Hiking by the Vièze River, Switzerland

The VIÈZE River is a just 22 kilometers long tributary of the River Rhône. Despite its size, it was still a devastating river in the 16th-18th century with massive floods around Monthey until it was channeled. From Champéry, in the western part of the Canton Wallis, there is a 4 kilometers roundtrip hike of which about half of it is along the Vièze River.

After a steep downhill part, and passing an old stone bridge, the road follows the Vièze River, passing a fish farm with a cozy restaurant, Chez Rosalie, with outdoor serving on the terrace. You can catch your own fish there and if you do not bring your own fishing rod, you can hire one! You only pay for the trout(s) you catch, and if you do not want to bring it home, you can eat the fish on the spot 🙂 This is a great activity, for kids as well as grown-ups.

After a good lunch, sitting and enjoying seeing the hectic activities around the ponds  and the horseback riding, we continued along the river, passing small rushing waterfalls and eventually passing another bridge before the steep ascent back to Champéry.

We stayed at the most wonderful little hotel in the middle of Champéry, the National Resort & Spa – a great experience, delicious breakfast, and impeccable friendly service throughout our stay. Most of the rooms have fantastic views over the valley, to some of the highest mountains in the area, and to the Galerie Défago (more about that hike in a later post). You can see the view from our room at one of the pictures.