Skip to main content
Kidora
🇫🇷 Français 🇬🇧 English
All activities

Explore by...

Regions 36 Cantons 7 Cities Categories 6 Seasons View map
Blog Associations
Valais central

Valais central

Sion, Sierre and the sunny balconies above the valley floor

Activities
69
Towns
25
Altitude
490 à 1600 m

Central Valais is the Rhône valley floor between Sion and Sierre, and above all the terraces that overlook it from both sides. Twenty minutes by car or postal bus takes you from the town at 500 metres up to Anzère, Crans-Montana or Nendaz at 1500. Families find an unusual density of things to do: the castles of Valère and Tourbillon standing over Sion, the adventure park at the Domaine des Îles, the Géronde baths beside their small lake in Sierre, the Parc à Marmota and the Pétoli Tour at Anzère, the big playgrounds at Ycoor and Etang-Long in Crans-Montana. It is also the sunniest region in Switzerland, which matters a great deal when you are booking a weekend well in advance and cannot afford to guess wrong about the sky.

Valais central

Family activities in Valais central

Everything to do with your kids in the region. Tell us the constraint of the day and we will show you what fits.

Illustration of the playground at Ycoor in Crans-Montana

Crans-Montana

Ycoor Playground: the large play area in the heart of the Crans-Montana resort

2-10 yrs Free
Illustration of the outdoor swimming pool in Vissoie in the Val d'Anniviers

Vissoie

Vissoie Swimming Pool: outdoor swimming in the heart of the Val d'Anniviers

0-18 yrs
Illustration of the indoor pool in Grône

Grône

Covered pool in Grône: swim with family all year round in the Val de Réchy

0-18 yrs Indoor
Illustration of the Chaëdoz pool in Nendaz, outdoor mountain swimming pool

Nendaz

Chaëdoz Pool: outdoor swimming with a view of the Alps in Nendaz

0-18 yrs
Illustration of the Sporting pool in Crans-Montana, outdoor pool facing the Alps

Crans-Montana

Swimming pool of Sporting de Crans-Montana: outdoor swimming for families

0-18 yrs
Illustration of the Sitterie swimming pool in Sion, outdoor pools

Sion

Outdoor swimming pool of Sitterie: the family swimming spot in Sion

0-18 yrs
Illustration of the playground at Etang-Long in Crans-Montana, by a mountain pond

Crans-Montana

Playground of Etang-Long: the large playground by the lake in Crans-Montana

3-12 yrs Free
Illustration of the Grand Bains d'Hérémence, outdoor thermal pool facing the Valais mountains.

Hérémence

Les Grands Bains d'Hérémence: a large thermal bath for families facing the mountains of the Val d'Hérens

4-18 yrs Indoor
Illustration of the Géronde Baths in Sierre, outdoor pools and slide

Sierre

Géronde Baths in Sierre: the pool by the Valais lake

0-18 yrs

1 / 1

Plan the family outing

Getting there, weather, ages, budget: the answers before you go.

Getting there

The Simplon line serves Sion and Sierre every half hour from Lausanne. From Sion station, postal buses climb to Anzère, to Nendaz and into the Val d'Hérens; from Sierre, they run to Vercorin, Chalais and the Val d'Anniviers. The Sierre to Montana funicular reaches the high terrace in twelve minutes. By car, the A9 exits at Conthey, Sion and Sierre cover the valley floor.

Good to know: the funicular from Sierre avoids the hairpins on the Crans-Montana road, which reliably make children queasy. The ticket often includes the resort buses.

With toddlers

The Tour des Cinq Étangs at Arbaz is entirely pushchair friendly and stays in the shade of the larches. The Pétoli Tour at Anzère follows an irrigation channel on an almost flat path. Up in the resorts, the Ycoor and Etang-Long playgrounds in Crans-Montana are free and generously sized. The Domaine des Îles in Sion combines water, lawns and shade.

From the valley to the balconies

Valère and Tourbillon are reached on foot from the centre of Sion; allow a good hour there and back from age five. The Géronde baths in Sierre remain the nicest swim on the valley floor. The Parc à Marmota at Anzère lets children feed marmots at very close range. The adventure park at the Domaine des Îles runs its treetop courses from about six years old, harness included. And when it rains, the indoor pool at Grône saves the afternoon all year round.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get up to Crans-Montana or Anzère without a car?
From Sierre station, the funicular reaches Montana in about twelve minutes and skips the hairpin road entirely. From Sion station, postal buses climb to Anzère in just under an hour. In both cases resort buses take over at the top, often included with the guest card.
Which walks work with a pushchair in central Valais?
The Tour des Cinq Étangs at Arbaz is the reference: a short, shaded, fully rollable loop. The Pétoli Tour at Anzère follows an irrigation channel on an almost flat path and suits an all-terrain pushchair. Down in the valley, the Domaine des Îles in Sion has wide paths and large lawns.
What is there to do in central Valais when it rains?
The indoor pool at Grône runs all year and is the simplest option with children. Cinemas also rescue the end of a day: Cinésion in Sion, the Casino and Le Bourg in Sierre, and the Cinécran in Crans-Montana. Several of these screens host the La Lanterne Magique film club for kids.

Keep exploring

By town, by reading, or by neighbouring region.

Towns and villages

Read before you go

Nearby regions

Did Kidora help you?

Join the Kidora community for free and receive our new discoveries directly in your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to receive our emails. Unsubscribe at any time.