

People speak French and German. English is widely understood.

• Sierre is very safe.
• Summer can be hot and dry.
• Vineyard paths are steep and can be slippery.
• Tap water is safe to drink.

Sierre has been a wine town for centuries. Rilke lived in a tower at Muzot, near Sierre, in the 1920s. He wrote some of his best-known poems here.

The town grew in the 20th century with industry in the valley.

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