Discover Ayent: Bisses, mountain villages and cultural heritage

When you choose Ayent as a destination, mountain scenery, the history of water management and sacred architecture come together. The municipality stretches across different elevations, from the villages on the sunny slopes of the Rhône Valley to the mountain area above them. The bisses—traditional irrigation channels—are central to both the area’s history and some of the routes described here.

Landscape and elevations

Ayent stretches from La Maya at 500 m to the summit of Wildhorn at 3,247 m, and lies on the sunny slopes of the Rhône Valley. Its villages are scattered across the slopes among vineyards, hills, forests, meadows, pastures and moorland. Anzère is Ayent’s mountain resort, situated above the villages at an altitude of approximately 1,500 to 1,600 m. The valley slopes and higher mountain area thus offer distinct landscape settings within the municipality.

Bisses, museum and trails

The Musée valaisan des Bisses in Botyre is housed in a historic 17th-century building and has 270 m² of exhibition space. It presents the history of traditional irrigation channels from Roman times to the present day. Interactive displays indoors and outdoors introduce children to irrigation techniques that are still used today. The museum thus highlights both the long history of the bisses and their continuing importance.

Along the Chemin du Musée at the Bisse d’Ayent, the Bisse de Sion and the Bitailla, information panels explain the complexity of water supply across a catchment area and how the irrigation channels are interconnected. The focus is not just on a single watercourse, but also on the relationships between the channels. The Grand Bisse d’Ayent was built in 1442 and irrigates the meadows and vineyards of Ayent and Grimisuat using traditional irrigation or sprinkler systems.

The Bisse des Audannes was built between 1859 and 1862 by the City of Sion and the municipality of Ayent. Remains and traces can be seen in the Audannes lapiaz and across the Serin alpine pasture. The Serin–Anzère trail follows the bisse for 1 km. If you plan to walk this trail, check local trail conditions beforehand.

The Bisse de Clavau is lined with dry-stone walls. Its walking trail follows the old route, passing along old wooden channels on a ledge and through a small tunnel. Numerous small huts along the route invite you to sample regional products. Here too, check local trail conditions before setting out.

Chapels and architectural history

The Chapelle de Botyre dates back to 1268. Its feast day is celebrated every year on 11 November with a sung mass. The chapel’s bell and altar are considered especially valuable because of its great age. The Chapelle St-Michel near Place-Villa dates from the 17th century and has a Baroque altar. A Stations of the Cross lines the path from Place-Villa to the summit of Château Hill.

In Signèse-Argnou, the chapel built in 1898 was replaced by a small church in 1956. Its features include stained-glass windows by the painter Monnier and mosaics by Charles Menge. According to Müller, the Church of St-Romain in Ayent was built no later than the beginning of the 11th century. Together, these places offer insight into different periods of construction and artistic styles, without limiting their history to a single century.

Regional excursions and practical information

A shuttle runs between Anzère, Ayent and the Tseuzier Dam. If you are planning to rely on this connection, check the timetable before travelling. In the wider region, Lac de Tseuzier lies at 1,774 m in the Rawyl area. It is the starting point for numerous family-friendly and more challenging hikes. The easy circuit around the lake is 4.9 km long and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Regional climbing areas include Rawyl, Les Andins and Audannes, which together offer more than 300 routes of all grades. At the Tseuzier Dam, the left bank is accessible with a stroller. This information adds further opportunities in the surrounding region to Ayent’s local history and helps you choose different focuses for planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Anzère, Vex, Vex, Eison, Vernamiège, Mase, Nax, Les Agettes.

Go to the main travel overview: Ering.