Zinal at the head of Val d’Anniviers, canton Valais, at 1670 m.

Where to stay in Zinal

Stay in Zinal for the Sierre-Zinal race, the linked Grimentz-Zinal ski area and a village that sits at the true end of the road, below the Couronne Imperiale. For a Valais base that keeps cars out entirely instead, Zermatt is the alternative.

1670metres above sea level115km of pistes across the Grimentz-Zinal ski area, on 21 lifts31km of the Sierre-Zinal race, with 2200 m of ascent

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Photo: Christian David (Espandero), CC BY-SA 4.0

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Zinal at a glance

Why Zinal

Because the road stops here, at the foot of the Couronne Imperiale, the chain that carries the Weisshorn, the Matterhorn and the Dent Blanche. A stay built around the Sierre-Zinal race or the Grimentz-Zinal pistes puts you at the start or finish line without a further transfer, and the Zinal-Sorebois-Espace Weisshorn gondola climbs straight from the village to 2241 m.

Where to sleep

First stay or arriving by PostBus: Rue des Cinq 4000, the village spine, 200 to 300 m from the Zinal-Sorebois cable car. Arriving by car or motorhome: Montferrier, on the approach side near the Montferrier Nord parking. Sleeping on the mountain itself: the Cabane de Sorebois hut at the gondola’s middle station, reached only on foot or by lift, never by road.

Watch out

Zinal is not car-free: the road reaches the village, and parking is shared across more than 2800 spaces in Val d’Anniviers, but on the day of the Sierre-Zinal race, once the free parking at Mottec fills, the road into the village centre is filtered to residents, accredited people and shuttles only. If you plan to drive in around early August, check the parking situation first.

Zinal, before you book

Zinal sits at 1670 m at the true head of Val d’Anniviers, below the Couronne Imperiale, the chain that carries the Weisshorn, the Zinalrothorn, the Matterhorn and the Dent Blanche, and tourism has shaped the village for 150 years. The nearest railway station is Sierre, on the Simplon line, from where PostBus line 453 climbs through Vissoie to the village. A second route exists too: the Grimentz-Sorebois cable car crosses over from the neighbouring resort, without a road between the two.

Everything in Zinal fits along one compact street plan, and that decides where to sleep. Rue des Cinq 4000, named for the five 4000 m peaks seen from it, runs through the centre 200 to 300 m from the Zinal-Sorebois cable car, with restaurants and shops alongside. Montferrier sits on the approach side, near the road-in and the Montferrier Nord parking. Above both, reached only by the gondola or on foot, the Restaurant de Sorebois and the Cabane de Sorebois hut stand at 2440 m, at the middle station.

The hotels cluster within a few hundred metres of one another. Le Besso opened in 1893 as the Hotel du Besso and keeps 11 rooms; Hotel Europe has 34 rooms, 14 of them for families, and its sauna, steam room and jacuzzi underwent renovation through 30 May 2026. La Pointe de Zinal offers 18 renovated rooms 200 m from the lifts, and the Pension de la Poste, on the Montferrier side, has been run by the same family for three generations.

The Grimentz-Zinal ski area covers 115 km of pistes between 1570 m and 2900 m, and the same lifts carry walkers and mountain bikers in summer up to Espace Weisshorn at 2241 m. The Sierre-Zinal mountain race, 31 km with 2200 m of ascent, finishes in the village each summer; the 2027, 54th edition falls on Saturday 7 August. To get here, ride the train to Sierre, then PostBus line 453 through Vissoie; no operator publishes the exact minutes for that last leg.

Summer or winter?

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Summer in Zinal

Where to stay this season

In summer, the same gondola that serves skiers carries walkers and bikers up towards Espace Weisshorn, so a base on Rue des Cinq 4000 or Montferrier reaches it equally on foot. For a night above the village, the Cabane de Sorebois hut sits at the middle station, reached only by lift or on foot.

12 km

Hiking at altitude in Zinal, about 5 hours

2241 m

Espace Weisshorn, the gondola’s top station area

2440 m

Restaurant de Sorebois and the Cabane de Sorebois hut

Sources: valdanniviers.ch and bike-grimentz-zinal.ch, checked 16 September 2026.

4 hotels in Zinal, from budget to top end

Budget

Hotel Le Besso

Rue des Cinq 4000 · 2 stars

From

CHF 152/ night

Summer average CHF 150

Le Besso opened in 1893 as the Hotel du Besso, built by Benoit Crettaz, and keeps 11 rooms on Rue des Cinq 4000, 300 m from the Zinal-Sorebois cable car. It shares its reception with the sister property Le Trift next door.

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Budget

Hotel Europe

Rue des Cinq 4000

From

CHF 179/ night

Summer average CHF 180

Hotel Europe stands at Rue des Cinq 4000 20, 300 m from the Zinal-Sorebois cable car, with 34 rooms including 14 for families. Its sauna, steam room and jacuzzi were renovated through 30 May 2026.

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Budget

Hotel La Pointe de Zinal

Rue des Cinq 4000

From

CHF 161/ night

Summer average CHF 160

La Pointe de Zinal offers 18 renovated rooms, five of them family rooms, at Rue des Cinq 4000 15, 200 m from the lifts. Its most recent winter season opened on 22 November, and its summer season on 13 June 2026.

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Pension de la Poste

Montferrier

No price collected on our sample dates

Pension de la Poste, at Montferrier 29, has been run by the same family for three generations. Its own restaurant changes its menu with the seasons, and its position puts it closest to the road-in and the car parks.

