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Municipality in Valais, Switzerland
Photo: Roland Zumbuehl, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Visp is a German-speaking town in the Swiss canton of Valais. It is located in the Rhone valley and is a major industrial centre in the region. Its location at the intersection of three train lines and a big bus interchange make it a gateway to many of the towns and resorts in the upper part of the Valais.
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The tower of this Catholic church is from the 14th century, whereas the church was built from 1710-1730.
This school building named after the former FIFA president is nothing special. If you are a football fan, though, you might be interested to stop by and take a picture of the building with the name written on its facade.
This is the more modern of the two churches. It was built in the 17th century, but then modified in 1953, giving it a rather modern look.
The three-floor "old almshouse" was built as a residential building in the 16th century, but from 1751 to 1965 it served as a guesthouse for poor travelers and pilgrims. As such, if the Internet and Wikivoyage would've been around in the 1960s, we might have listed it in Sleep#Budget. Today it hosts a youth cultural center, a club for the local handball team and the office for the refugee organization Forum Migration Wallis.
An impressive Gothic castle complex, that the local governor Simon In-Albon had built in the 16th century. The In-Albon family owned it until 1855, and it remains a private residence but it can be admired from the outside.
Visp was a crossroads long before the railway, and a trade route passed through town in the Middle Ages. The Pflanzetta building complex, named either after a family name or an old word for "field", was built as entrepôt and guesthouse in 1351. Over the centuries the route through slowly declined in importance as other routes were built across the Alps. After a thorough renovation in the 1980s, the rooms have been turned into apartments.
The building was established as part of a shooting range for the local militia in 1664, serving that purpose for about 200 years. The militiamen stood in the building and shot through openings at its western side at targets on a nearby slope. Today the Schützenlaube houses an art gallery.
A marked out trail that leads to the town of Stalden. It is a scale model of the solar system on a 1:1 billion scale with models illustrating the size of the planets at intervals corresponding to the distance between them. The trail starts behind the cemetery and is marked. It leads through the Visp valley to the town of Stalden, which is located at a very exposed spot overlooking the valley. The trail is rather flat and does not require you to be in a very good shape.
The Mühleye swimming area is a 15 minute-walk from the railway station, or you can go by local bus. The swimming area features a heated 50-meter pool, a 20-meter pool for non-swimmers, a children's pool with a slide, jumping levels from 1 and 3 meters, a 45 m slide and a grass area for playing and resting.
Catch a match of the local ice hockey team EHC Visp at their home arena. They only play in the National League B, but are very popular among the locals.
Tennis center with four outdoor and three indoor tennis courts (the latter are open around the year).
Jazz and blues concert venue with pleasant ambience and room for an audience of about 100.
The local movie theater showing the latest films, although dubbed in German.
A performance art venue with domestic and international shows including operas, concerts, theater and dance performances. Has a restaurant.
This church is located on a hill overlooking the town. It was built in the 16th century on top of the ruins of a castle, hence the name of castle church. The church is known for the ceiling fresco depicting the Last Judgement. On the southern side of the church lies the tomb of the writer Rainer Maria Rilke
Built in 1974 this church is much newer but nevertheless not any less interesting than the Burgkirche. This church is built in an artificial cave under the hill, almost directly under the Burgkirche. Inside the church, the cave walls have been left as they were, giving the church a very unique feel.
This supermarket with in-store restaurant is an option for a quick bite or a meal while changing trains at a decent price. Also have take-away.
A rather pricey restaurant a bit outside of Visp. Definitely one of the best in the region in terms of food quality.
This is a bakery and café inside the railway station building. If you are changing train and have to wait for your connection and it's cold outside, this is the most convenient option to sit down and have something to eat. While they do serve some proper meals, the pastries and desserts are what they are known for. They also have some regional specialities such as rye bread.
A Catholic institute that also offers rooms to individuals. Full board, half-board, and breakfast is also available.
This camping ground also has a swimming pool which can be used without staying at the camping ground.
This is a second-hand shop run by a social enterprise. However more interesting are the wooden souvenirs they sell, mostly household items such as chopping boards.
A weekly market along the Bahnhofstrasse up to the old town. Sells among other products from regional agriculture such as cheese and sausage.
Zur Alten Post
Small bookshop. Has a limited range of English books. They also have a lot of local/regional books.
By bus
The bus terminal is directly in front of the railway station. Among others, buses connect to Saas-Fee.
By car
If you are driving, you will most probably be coming in via the main road (N9) which leads through the town centre. Be sure you follow the main road and don't take the bypass (Umfahrung).
By plane
While Visp doesn't have a passenger airport, it's about equidistant (by train) from four airports with flights from all over Europe and beyond.
By bus
There are buses running through town (on their way to somewhere else), but frequencies are at best half-hourly.
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Bern · Regional · BRN
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