Sion’s old town beneath Château de Tourbillon and the Basilique de Valère, canton Valais, at 490 m.

Where to stay in Sion

Stay in Sion for a real cantonal capital: two medieval hills, Château de Tourbillon and the Basilique de Valère, rise straight above a working city with its own airport, its own Saturday market and the region’s largest wine commune. If a ski resort rather than a valley city is what you are after, Crans-Montana up the slope is the alternative.

490metres above sea level35000residents, the capital of Valais420hectares of vineyard, the second-largest wine commune in Valais

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Sion at a glance

Why Sion

Because two fortified hills rise straight out of a working cantonal capital rather than a resort village: Château de Tourbillon and the Basilique de Valère face each other above the old town, both free to enter and reached only on foot, with the region’s largest wine commune spread across the slopes below. That combination of city, castle and vineyard is what a stay here adds over a single-purpose base.

Where to sleep

First stay or want the Saturday market: the historic centre between Valère and Tourbillon. Arriving by train or on the A9: Grand-Champsec, next to the station. Staying longer and do not mind a car: the outskirts at Conthey or St-Léonard, outside the municipal boundary.

Watch out

Château de Tourbillon closes completely from 16 November to 14 March, and keeps shorter hours in spring and autumn even outside that closure. Sion Tourisme also does not publish train journey times on its own access page, pointing instead to the national timetable at cff.ch, so check that directly before you plan an arrival time.

Sion, before you book

Sion sits at 490 metres where the Rhone valley widens, the political and administrative capital of Valais and, by its own count, home to around 35,000 residents. You arrive by road on the A9 motorway, by train on the Simplon line between Lausanne and Brig, or by air through the city’s own regional airport, with Geneva and Milan as the nearest alternatives. Two fortified hills, not a single mountain, define the skyline the moment you step off the train.

Everything in Sion turns on those two hills. Château de Tourbillon and the Basilique de Valère face each other above the old town, and the historic centre between them, with its Saturday market, is the obvious base for a first stay. East of the centre, around Avenue de Grand-Champsec, sits the practical side of the city, close to the station and the A9. West and south, Conthey and St-Léonard hold a smaller set of addresses outside the municipal boundary itself.

The hotel choice spans that same divide. Family-run houses like Hotel Elite and Hotel Castel sit within a few minutes of the old town and the climb to Tourbillon, chain hotels cluster near the station for early departures, and two addresses further out, in Conthey and at St-Léonard between Sion and Sierre, trade a car or a bus ride for a quieter address away from the centre.

Sion runs on its own rhythm rather than a ski calendar: the municipality describes the Rhone valley here as the driest part of Switzerland, and the region’s ski areas at Anzère, Veysonnaz-Thyon and Nax are separate resorts reached by car. Château de Tourbillon keeps its longest hours from 1 May to 30 September and closes altogether from 16 November to 14 March, a useful marker for timing a visit around the old town.

Summer or winter?

Pick a season, or set your dates above: prices and advice follow.

Summer in Sion

Where to stay this season

Base yourself in the historic centre between Valère and Tourbillon: this is when Château de Tourbillon keeps its longest hours, the Basilique de Valère holds its summer organ concerts, and the open-air festival Sion sous les étoiles takes over the Plaine de Tourbillon below the castle.

10:00 → 18:00

Station and Grand-Champsec · 3 stars

From

CHF 148/ night

Summer average CHF 150

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sion stands at Avenue de Tourbillon 18, by the station forecourt, with 122 rooms. Despite the street name it is on the station side of Sion, a walk away from the castle that shares it.

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Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 1 winter dates and 2 summer dates, collected on September 20, 2026. They are indicative, the real price depends on your dates. Hotel facts come from each hotel’s own website. Some hotel links are affiliate links.

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Where to stay, area by area

Historic centre, between Valère and Tourbillon

The medieval core below the two hills

This is the side to choose for the castle and the Saturday market: the streets climb directly towards Tourbillon and Valère, and Sion’s medieval core sits underfoot. Hotel Elite and Hotel Castel both put you within a few minutes’ walk of the climb up the rock. The trade-off is the station and the A9, both a short distance away rather than at the door.

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Station and Grand-Champsec

East of the centre, by the station and the A9

The practical side of Sion, built around the station and the A9 motorway exit rather than the two hills. Three chain hotels, ibis, Moxy and Holiday Inn Express, sit within this district, useful for an early train or a short business stay. In exchange, the old town and the climb to Tourbillon are a walk away rather than on the doorstep.

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Outskirts, Conthey and St-Léonard

Outside the municipal boundary, west and east of the city

Two addresses outside Sion itself, one west at Conthey and one east towards Sierre, both listed by Sion Tourisme as part of the city’s accommodation even though neither sits inside the municipal boundary. Choose this side for a quieter setting or a stopover along the valley road, and plan on a car or a bus to reach the old town.

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What to do in Sion

Sion is not short of things to do, but a handful of places give a stay its shape: the two hills above the old town, a pair of walks through the vineyards, and a festival and a wine tour that are typical of the place. These are the ones named by the city and the tourist office, with the figures they publish.

Up the mountain

The two hills above the old town

Château de Tourbillonbuilt early 14th century · free entry
A fortified bishop’s residence built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries by Bishop Boniface de Challant, destroyed by fire in 1788. Entry is free, and the only way in is on foot up the rock, with no vehicle access.
Basilique de Valère11th to 13th century · organ from 1435
An 11th to 13th century fortified church on the hill facing Tourbillon, home to what is described as the world’s oldest playable organ, built in 1435, with summer organ concerts.

On foot

Two walks through the vineyards

Chemin du Vignoble, Sion to Venthônestage 3 · 450 to 800 m
Part of the cross-canton vineyard trail, running on the south-facing slopes of the Rhone valley between 450 m and 800 m, with Sion as a stage town on the route.
Bisse de Clavoz, Sion to Montorgeround trip · about 2 hours
A round trip of about two hours along one of the historic irrigation channels above the city, up to Montorge and back down into Sion.

Where to eat

Le Relais du Mont d’Orgenorth of Sion
Listed in the Sion Tourisme dining guide, north of the city on the Mont d’Orge slope above the vineyards.
Les IlesRoute des Berges 21
Listed in the Sion Tourisme dining guide at Route des Berges 21, by the Domaine des Iles leisure park.

Typical here

Two things typical of Sion

Sion sous les étoilesPlaine de Tourbillon · 14 to 17 July 2027
An open-air music festival on the Plaine de Tourbillon, next to the Tourbillon stadium, with over 400,000 attendees across its first 10 editions. The next edition runs 14 to 17 July 2027.
Sion Wine Tourguided · CHF 59 per person
A guided tour of the vineyards run by Sion Tourisme, priced at CHF 59 per person, through the terraces that make Sion the second-largest wine commune in Valais.

Places, hours and figures come from the Ville de Sion, Sion Tourisme, Château de Tourbillon and Sion sous les étoiles, checked 16 September 2026. We publish no ratings and no route descriptions: check conditions on the spot before you set off.

Found your area? Check what is still free in Sion.

Prices and availability change daily in the Alps, especially in July, August and over Christmas.

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What is open, month by month

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Château de Tourbillon	Closed	Closed	Partly closed	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Partly closed	Closed

Open

Partly closed

Closed

Château de Tourbillon: open 10:00 to 18:00 from 1 May to 30 September, 11:00 to 17:00 from 15 March to 30 April and from 1 October to 15 November, closed from 16 November to 14 March. Free entry throughout. Source: tourbillon.ch, checked 16 September 2026.

Getting around Sion, in practice

Free transit and parking, Friday to Saturday

Public transit and the municipal underground car park are free from Friday 17:00 to Saturday midnight, according to Sion Tourisme. Outside that window, ordinary fares and parking charges apply across the city.

No vehicle access to the castle

Château de Tourbillon is reached only on foot, up a signed path from the old town, with no vehicle access at any point. Factor in the climb when choosing a hotel if visiting the castle matters to your stay.

Two hotels sit outside town

Le Relais du Simplon, in Conthey, and Motel-Restaurant 13 Etoiles, in St-Léonard, are both listed by Sion Tourisme but sit outside the municipal boundary. Plan on a car or a bus link to reach the old town from either one.

By road, rail or air

Sion sits on the A9 motorway and on the Simplon rail line, and it has its own regional airport, with Geneva and Milan as the nearest alternatives. The tourist office also lists the historic Grand-St-Bernard and Simplon passes and the St-Maurice and Lötschberg tunnels as routes into the valley.

Driving on from Sion? Compare rental prices and check the vignette, the winter rules and the passes before you book.

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Frequently asked questions

Can you walk to the Château de Tourbillon?

Yes, and it is the only way in: a signed path climbs the rock from the old town, with no vehicle access at any point. Entry is free, with the longest hours running from 1 May to 30 September and the castle closed altogether from 16 November to 14 March.

Is Sion a ski resort?

No. Sion is the cantonal capital in the valley floor at 490 m, and Sion Tourisme publishes no lift pass or snow report of its own, so it works as a base for visiting the region rather than a station in itself. The regional ski areas at Anzère, Veysonnaz-Thyon and Nax are separate resorts, reached from Sion by car.

How do you get to Sion?

By train on the Simplon line between Lausanne and Brig, by car on the A9 motorway, or by air through Sion’s own regional airport, with Geneva and Milan as alternatives. Sion Tourisme’s own access page does not publish train journey times and instead points visitors to the national timetable at cff.ch.

Where do most hotels sit in Sion?

Sion Tourisme itself groups them into three areas: near the train station, near the historic centre, or on the outskirts at Conthey and St-Léonard. The outskirts hotels sit outside the municipal boundary, so a car or a bus is needed to reach the old town from there.

Is Sion a wine destination?

Sion is the second-largest wine commune in Valais, with 420 hectares of vineyard on its territory and a stage of the cross-canton Chemin du Vignoble trail. Sion Tourisme also runs its own guided Sion Wine Tour through the vineyards, priced at CHF 59 per person.

Nearby destinations

Compare the Valais bases →