Villas in Val d’Anniviers

Grimentz and Zinal suit skiers after quieter slopes, Vercorin families and Ayer walkers, but the road up from Sierre is long and twisting. This is chalet country: a side valley of the Valais running south towards a ring of 4,000-metre peaks. It is smaller and less international than Zermatt or Verbier, and summer is as busy as winter.

Where

Villas: 50
From, per week: £340
Cheapest month: July
Nearest airports: Geneva is the usual airport, around two to two and a half hours by car. Zurich and Milan Malpensa are around three hours away. By train, go to Sierre and take the post bus up the valley. Flights from London to Geneva take around an hour and a half.

Where to stay in Val d’Anniviers

Vercorin and Réchy (valley mouth)

Most of our properties in the valley are in Vercorin, a village of old chalets on a sunny terrace above the Rhône, reached by road or by cable car from Chalais. Its small ski area suits beginners and families, and in summer a path leads into the Val de Réchy nature reserve. Réchy is down on the valley floor, a few minutes from Sierre. Geneva airport is around two hours away.

Best for: Families who want a sunny village and a short transfer

Not for you if: You want a big ski area on the doorstep: Vercorin's own slopes are modest.

Zinal

Zinal sits at the head of the valley, at around 1,700 metres, with the Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn and Dent Blanche ringing the valley end. The cable car to Sorebois serves the ski area, and a large cable car links across to Grimentz. In summer trails lead to mountain huts and the snout of the Zinal Glacier. The Sierre-Zinal mountain race finishes here each August. Allow around 45 minutes from Sierre.

Best for: Serious walkers and skiers who want high peaks close by

Not for you if: You want nightlife: Zinal has a few bars and goes quiet early.

Grimentz

Grimentz is the valley's best-preserved village, with larch chalets darkened by the sun and red geraniums on the balconies in summer. The old cellars hold a local glacier wine, aged for years in larch barrels. The ski area links to Zinal, and above the village the road climbs to the Moiry dam, a turquoise reservoir with walks to the Moiry Glacier. Geneva is around two and a half hours away.

Best for: Couples and families who want a traditional village with good skiing

Not for you if: You want to leave your car outside the door: parking in the old village is tight.

Ayer and the middle valley

Ayer is a small village of old stone and wooden houses on the road to Zinal, about five minutes below it. It is a quiet, cheaper base for Zinal and Grimentz. Across the valley, St-Luc and Chandolin have a separate ski area and, at St-Luc, a funicular up to an observatory and a scale-model solar system walk. Vissoie has the valley's main shops.

Best for: Walkers on a budget who are happy to drive to the lifts

Not for you if: You want to ski from the door: Ayer has no lifts of its own.

When to go to Val d’Anniviers

The ski season runs from December to April, and Christmas, New Year and February are the busiest weeks. Grimentz and Zinal are high enough to hold snow well through the season. Summer, from late June to September, is the main walking season, when the mountain huts, the Moiry road and summer lifts open. July and August are busy with Swiss families. May, June before the lifts open, and November are very quiet, and many restaurants close between seasons.