Mountain villages Crans and Montana

Crans Montana is a resort in the French speaking part of Switzerland, in the canton of Valais. The beautiful holiday resort is situated amid the Swiss Alps in the north of Rhone Valley. Crans and Montana are actually two villages. Due to their great location on a wooded sunny terrace and their success in attracting visitors, they are linked since the early sixties. The resort lies in a wonderful alpine landscape between tarns and ski slopes as far as an eye can see. It offers fantastic views over the Rhone Valley to the mountain peaks of the Matterhorn and the Mont Blanc. Crans is the more modern village of the two with many shops and luxury boutiques. In Montana are lots of old restaurants and bars.

Crans Montana is an attractive resort throughout the year. 28 lifts are working in the ski area of the resort. If you are tired of skiing or snowboarding, you can visit one of the four prestigious golf courses. Golf has a long tradition in Crans Montana. The first golf course opened in 1906. The golf courses have a fantastic location with a view to the mountain scenery. All the lifts and funiculars in the area are open the whole year through. So you can easily get to the higher situated peaks to have a picnic or enjoy the amazing view to the valley. Just below Crans Montana, in the Rhone Valley lie the two beautiful cities Sierre and Sion. Therefore Crans Montana is also called Crans sur Sierre.

Sion is the cantonal capital of Valais. Amid the historical city centre of Sion are two remarkable rocks. On one of the rocks, above the city of Sion are the impressing buildings of the castle and the dome Valeria, originated from the 12th century. On the other rock is the Tourbillon Castle, the farmer residence of the bishop of Sion.

Sierre is a picturesque Swiss town with two little country castles. The canton of Valais is a vine producing area and the castles are typical castles of vine producers. One of them is the Chateau de Villa and the other one the Chateau Mercier.

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