Sierre

Siders (French: Sierre), pleasantly situated on a number of hills and nestling among vineyards, is a small town in the Valais blessed with a great deal of sunshine. Wine-growing and cultural events are both of great importance here. Thanks to its central position, Siders is also an ideal starting point for lots of excursions.

Siders is advantageously positioned on the border between Upper and Lower Valais and on the language border between French and German. The Romans called it "the town of a hundred hills". On some of these hills, castles and fortresses were built and settlements grew up round about them. Today, these settlements have joined together to form the little town of Siders. At its heart are the richly decorated Town Hall and the picturesque Rue du Bourg, lined with historic houses and the parish church of Ste-Catherine.

Many artists have fallen in love with the location and culture of the town. Perhaps the most well-known of them was Rainer Maria Rilke, who was so enthusiastic about the town and its surroundings that he lived here from 1921 until he died in 1926. There is a museum dedicated to the German-speaking writer.

The area around Siders is one of Switzerland's most important wine-growing regions. The Fendant, made of the Chasselas grape, is the most famous product of the Valais. The equivalent for red wines is the Dôle from Pinot Noir grapes. If you take the Vineyard Trail, (which links the two sites of the Valais Wine and Vineyard Museum), you will learn more about the region's fine wines.

Over 640 selected Grand Crus from more than 102 vineyards are ready for winetasting in the Oenotheque at the Château de Villa. A raclette dinner and other specialties of the region perfectly complete a cozy evening.