August 17, 2024
In 2018, we completed four treks in Europe, with our final hike taking us across the country of Switzerland. Over three weeks, we trekked 220 miles and crossed over 16 passes from Vaduz, Liechtenstein to Montreux, Switzerland. It is still one of the most beautiful and challenging treks we have ever done. Almost exactly six years later, we returned to Montreux to begin another journey: a 700-mile trek on the Via Francigena to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, adjacent to Rome, Italy.
The Via Francigena (pronounced “Fran-CHEE-ge-na“) was an important route in medieval times for those who wanted to visit the Pope and see the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul. Today’s path corresponds to the route of Sigeric the Serious, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who walked to Rome from England in around 990 AD and kept a journal of his travels.
Because of the time constraints we have traveling in Europe’s Schengen Area, we are trekking roughly the last half of the 1,200-mile trail to Rome. Our first 5 1/2 days and 62 miles took us back into the Swiss Alps as we climbed to the Great St. Bernard Pass at 8,100 feet. We were excited to trek in Switzerland again, and looked forward to the beauty and challenges on the trail.
Walking Along Lake Geneva and up The Rhone River Valley
After completing our initial Pilgrims’ Way trek in Canterbury, England, we traveled for two days by train and ferry to Vevey, Switzerland. We were now in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and just a short train ride away from our starting point in Montreux.
Once we arrived at the Montreux train station it was a short walk to the exact spot where we finished our 2018 trek. Here, we took our first steps toward Rome on the Via Francigena.
Photo in Montreux, Switzerland in 2018 and 2024
After leaving Montreux we hiked the first four miles of our 10.6-mile stage along Lake Geneva. We paused often to take photos.
Along the lake were several interesting sculptures and statues, including one of Queen’s Freddie Mercury.
Lake Geneva sculpture and Freddie Mercury statue
Of special interest was the Château de Chillon, which is built on an island. Chillon has been a military site since the Middle Ages, and is located where German and French roads over the Alps join together.
After leaving the lake, we started down Switzerland’s Rhone Valley, walking through the town of Villeneuve and then along a stream for a few miles. When we arrived in Switzerland, there was a heat advisory. It was in the high 80°Fs and humid as we hiked. Fortunately, there were fountains along the trail where we could top off our water bottles and stay hydrated.
In the early afternoon, we walked along the train tracks. With no shade, the sun felt very hot.
Because of the heat, we had started early and reached the town of Aigle by 1:15 pm. The name of the town translates to eagle in French. We found it to be a quaint place to spend an afternoon and evening.
Due to the heat, we again started our next stage early. Our 10.9-mile day began with a climb past the Chateau d’ Aigle, a castle dating from the 12th century.
We ascended further to a series of vineyards. All around us were clear views of the Swiss Alps.
The route took us to the village of Ollon and its impressive 13th century Temple d’Ollon church.
After a break drinking some cold fountain water, we descended steeply through more vineyards and then hiked along a stream.
Toward the end of the stage we had our first sighting of the milky Rhone River. The 814-mile river’s source is a Swiss glacier. It flows into Lake Geneva, then through Southeastern France before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. We walked along the river for a short time before crossing it on a bridge in the town of Massongex.
Soon after, we reached the city of Saint-Maurice, our destination for the night. It was hot walking next to some corn fields during the final mile, but a slight breeze helped.
We were happy to be done with our stage by 1:00 pm. Saint-Maurice has a 6th-century abbey, and we had some time to wander around the buildings comprising the site.
Coming to the End of the Valley and Starting the Ascent to the Pass
It was still warm as we began our 11-mile stage the next morning. However, we hiked with a nice cool breeze in our faces, making things more comfortable. As we left Saint-Maurice we could see the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Scex perched high above the town in the rock.
Chapel of Notre-Dame du Scex on the hillside and close-up of the chapel
We walked on old dirt roads and through some shady forest before reaching the 380-foot high Pissevache waterfall.
Coming to the Pissevache waterfall
It was a clear day, and we had an incredible vista of the alps along the French border to the west of us.
Our day ended in the city of Martigny, at the end of the Rhone River Valley. From our hotel room we had a clear view of the Chateau de la Batiaz. It was built in 1260 and is Martigny’s only surviving medieval structure.
At Martigny, the Rhone River turns toward its glacier source and the valley ends. So we began our 2 1/2 day climb to the Great St Bernard Pass in earnest during the next stage. The book I bought described the upcoming stages as some of the most difficult on the entire Via Francigena route.
We gained almost 3,000 feet in 12.8 miles from Martigny to Orsieres, with some very steep ascents. One beautiful, but challenging section, took us through a forest with many moss-covered boulders to negotiate.
Trekking through the forest and boulder section
Each village we passed had a nice bench and water fountain for us to take a break.
Fortunately, the temperature was cooler at the higher altitudes, and the clear weather continued to provide us with great mountain and valley views.
We had the trail course on Darren’s watch and my phone, but also relied on the route markings to point us in the right direction. The destinations are listed in the number of hours, rather than distance. In Switzerland, the Via Francigena is also known as Swiss Route 70.
