Discover · Valais · 1730m

The village

Where the road stops and the mountains begin.

Siviez is a small alpine hamlet at 1730 metres, at the very head of the Nendaz valley in Valais. It's the last stop before the mountains take over — and the quiet back door into one of the largest ski areas in the world, the 4 Vallées.

There's no old stone village square here. Siviez is a handful of buildings gathered around the lift station, where the Printse river runs down from the Cleuson dam. In winter it's a ski hub; in summer it's a trailhead. What it lacks in postcard charm it makes up for in space, silence, and a front-row seat to the high Alps.

Above the village

Lac de Cleuson

A short climb above Siviez lies the Lac de Cleuson — a turquoise reservoir at 2179 metres, held back by a dam wall built between 1947 and 1950. At 87 metres high and 420 metres long, it holds some 20 million cubic metres of water and feeds the great Grande Dixence hydroelectric scheme.

The colour of the water changes with the season and the light — milky jade after the snowmelt, deep turquoise in high summer. It's about an hour and a quarter on foot from the village, following the Printse upstream.

Puppy's tip

Go early. The valley faces west, so the light on the water is best in the morning, and you'll have the path largely to yourself before the day-trippers arrive.

Turquoise Lac de Cleuson and its dam wall above Siviez, Valais
History

Chapelle Saint-Barthélémy

Just behind the dam stands a small white chapel — the oldest in all of Nendaz. A document from 1447, signed by the Bishop of Sion, already mentions it, which means the building is older still.

The original wooden chapel stood lower down, in the Cleuson valley itself. When the dam was built, it would have been lost — so in 1951 the dam workers built a new stone chapel on the present site, looking out over the valley towards the Bernese Alps.

Puppy's tip

Every year on 24 August, the cheeses from the surrounding mountain pastures are blessed here during a service — a genuine local tradition that almost no visitor ever sees.

The white Chapelle Saint-Barthélémy, oldest chapel in Nendaz, near the Cleuson dam
Through the valley

The Printse

The river that runs through Siviez is the Printse. It gathers the meltwater of the high peaks, fills the Lac de Cleuson, and then tumbles down the valley that carries its name — the Vallée de la Printze.

Along its banks near the village you'll find a barefoot path — a 2.4-kilometre loop over grass, stones and cool water, made for lazy summer mornings — and a family picnic area with a barbecue.

Puppy's tip

In high summer the cows graze freely on the slopes beside the water. Bring a picnic, dip your feet, and let the afternoon go by to the sound of cowbells.

Cows grazing freely on the alpine pasture beside Lac de Cleuson in summer
Eat & drink

Where to eat in Siviez

Two places, both a short walk apart. One is in the very building of our apartment; the other guards the entrance to the village.

In our building

Chez Caroline

Rosablanche building · at the foot of the slopes

Right in the Rosablanche building — the same block as our apartment. A sunny terrace over the valley and the Lac de Cleuson, a seasonal menu of burgers, salads, soups and grilled meats, and breakfast to start the day. In winter, the Yeti Bar keeps things going after the last run.

It also works as the village bakery: order your bread and croissants the evening before and pick them up fresh in the morning — a lift ride from bed.

Terrace Yeti Bar (winter) Bakery on order Pétanque Playground Family-friendly
chezcaroline.ch ↗
Entrance of Siviez

Restaurant Les Bergers

At the entrance to the village

An alpine-atmosphere restaurant at the entrance to Siviez, serving the real thing: open-hearth grills, cheese dishes and other Valais specialities, with local products at the heart of it all. In both summer and winter you can eat out on the sun-drenched terrace.

Also known locally as "Chez Benzine" — a proper mountain grill where the fire does the work.

Open-hearth grill Valais dishes Terrace Free parking Family-friendly
restaurant-les-bergers.ch ↗
Getting there

How to reach Siviez

By car

About 40 minutes up from Sion, along winding mountain roads through Haute-Nendaz to the very end of the valley. Large parking is available in the village.

By public transport

Train to Sion, then the postbus up to Haute-Nendaz, and on to Siviez. A scenic way to arrive, with no mountain driving.

When to come

Winter for the 4 Vallées ski area on the doorstep; summer for hiking, the bisses and the lakes. Late spring and autumn are quiet and beautiful, with fewer people about.

For current road conditions, bus timetables and lift opening dates, the tourist office of Nendaz keeps everything up to date at nendaz.ch.

Make it your base

Everything on this page is a few minutes from our own apartment, Rosablanche C34 — ski-in/ski-out in winter, a trailhead in summer.

See the apartment → Summer trails Winter & ski