[Summary]
Green... or white valley
Like the Lötschental valley, the Val d' Anniviers starts at the foot of the Rhone and the main road of the Valais (road 9) and goes south to Zinal. There is a rather classical valley landscape with lots of greenery and some small mountain towns. The Val lives above all at the rhythm of skiing in winter, the summer it is the hiking which takes over if you don't come too early. We were there in June, there was still snow beyond 2000m and most of the hiking routes were closed.
Travel date:
June 2016
Visit duration:
1 to 2 days
Access
The Val starts at the level of Sierre and extends to Zinal for about thirty kilometers, so the road is very short and it is possible to reach Zinal in less than an hour but this is obviously not very interesting. If you want to visit the area (for a day or more) the car will allow you to jump easily from one village to another but once you arrive in the village, you will have to find a parking space because these towns and villages are not designed to be used by car. Parking is as expensive as anywhere else except between seasons when parking is sometimes free. And yes, you don't dream of free parking in Switzerland!
The main town (or village), Saint-Luc, is halfway between. You will find a welcoming tourist office that will help you to find the best activity. The official website (below) dates from another era, so the best thing to do is to go there and find out about it at the tourist office.
Link
![Val d'Anniviers Saint Luc]()
Villages
It is on a beautiful sunny day with 30°C that we head towards Saint-Luc, the main village of Val d' Anniviers. The road that winds its way to Saint-Luc is really pretty, it turns all the time and we go up pretty fast around 2000m and at this time of the year (in June), we don't meet anyone. Saint-Luc is deserted, one has the impression of being in a ghost village, apartments are empty and most of the shops are closed. Saint-Luc acts as a gateway to most ski resorts, so in winter the village must be crowded with people. Our first priority is the car park, there is one right at the entrance of the village and a few meters from the tourist office.
Instead of going around in circles without knowing where to go, we go directly to the tourist office. It was a good idea because most of the hiking trails were still under the snow. So we don't have to drive for nothing. The lady at the tourist office advises us instead to take the paths that go around the village. These paths are accessible to all types of public, perfect for a short walk with a 3 year old child.
![Val d'Anniviers Saint Luc]()
As soon as you move away from the apartment areas, the village regains its authenticity. The streets are narrow and are lined with wooden chalets burnt by the sun. We descend towards the torrent of the Moulins which runs down the mountain through forests and pastures. The torrent is still lined with huge blocks of ice despite the temperature. Numerous paths make it possible to walk around the village alternating landscapes.
![Val d'Anniviers Saint Luc]()
Activities
If you decide to stay in the valley for more than a day, you can find something to do in summer or winter if you really like nature walks. This part of Switzerland is not very inhabited, so you won't find a lot of activities here apart from hiking and cycling.
In Saint-Luc, apart from skiing in winter, one of the main activities is the planet trail. This is an easy hiking trail located more than 2000m away which allows you to travel through the solar system through a beautiful mountain walk. Each planet in the solar system is represented with distances scaled to reflect the real distances between planets, accompanied by a scientific explanation that is understandable to children. It takes about 3 to 4 hours to make the whole route, but please check if the path is open before you go, we didn't have that chance because it was still snowy in the middle of June!
Link
[Hotels loc="Saint-Luc" city="-2553956"]