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Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 2 winter dates and 1 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

Rue des Cinq 4000

The village spine, closest to the Sorebois cable car

This is the street that anchors the village: the spine, named for the five 4000 m peaks it faces, and the shortest walk to the cable car up to the ski area and to the gondola towards Espace Weisshorn. Le Besso, Europe and La Pointe de Zinal all sit here, each within 200 to 300 m of the lifts. Choose it for convenience over quiet; the trade-off is Montferrier’s closer parking, on the other side of the village.

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Montferrier

The approach side, towards the road-in and the parking

Montferrier is the side you reach first coming in by road, and where the Pension de la Poste, run by the same family for three generations, sits close to the car park and the motorhome pitch. It suits arrivals by car more than by PostBus, and it is a short walk rather than a doorstep away from the cable car on Rue des Cinq 4000.

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Sorebois mountainside

On the mountain, reached by cable car or on foot, not by road

This is not a hotel sector but a mountain one: the Cabane de Sorebois hut and the Restaurant de Sorebois share the gondola’s middle station at 2440 m, above both Rue des Cinq 4000 and Montferrier. It suits a night spent above the village rather than in it, and the road never reaches it; the gondola or your own legs are the only way up.

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What to do in Zinal

Zinal keeps its activities close: a walk at altitude, two lifts that open the high mountain, and two tables reached only by cable car or on foot. These are the ones grounded in what Val d’Anniviers Tourisme and the lift operators publish.

On foot

Two ways up from the village

Hiking at altitude in Zinal12 km · 5 h · 950 m up, 950 m down
Graded for a good walker, this route climbs past a mountain lake among alpine pastures to a small summit overlooking the village, then returns the same amount of height it gained.
Zinal, route no. 4To Sorebois · about 2 hours
The tourist office gives two options: ride the cable car up and walk down, easy and recommended for families, or climb up on foot through forest and pasture below the cable car line, at medium difficulty.

Up the mountain

Two cable cars above the village

Zinal-Sorebois-Espace Weisshorn2020 · 10-person cabins · 2241 m
Built in 2020, this detachable gondola replaced a 1966 cableway that carried 70 people at a time, and raised capacity to 1800 people an hour up to the Espace Weisshorn area at 2241 m.
Grimentz-SoreboisSince 2014 · about 3 km · about 7 minutes
Running since January 2014 and described by Valais Wallis Promotion as the third-longest cable car route in Switzerland, it links Grimentz village directly to Corne de Sorebois, above Zinal.

Where to eat

A mountain table and a village dining room

Restaurant de Sorebois2440 m · Le Montagnard, 12:00 to 14:30
At the gondola’s middle station, the table-service Le Montagnard serves local specialities from 12:00 to 14:30, booking recommended, while the self-service Le Buffet, open in winter only, adds family dishes and a children’s menu.
Pension de la PosteMontferrier · three generations
Run by the same family for three generations, the Pension de la Poste changes its restaurant menu with the seasons, down in the village rather than up at the lifts.

Times, altitudes and figures come from Val d’Anniviers Tourisme, the lift operators and Valais Wallis Promotion, 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 Zinal.

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

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Getting to a road-end village

By train and PostBus

The nearest railway station is Sierre, on the Simplon line. From there, PostBus line 453 climbs through Vissoie to Zinal; a summer shuttle, line 455, also links Zinal, Grimentz and Moiry on weekends year-round and daily from June to October. No official page publishes the exact number of minutes for the Sierre to Zinal leg, so build in extra time when you plan a connection.

Parking and motorhomes

More than 2800 parking spaces are spread across the villages and resorts of Val d’Anniviers, and a year-round motorhome pitch with electricity, water and a grey-water dump sits at Parking Montferrier Nord, on the approach side of Zinal. Drive in with the expectation of parking at the edge of the village rather than at your hotel door.

Race-day access

Free parking for the Sierre-Zinal race sits at Mottec, downhill from the village. Once those spaces fill, on the day of the race, the road into Zinal’s centre is filtered to residents, accredited people and shuttles only, so a visit that coincides with the race, held each summer on the eve of the second Sunday of August, needs a different plan for getting in.

Over the mountain from Grimentz

The Grimentz-Sorebois cable car, running since January 2014, covers about 3 km in around 7 minutes, and connects at Sorebois to the Zinal-Sorebois-Espace Weisshorn gondola down into the village. It is a way to reach Zinal, or to leave it, without ever using the road.

Driving on from Zinal? 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 reach Zinal by train?

Not directly. The nearest railway station is Sierre, on the Simplon line, and from there PostBus line 453 continues through Vissoie to Zinal. Tourist pages for the area do not publish the exact journey time, so plan a comfortable margin for the connection.

Is Zinal car-free?

No. The village is reached by road and has public and motorhome parking, so cars are the normal way in. Access is only filtered to residents, accredited people and shuttles on the day of the Sierre-Zinal race, once the free parking at Mottec fills up.

How big is the Grimentz-Zinal ski area?

The linked area totals 115 km of pistes, 48 of them marked, between 1570 m and 2900 m, on 21 lift installations across two sectors, Bendolla on the Grimentz side and Sorebois on the Zinal side.

What is the Sierre-Zinal race?

It is a 31 km mountain race with 2200 m of ascent, run from Sierre to Zinal each year, known locally as "la course des cinq 4000." It runs on the eve of the second Sunday of August, and the 2027 edition, the 54th, falls on Saturday 7 August 2027.

Can you reach Zinal from Grimentz without a car?

Yes. The Grimentz-Sorebois cable car, in service since January 2014 and about 7 minutes long, connects at Sorebois to the Zinal-Sorebois-Espace Weisshorn gondola, which continues down into Zinal, both part of the same lift network and neither touching a road.

Nearby destinations

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