Le Châtelard VS Funiculaire → Sion
1 connection via Martigny · 1 hr 18
From Valère, the Rhône valley opens below, while Tourbillon’s fire-scarred ruins crown the opposite hill.
The two fortress hills
The hill of Valère holds a fortified basilica and former chapter town; its church combines Romanesque and Gothic work and contains a playable organ dating to about 1390. Across the valley floor, Tourbillon Castle was built for the prince-bishops and left in ruins after a fire in 1788.
Old town below
Between the hills, the medieval centre includes the Witches’ Tower, a surviving piece of the old enceinte, and Notre-Dame du Glarier Cathedral. The compact streets open onto vineyards and views of the Rhône Valley, where the town grew as an episcopal seat.