• Valais is a Swiss canton easily reachable from Italy by train and navigable using an efficient public transport network.
• In autumn you can enjoy natural landscapes that turn warm hues, with trekking, mountain biking and scenic train rides.
• Among the possible destinations are the Aletsch Arena plateau, the Gornergrat mountain and the town of Martigny, from which France is also within reach.

September is the month that brings with it the last traces of summer and prepares us for the autumn season. With the summer holidays behind us, it's time to plan new adventures. The gentler temperatures and leaves turning warm colours suggest taking some time for day trips, trekking and mountain biking in nature at a slower, more relaxing pace.

In this regard, Valais, the Swiss canton bordering Italy, rich in natural landscapes of mountains and vineyards, proves to be an interesting destination for combining sport and relaxation, all the more so because it can be reached and explored without taking the car. That means no traffic stress, no navigating unfamiliar roads, no parking — but above all, less pollution and more time to enjoy the spectacle of the foliage. Valais is reachable in two hours by train from Milan and boasts a modern and efficient public transport network of trains and buses, not to mention the cable car systems.

Aletsch Arena: the car-free plateau that is home to Europe's longest glacier

You don't need a car, for instance, to reach the Aletsch Arena, a Unesco World Heritage site that is home to Europe's longest glacier and is entirely car-free. You can get here by train and then, from the valley, reach the three traffic-free alpine villages in the park — Bettmeralp, Riederalp and Fiescheralp — via a cable car that runs on 100 per cent renewable energy.

In autumn, in this nature area, a trekking route through the Aletsch Forest, one of the oldest in Switzerland, is not to be missed — the chance to admire the yellow and orange hues of the ancient thousand-year-old Swiss stone pines with the Aletsch Glacier in the background completing the picture. The forest has been a nature reserve since 1933 and covers 400 hectares. The ideal starting point for exploring it is the historic Villa Cassel in Riederalp, which today houses the centre of the environmental protection organisation "Pro Natura", offering information about the area and also proposing various guided excursions.

With the Aletsch Explorer, a one-day or multi-day pass, you can travel on all the cable car facilities in the area, which lead to hiking trails and viewpoints.

Gornergrat, the railway in the shadow of the Matterhorn "that recharges itself"

Valais is also the canton that is home to the Gornergrat rack railway, the highest in Europe — which is not merely a means of transport but a genuine experience. You set off from the town of Zermatt and, in 33 minutes, arrive at the 3,100 metres of the Gornergrat summit with a constant view of the Matterhorn throughout the entire journey. The railway operates 365 days a year: once you reach the last stop, you can enjoy the panoramic view encompassing 29 alpine peaks above 4,000 metres and set out on a range of excursions.

At the summit, you can also visit the interactive exhibition Zooom the Matterhorn, included with most tickets, which offers various experiences to bring you progressively closer to the Matterhorn: on the first level there are periscopes for viewing the mountain up close, on the second level a 3D film that transports visitors into the mountain's landscapes across the different seasons of the year, and on the third level a virtual paragliding flight over the Matterhorn, available in either a relaxing or an adrenaline-fuelled mode. The railway ticket also allows you to hop on and off freely at intermediate stops to extend the journey and the experience — for example with a walk to Riffel Lake from Rotenboden.

An interesting detail: since its first journey in 1898, the Gornergrat railway has used a three-phase current system: as the train descends, the motor acts as a generator and feeds the energy produced directly back into the grid, so that it can be used to power trains on the way up. The railway is part of the "Cause we care" project by Myclimate: when purchasing a ticket, you can choose to add a contribution that is doubled and invested to fund sustainable activities and projects that offset the CO2 emissions of the journey.

From Martigny to France by scenic train

The car-free journey continues. From Switzerland you can reach France by scenic rail through the Trient Valley, among rocky gorges, wild forests and alpine villages. This is the Mont Blanc Express railway, which for over a century has connected Martigny, the Swiss town nestled in the Rhône valley amid vineyards and orchards, to Chamonix, the famous French resort.

Before departing you can linger a while in Martigny to enjoy its Mediterranean atmosphere, visiting the historic districts or the Fondazione Pierre Gianadda, which hosts permanent collections and art exhibitions, or you can take walks in nature in the company of the Saint Bernards at Barryland, the museum dedicated to discovering this dog breed, a symbol of Switzerland.

Along the journey aboard the Mont Blanc Express, the suggestion is instead to stop halfway between Martigny and Chamonix to experience VerticAlp Emosson: three unique railway systems – one of the steepest funiculars in the world, a panoramic train and a mini funicular, lead to the artificial lake of Emosson at an altitude of 1,965 m, where the spectacle of Mont Blanc can be admired.

Useful information for travelling by public transport

Good to know: by booking at least three nights' accommodation on the official tourism website valais.ch, up to three days before departure you receive two free public transport tickets from any airport or border station in Switzerland to your holiday destination. Also available is the Pass 13, which, valid for 12 months, offers discounts of 20 to 25 per cent on Valais public transport. Finally, the Swiss Travel Pass is a single ticket that allows travellers coming from abroad to move around the confederation in a flexible and convenient way.