Sion Christmas Market

The capital of Valais swaps its cobbled lanes for December lights: Sion Christmas market opens its chalets at the foot of the Valère and Tourbillon castles. The stalls set up on Place du Midi and at the Espace des Remparts, on the edge of the old town and its medieval façades, a short way from the Rhône, with terraced vineyards closing off the horizon from the heights of the town. Sion sits at the centre of the Valais stretch of the Rhône valley, between Martigny and Sierre, and serves as the administrative and cultural hub of the whole canton. The market has the atmosphere of a medium-sized town, familiar rather than spectacular, where people from central Valais meet for an end-of-year get-together rather than an event designed for tourist crowds. The town is also a gateway to nearby Alpine resorts, which puts the market on the route of some of the visitors heading up to the mountains for the ski season.

Sion Christmas market, between the old town and the castle

Sion’s old town is a well-preserved medieval quarter, clustered around the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-du-Glarier and the town hall, with stone façades and vaulted porches. The Christmas market chalets set up on Place du Midi and at the Espace des Remparts, on the edge of the historic centre, watched over by the two hills topped by the Basilica of Valère and Tourbillon Castle. This double silhouette, visible from almost everywhere in the centre, gives the market a strongly historic setting, inherited from the episcopal power that shaped the town in the Middle Ages. The decorations stay simple, fir trees and fairy lights, in keeping with the grey stone of the surrounding buildings.

Sion is the capital of the canton and has just over 37,000 inhabitants. This medium-sized-town format shows at the market: a compact scale, designed for an evening among locals rather than the crowds of big cities. Shops in the old town often extend their opening hours during the season, so you can combine the outdoor stalls with the windows of independent shops, bookshops, delicatessens and craft workshops based in the lanes all year round.

Around the stalls, you will meet residents stopping by after work as well as families making the most of a Wednesday or weekend for a late-afternoon outing, in an atmosphere of neighbourliness rather than big organised crowds.

Valais specialities and mulled wine

Valais grows vines on the slopes around Sion, among the largest vineyards in Switzerland, and the market stalls naturally draw on this wine-making identity: Fendant, Petite Arvine and other local grape varieties are served by the glass, alongside raclette and valley produce such as dried meat and rye bread. Mulled wine is among the drinks served in the late afternoon; its basic recipe, spices and heated red wine, can also be made at home, and our overview of mulled wine variations helps you find those aromas away from the market.

Local artisans run some of the chalets, with woodwork, ceramics and regional textiles. The nearby mountains also show in the food on offer, geared towards hearty dishes for cold December evenings, including alpine cheeses when the producers are there.

Raclette cheese holds a special place in this culinary identity: you can have it scraped on the spot, served with potatoes and gherkins, or buy it to take away and enjoy the meal again once you are home. Dairy products from the Rhône valley complete the offer, from hard cheeses to specialities made with cow’s or goat’s milk.

Dates, opening times and prices in Sion

The organisers have published the calendar for the 2026 edition: Sion Christmas market runs from 5 to 23 December 2026 on Place du Midi and at the Espace des Remparts, Monday to Thursday from 2pm to 7pm, Friday from 2pm to 9pm, Saturday from 11am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. One exception, Tuesday 8 December: 11am to 7pm. Access to the chalets is free, with no ticket or entry checks. Given the compact size of the historic centre, a visit takes one to two hours, between the stalls, a mulled wine and a stop at the cathedral.

The Valais climate, drier than on the Swiss Plateau thanks to the foehn effect, generally limits the bouts of fog that affect other lowland markets in December. Still, bring warm clothes for the evenings, as the altitude and the nearby Alps make temperatures drop quickly after sunset.

Shops and restaurants in the old town stay open throughout the month, so you can plan an outing around the market.

Getting there from France: train and car

Sion can be reached by train from Paris with a change in Lausanne: allow just under four hours on the TGV Lyria to Lausanne, then a regional journey of about an hour on the Simplon line to Sion station, a few minutes’ walk from the old town. From Geneva, a direct train reaches Sion station in about one hour forty minutes, with regular services throughout the day.

By car, the A9 motorway crosses central Valais and serves the town at exits 26 and 27, about an hour from Lausanne and two hours from Geneva depending on traffic. From Haute-Savoie, the road follows Lake Geneva before joining the Swiss motorway near Geneva, a manageable day trip for people living in Thonon-les-Bains or Annecy. Several covered car parks surround the historic centre, the option to choose in December rather than hunting for a street space.

Sion airport offers seasonal flights, mainly used to reach nearby ski resorts, but the train or car remain the most direct options for travelling from France. Sion station also serves regional lines to Martigny and Sierre, useful for combining the visit with other stops in Valais on the same day.

Valère, Tourbillon and the surrounding vineyards

The Basilica of Valère and Tourbillon Castle stand on two hills framing the old town, remains of the episcopal power that long ruled Sion. Both sites can be visited outside market hours and offer a view over the terraced vineyards covering the surrounding slopes, one of the most extensive wine landscapes in Switzerland. The climb up to Valère, paved and steep, calls for good shoes but is short.

An international violin competition, held every summer, adds to the town’s cultural identity, with no direct link to Christmas but a sign of a cultural life that goes beyond the winter season. For anyone extending their stay in the region, the Valais vineyards and the nearby Valais resorts, Crans-Montana, Anzère or Verbier, are a natural addition to a getaway centred on the Christmas market.

The Rhône valley, below the two hills, keeps its orchards and vines even in winter, a landscape that the low December light picks out sharply from the heights of Tourbillon. This distinctive terrain, between farmland on the valley floor and steep slopes, gives Sion a different setting from Christmas markets on the plains or by a lake.

• Geneva Christmas market, less than two hours away by train and a classic gateway from France.
• Montreux Christmas market, on the shores of Lake Geneva, less than two hours’ drive away.
• Thonon-les-Bains Christmas market, on the French side of the lake, for a stop before the Swiss border.
• The Basilica of Valère, open outside market hours, for a view over the old town and the chalets.
• Valais wines, led by Fendant and Petite Arvine, to taste by the glass at the market stalls.