BOURG-SAINT-PIERRE (1630m)
Bourg-Saint-Pierre is a mountain hamlet with 300 inhabitants, located at 1630m. It is the last Swiss town before the Great Saint Bernard Col. The splendid Romanesque bell tower dates back to the XI century: it is the oldest in the Valais region. The centre of the village, with its quaint houses and picturesque milestone, is certainly worth a detour. www.bourg-saint-pierre.ch
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a post office, and buses.
Access to the TDC: the hamlet is on the tour route.
LIDDES (1320m)
A town with 350 inhabitants at 1320 m, set along the international road of the Great Saint Bernard Pass. The centre of the village with its nicely restored ancient houses deserves a visit.
From Liddes, why not call in on the Combe de l’A? This is a protected nature reserve, where you can see many animals and experience nature at its purest. www.liddes.ch
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a bank and buses
TDC access: Reach the TDC at the Col de Mille hut after a 3h30 hike, following the Eperviers path.
BRUSON (1040m) / LE CHABLE
A typical mountain hamlet with 320 people, Bruson is set on a plateau at 1040m, 2 km from the main centre of Bagnes. Le Châble sits at the crossroad between Martigny, Verbier and Mauvoisin.
Bruson is also a ski resort. To the east of the village, the Agricultural Federal Service installed a centre for agronomic research.
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a post office and buses.
TDC access: You can reach the TDC route by climbing up to the Mille Hut in 5 hours. In the summer, you may also take the scheduled bus to the La Côt (a summer/autumn pasture for Bruson) and reduce the hiking time to 3h30.
LOURTIER (1070m)
The village of Lourtier sits at 1070 m of altitude; it has 380 inhabitants and extends along the road leading to the Mauvoisin dam. The chapel is the work of the architect Alberto Sartoris. Jean-Pierre Perraudin, the inventor of glacier theories, was born here in 1767. His house has been transformed into a museum which hosts numerous documents referring to the birth of a new science, glaciology.
www.bagnes.ch
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a post office and buses.
TDC access: You will reach the TDC with a 3-hour hike as far as the Brunet hut. You may also reach this by car, although parking can sometimes be a tough affair.
FIONNAY (1490m)
Fionnay regained fame as a summer destination after major transformations took place during the building of the Mauvoisin and Grande Dixence hydroelectric complexes. The hamlet is made up by about 30 mountain pastures and in days gone by it offered three hotels and two guesthouses, which were up and running until 1960.
Fionnay is a starting point for many excursions in the high Bagnes valley www.bagnes.ch
You will find buses here.
TDC access: You will reach the TDC by going to the Panossière hut with a 3h45 hike.
You may also reach the same hut with a 4h10 hike, starting from Bonatchiesse.
MAUVOISIN (1840m)
From 1950 to 1958, during the dam construction, Mauvoisin hosted more than 1,000 workers. These days, a 250-metre-high dam contains 200 millions cubic metres of water.
The small chapel is the outcome of the transformation of a tower, made by the Lords of Quart (Aosta Valley), dating back to the XIII century.
www.bagnes.ch
You will find a hotel and buses.
TDC access: Mauvoisin is located on the TDC route.
OLLOMONT (1360 m)
Located at the head of the namesake valley, 18 km from Aosta, Ollomont is supremely beautiful, surrounded by majestic landscapes and historical places such as the Fenêtre de Durand, a pivotal passage between the Aosta Valley and the Valais. Its habitants are dotted around the many hamlets set along the road or perched high on the sunnier faces, along a surface of 5,4 km². The highest point is Mont Velan at 3708m.
The history of Ollomont is linked with the presence of copper mines, which were active until WW1.
Higher up, the majestic By Basin opens up and it’s a feast for the eyes and the soul: you can admire its pastures, and water, carried as far as Allein and Doues by the Monts and By streams.
www.comune.ollomont.ao.it
You will find hotels, bunkhouses, restaurants, shops, a post office and buses.
