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Discover 2025’s destinations The 30 best countries, cities and regions to visit in 2025 Plan your trip with Elsewhere, by Lonely Planet See where a Lonely Planet Membership takes you Subscribe to our weekly newsletters to get the latest travel news, expert advice, and insider recommendations Explore the world with our detailed, insightful guidebooks Stay ahead of the curve with our guidebooks Uncover exciting new ways to explore iconic destinations Every month, we release new books into the wild Search Search Close search menu Explore Best in Travel 2024 Africa Close menu Countries Antarctica Antarctica Close menu Regions Asia Asia Close menu Countries Australia & the Pacific Australia & the Pacific Close menu Countries The Caribbean The Caribbean Close menu Countries Central America Central America Close menu Countries Europe Europe Close menu Countries Middle East Middle East Close menu Countries North America North America Close menu Countries South America South America Close menu Countries The canton of Valais has vertiginous peaks Vertiginous ravines, 4000m (13,100ft) peaks and an monumental glacier are Valais’ calling cards Anchored by the soaring pyramid of the Matterhorn in southwest Switzerland this canton abounds with Swiss icons – think ridiculously handsome mountains warm and gooey AOP Raclette de Valais cheese and slobbery St Bernard dogs This is where the world’s most storied little red train, the Glacier Express, pulls out of Zermatt on its mythical journey east through 91 tunnels and 291 bridges to St Moritz This is where ski fiends fly down moguls the size of small cars on Champéry’s “Mur Suisse” (Swiss Wall) and powder hounds carve the first tracks in Verbier to the west and across and the invisible Röstigraben (Switzerland’s linguistic divide) and where you can expect the ride of a lifetime – and one like no other Here are nine places you’ll want to add to your itinerary Valais, Switzerland is one of the best regions to visit next year. See our full list of Best in Travel 2025 winners Though it’s one of the most famous mountain views in the world, nothing prepares you for that first intoxicating glimpse of Zermatt’s emblematic peak which rises like a shark fin above the historic mountain town From the second you step off the train (Zermatt is car-free) looking repeatedly up toward the Matterhorn for a view of its hooked 4478m (14,690ft) summit without clouds swirling around it becomes an obsession this glittering Grand Tour favorite seduces pretty much everyone – from summertime walkers to style-conscious skiers families to couples on a romantic weekend – with exciting Alpine history There is no other place like it in the world Planning tip: Don’t leave town without riding three cable cars up to Klein Matterhorm (3883m / 12,740ft) – the 360-degree panorama of 14 glaciers and 30-plus peaks above 4000m (13,123ft) will blow your mind – or Europe’s highest cog-wheel railway to Gornergrat (3089m / 10,135ft) you probably won’t have heard of this disarmingly bewitching toy town While French-speaking Sion is wedged on the floor of the Rhône Valley its pair of châteaux – which have crowned two craggy hillocks since the 13th century – scream medieval drama Combine château visits (the town has four) with a wander around its tiny Vielle Ville (Old Town) and tastings of local white Fendant wine in old-school cafes evocative of la belle France Sion is also a brilliant base for unusual day hikes along Valais’ signature bisses – miniature canals ingeniously engineered from the 13th to 15th centuries to irrigate the steep Planning tip: Time your visit with the vendange in September, when grapes in vineyards around Sion are harvested, leaves blaze red, and chefs everywhere cook up chamois, venison and other seasonal game. Buy a Valais Wine Pass (Sfr49) at the Sion tourist office which will score you 10 glasses of wine at tasting cellars around the region Valais’ other world-renowned ski town, old-monied Verbier is small, expensive and cut at all the right angles to dazzle. This is where Europe’s glitterati come to cruise down slopes in the superlative 4 Vallées ski area then hobnob behind closed doors in VIP lounges But there’s another side to Verbier that attracts hard-core adrenaline junkies in droves. Free-riding here in knee-high powder is exceptional – and the thrills don’t end in summer, either. From June to October, grab a bike, helmet, wheels and body “armor” to burn rubber in the Verbier Bikepark It’s not for nothing that the competition track in the downhill mountain-bike park is called Tire’s Fire Planning tip: Not feeling it? Rent an e-bike or ditch the hard-core action altogether for a leisurely ride by cable car to Mont Fort (3300m / 10,827ft) hop aboard a canary-yellow Postbus in Grimentz for a tour of the side valley in this 1940s-era open-top vehicle Planning tip: Book glacier hikes (ages 10 and up) with the Aletsch Mountaineering Centre in Fiesch No mountaineering experience is required – just sure-footedness and a reasonable fitness level or for skiers on the mountain simply to feast on the mind-blowing glacier views which celebrate Switzerland’s slobbery and completely irresistible lovable St Bernard dog Sundays in March herald the start of the cow-fighting season when Valais’ prized Hérens cows lock horns in the traditional head-butting quest to be “queen” of the bovines which is dotted with educational panels about the pinot noir vines and wines they yield The trail can be walked in either direction with both ends roughly half a mile from Sierre or Salgesch train station Planning tip: To buy wine and lunch in style, end in Sierre at the Oenothèque wine cellar in Château de Villa, where you’ll find 630 different Valais wines and a restaurant cooking up a tasting of five local Raclette cheeses. 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