Visp

Visp is a German-speaking town in the Swiss canton of Valais. It is located in the Rhone valley and is a major industrial centre in the region. Its location at the intersection of three train lines and a big bus interchange make it a gateway to many of the towns and resorts in the upper part of the Valais.

Understand
Visp used to be quite a backwater town, its main focus being the LONZA chemical plant, one of the biggest employers in the region. However, since the opening of the new Lötschberg base tunnel, it has become a major rail interchange. The railway station has been upgraded from an old-fashioned province station to a big modern railway station. The area around the station has been heavily developed, now offering a lot more facilities and shops than even 10 years ago. Despite its rather low population of around 7,500 inhabitants, it is a major urban centre in the region. So if you are travelling to one of the smaller mountain resorts, this will be your last chance at shopping at a big supermarket.

Virtually everyone travelling to one of the destinations in the region (including Saas-Fee and Zermatt), as well as people coming from Berne and Zurich travelling on to the lower Valais has to transit in Visp now. Most of the sights can be visited in a few hours and it may be interesting for a short stop on to the way to your final destination.

By train
Visp is a stop on the major train lines from Geneva and Zurich. The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (platforms 1 - 3) also stops here with trains towards Zermatt and Andermatt. If you are coming from Domodossola, Milan or any other Italian destination, you probably have to change train in Brig.

By bus
The bus terminal is directly in front of the railway station. Among others, buses connect to Saas-Fee.

By car
If you are driving, you will most probably be coming in via the main road (N9) which leads through the town centre. Be sure you follow the main road and don't take the bypass (Umfahrung). There are several car parks (mostly underground) around the town centre, notably at the two supermarkets (Migros and Coop) and the railway station.

By plane
While Visp doesn't have a passenger airport, it's about equidistant (by train) from four airports with flights from all over Europe and beyond. From Geneva, Zurich and Basel, take a train towards Brig. Visp is just before Brig, and for each of these the trip will take about 2 h 30 min. From Milan Malpensa Airport, take a bus to Domodossola, and from there it's a short train hop across the border to Visp, it will take about 2 h 15 min.

On foot
Visp is small enough that all areas of interest can be reached by foot. The old town is 15 minutes' walk from the railway station.

By bus
There are buses running through town (on their way to somewhere else), but frequencies are at best half-hourly. The only bus which is potentially useful, is the one in direction of Visperterminen, which stops at the hospital (Visp, Spital). This stop is very close to the old town and saves you the walk uphill.

See


There are several cultural heritage-listed buildings in town listed by the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance. Some include:









Sports and outdoors
There are many hiking trails, easy and difficult, to choose from. These trails take you around Visp itself and to nearby villages. Some trails are open for winter hiking also, and for snowshoe walking.








 * Skiing - nearby skiing areas include, , , , and.




 * Biking - you can explore the Upper Valais by bike from Visp. The canton of Valais operates a bike rental system named Wallis rollt which has multiple stations in the canton.


 * Fishing - the bodies of water in the region are good for fishing.

Food and drink

 * Wine tasting - there are many vineyards in the region offering wine tasting.


 * Learn cutting raclette, taught by a professional cutter. The local tourist office arranges these courses. Participants get a diploma and a glass of wine.

Culture






Buy
There are a couple of small shops in the railway station. A big Migros supermarket is right behind the bus interchange in front of the railway station, while a bigger Coop supermarket is located on the other side of the street, opposite Migros. Most of the other stores line the Bahnhofstrasse which runs from the railway station, crossing the main road all the way to the core of the old town.



Drink
Visp has little to offer in terms of night life. Being a rather small town, your options will be mostly limited to a number of pubs lining the Bahnhofstrasse.

Sleep
There is only a handful of options for staying in Visp. More choices are available in any of the many more touristy towns nearby.



Connect
Free wireless Internet connection is available at the railway station for 60 minutes (after which you'll have to wait 2 hours to get another 60 minutes).

Nearby

 * Raron Kirche RM Rilke.JPG town of is reachable by train in a couple minutes from Visp. It is notable for the following sights:
 * can be reached by bus in about 20 minutes from Visp. It is around 1 km from Raron. The main attractions of this small village are the, consisting of several medieval buildings, including the church as well as the overlooking the village. The castle was mostly build out of tuff.
 * is a village above Visp. It is reachable by bus from the main station in Visp. Other than the view on the Rhone valley and the Visp valley it has the allegedly highest altitude vineyards in Europe. Whether this is true or not, the terraced vineyards with dry stone walls are an interesting sight.
 * can be reached by bus in about 20 minutes from Visp. It is around 1 km from Raron. The main attractions of this small village are the, consisting of several medieval buildings, including the church as well as the overlooking the village. The castle was mostly build out of tuff.
 * is a village above Visp. It is reachable by bus from the main station in Visp. Other than the view on the Rhone valley and the Visp valley it has the allegedly highest altitude vineyards in Europe. Whether this is true or not, the terraced vineyards with dry stone walls are an interesting sight.

Go next
As this is a regional transport node, there are plenty of interesting destinations to go to next:
 * The mountain resorts of Zermatt and Saas-Fee are reachable in about an hour from Visp via train (Zermatt) or bus (Saas-Fee). Go there for skiing in winter or hiking in summer.
 * If you are more into spa, head to Leukerbad. You will have to take the train to Leuk and take the bus from there.
 * Head northwards by train towards Berne or Zurich if you are missing a proper city after your stay in rural Valais.