TDC access: You can reach the TDC in 2h00 from Glacier, following the path that climbs up to By and then onto the By stream, or joining the By stream from Vaud. You may also climb up from the Rey village, as far as Champillon, from which you can reach the eponymous hut.
DOUES (1170 m)
You will hardly find a sunnier village in the Aosta Valley: 16 km from the city of Aosta, Doues sits at an elevation of 1170m and is among the most agricultural hamlets in the entire Valley. Its well-kept territory covers an area of 16,48 km² and hosts several cattle herds. Tourism combines the enhancement of the region, of traditions and agricultural products with an idyllic calm. The By and Monts streams, transporting water to irrigate the meadows, also become interesting hiking routes. For further information, please visit www.comune.doues.ao.it
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a post office and buses.
TDC access: you will reach the TDC by driving to Champillon, then it’s a 30-minute hike to the Pessinoille pasture, from which you can find the Letey Hut in Champillon.
ALLEIN (1250 m)
On a sunny mountainside, 15 km from Aosta, the village of Allein is made up by 250 people who live in various hamlets, scattered in the well-groomed area, its extension 8 km². Somewhat secluded from the main communication routes, the road to the Great Saint Bernard Pass lies 2 km away; the economy of this village is still based on farming and agriculture. Tourism mainly involves the discovery of places, of agricultural products and traditions. For further information, please visit www.comune.allein.ao.it
You will find farmhouses, a shop, a post office and buses.
TDC access: You will reach the TDC with a 3-hour hike to Baravex, where you will find a small hut; carry on along the By stream to get to Champillon and Pessinoille, from which you can reach the Letey Hut in Champillon.
ETROUBLES (1280 m)
Set on the road leading to the Great Saint Bernard Pass, 16 km from Aosta, the hamlet of Etroubles has been a pivotal monitoring centre for transalpine traffic ever since the Middle Ages. These days it is a very popular holiday location and starting point of pleasant hikes. Its 434 inhabitants live between the town, crossed by the historic road, and the many hamlets on the sunny side. Etroubles became an open museum in May 2005: an artistic path has been set up, displaying works by international artists. Its well looked-after territory is rich in forests that host abundant wildlife. The municipality covers 39.13 km² of land and reaches its peak at the top of Mont Velan, at an altitude of 3708 m. For more information, please visit www.comune.etroubles.ao.it
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a bank, a tourist information centre, a chemist’s, a post office and buses.
TDC access: you will reach the TDC with a 2h30 hike, following the path that leads to Prailles and then to Montagne Pointier.
SAINT-OYEN (1370 m)
This is a small hamlet on the road to the Great Saint Bernard Pass, 18 km from the city of Aosta, its history linked with the passage of people and goods going north of the Alps. The relevant Château Verdun reception centre, belonging to the Saint Bernard canons, is a pivotal stopover before the Col, now as it was back then. The municipality covers an area of 9,39 km² and its inhabitants live between the hamlet and the close-by villages. The variety of surroundings and a special microclimate feature strongly in this village where the white of copious winter snowfall is juxtaposed with the verdant green of its forests. For further information, please visit www.comune.saintoyen.ao.it
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a post office and buses.
TDC access: you will reach the TDC with a 2-hour hike, following the path going up to Montagne Barasson.
SAINT-RHÉMY-EN-BOSSES (1520 m)
Two different communities make up the municipality of Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, located 21 km from Aosta: Saint-Rhémy and Bosses, that lived through two distinct historical events. On the road to the Great Saint Bernard Pass, the village takes on a leading role as the last stopover before the ascent to the Col, now as it did then. Bosses brings together the hamlets built on the sunny side and is the seat of the municipality. With an extension of 65 km², it is the biggest town in the Grand Saint Bernard valley. For further information, please visit www.comune.saintrhemyenbosses.ao.it
You will find hotels, restaurants, shops, a post office and buses.
TDC access: the TDC directly crosses the hamlet of Saint-Rhémy, before starting the ascent to the Great Saint Bernard col, along the historic road.