St Maurice Attractions

St Maurice's 13th C. castle above the Rhône was built by the Savoyards and restored in the 16th C. It now houses a military museum.

To the north, above St Maurice (footpath from the bridge over the Rhône), is a stalactitic cave, the Grotte aux Fées, with a restaurant and a view of the town.

The triple-aisled parish church of St Sigismond (18th C.) has beautiful Baroque side altars.

In St Maurice the two-story Town Hall, the Haus de la Pierre with an arcade of three stories and the Haus de Bons date from the same period. Also of interest is the pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame-du-Scex.

From the Col de Bretaye a chairlift (12minutes; on foot 45minutes) ascends Grand Chamossaire (2,120 m/6,956ft), from where there is a famous panoramic view embracing the Bernese, Valais and Savoy Alps and Lake Geneva, and (summer only) a chairlift to the Lac Noir and the Chaux Ronde (2,027 m/6,651ft).

From Les Diablerets it is possible to continue over the Col du Pillon (1,546 m/5,072ft) to Gsteig, Gstaad and Saanen.

6km/4mi northwest of Bex is Monthey (428 m/1,404ft), a busy little town of 11,000 inhabitants with a medieval castle (rebuilt in the 16th and 18th C.; museum).

Leave St Maurice on road 9 (E 2), which runs north down the Rhône valley, and in 13km/8mi turns right into a steep and winding but very beautiful mountain road which comes in 3km/2mi to Ollon (15th C. church). From here the road continues uphill, with beautiful views into the Rhône valley, curves round to enter the Gryonne valley and climbs in several sharp bends to the village of Huémoz.

Sex Rouge Peak (2,971m/9,747ft) can be reached by cable-car from Pillon Pass or Reusch. The ride to the peak affords magnificent views of Les Diablerets Basin. The view from the summit is equally impressive, and includes the Swiss and French Alps, Les Diablerets Glacier, the Tornette and Pallette Peaks and the Ormonts Valley.