Trail signs along the path
At the end of the day we arrived in Orsieres and spent the night in a historic hotel next to the train station.
The second day of climbing to the Great St. Bernard Pass provided us with a different weather challenge – a chance of afternoon rain in the forecast. Even though we only had 8.4 miles to hike, the elevation gain was almost 3,000 feet.
The ascent started immediately, but we barely noticed as we continued to have stunning mountain scenery all around us.
Our plan was to finish the stage well before the forecasted rain. However, at about 9:15 am the sky began to darken, and we could hear thunder in the distance.
A storm was obviously coming toward us. We had dealt with this type of weather when trekking Austria’s Lechweg path in 2018, so we began to look for some shelter. Just as the heavy rain began to fall, we found cover under a huge pine tree.
There was loud thunder, and we saw some lightning in the distance, but stayed dry under the tree. After about 50 minutes the storm abated, and we could hike again.
As soon as we began walking, we headed up a steep path, navigating through rocks, tree roots, and now slippery mud from the rain. Since the day’s distance was so short, we just took our time and made slow and steady progress.
Seeing some animals near the trail later in the stage was a nice diversion for us.
Animals along the trail
The views just got better and better as we continued to ascend to the village of Bourg-Saint-Pierre. Crossing the twisting highway, we could make out the highest mountains in the distance, imagining that they must be close to the pass itself.
We arrived at our hotel at about 12:30 pm. Fortunately, our room was ready, giving us an entire afternoon to rest and relax.
Given the inaccuracy of the rain forecast, we were concerned about hiking the final 8 trail miles to the pass the next day. We would be above the tree line as we topped out at 8,100 feet. So we kept our fingers crossed as we readied for bed that night.
Making the Final Steep Climb to the Great St. Bernard Pass
The news was all good the next morning, as there was no rain in the forecast and the skies were clear. As we left Bourg-Saint-Pierre, we passed by its 11th century church, with a Roman milestone dating from the 4th century.
Across from the church was a plaque on a house, signifying that Napoleon Bonaparte had stayed there in May 1800. He was leading 40,000 soldiers into Italy at the time. We saw murals depicting Napoleon, as well as the St. Bernards that were originally bred as rescue dogs at the Great St. Bernard Hospice, which was founded in 1049.
Murals depicting Napoleon Bonaparte and St. Bernard dogs as we hike closer to the pass
After we left Bourg-Saint-Pierre, the last settlement before the pass, we began almost non-stop climbing. It was not easy, as we ascended about 3,200 feet in 8 miles.
We walked by a dam and then along the picturesque Lac de Toules reservoir. We alternated between steady climbing and occasional straight up scrambles.
During the first five days we had met three other people who were also hiking the Via Francigena. During this stage, we came across many other hikers, some who looked to be day hiking and others who were backpacking. We got distracted with the scenery and ended up making an unnecessary climb behind one group. To get back on the Via Francigena, we needed to make our way carefully down a slope to a path below us.
Now back on course, we paid more attention to the yellow trail signs and our devices.
After crossing to the other side of the highway, the climbing began to get intense. We could really feel the altitude as well.
A couple of beautiful waterfalls took our minds off the ascent and gave us a chance to catch our breath.
Waterfalls along the trail
The path came to a small bridge and a series of stone stairs, causing us to gasp for air by the time we reached the top of them.
At that point I began losing patience with the trail, due to the almost continual climbing over the past 2 1/2 days. Trying to encourage me, Darren looked at his watch and said that we had about a mile to go to the top and added that we only had 600 feet left to climb. That didn’t help my state of mind.
The final climb was some of the steepest trail yet. All I could do was put one foot ahead of the other and keep moving.
Finally, the first Great St. Bernard Pass buildings came into view, helping to motivate me. But the last few steps were a scramble straight up a dirt bank, requiring rigorous use of my trekking poles.
Then we were on the road and standing at the sign designating the pass at 8,100 feet!
We joined the crowds of people who had traveled by car to the third-highest road pass in Switzerland. Sitting at an overhang, we enjoyed our picnic lunch as we looked at the Great St. Bernard Lake.
After lunch we made our way around the lake. There were many tourist shops and photo opportunities, including one with a St. Bernard dog statue.
At the other end of the lake we crossed the border into Italy, and Italian replaced French as the dominant language.
On the Italian side, we came across statues dedicated to Napoleon and St. Bernard, who established the hospice at the pass.
Statues of Napoleon and Saint Bernard
We still had four miles of downhill hiking to go on the Italian side to complete our 12.2-mile day. The scenery held our interest as we descended almost 3,000 feet to the village of Saint Rhemy for the night.
Our first Via Francigena stages brought back many memories of our previous hike through the Swiss Alps. But we also had challenges and made new memories as we saw the history and beauty of the region. The climb to the pass was not easy, but we were rewarded with incredible views as we experienced our own Swiss Alp High as we ascended higher and higher into one of the most iconic mountain ranges in the world.
With our time in Switzerland now complete, we look forward to our coming days in Northern Italy on the trail.
Watch our recap video of our first week of trekking on the Via Francigena: