The Capital of Music and Wine
Today, Sion perfectly combines its ancient history with a vibrant cultural and economic life:
The Sound of Violins: Sion is world-famous in the classical music community. It hosts the prestigious Sion Festival every summer, bringing the best young violinists from all over the planet to compete and perform in its historic buildings.- Sunny Vineyards: Because of the dry climate, the hillsides around Sion are covered in beautiful stone terraces for growing grapes. It is the heart of the Swiss wine industry, and walking through the vineyards is a favorite weekend activity for locals.
Sion Today: A Modern, Green, and Innovative Alpine City
Sion successfully combines its medieval charm with modern innovation, sustainability, and high-tech research.
An Innovative Student Hub: The city hosts a large campus of the EPFL (one of the world’s top polytechnic universities) and the HES-SO Valais-Wallis. Thousands of students live here, researching green energy and how to protect alpine environments from climate change.- The Smart City Experiment: Sion was one of the first cities in the world to test smart, self-driving electric shuttles (SmartShuttles) in its old town. This project helps scientists understand how public transport can work without drivers and without polluting the air.
- The “Les Châteaux” Lifestyle: On Fridays, the old town fills with a lively open-air market where locals buy fresh alpine cheeses, fruits, and bread. People love sitting at outdoor cafés in plazas like Place de la Planta, looking up at the historic castles.
Fun Fact to Share
If you walk through the old town of Sion, look down at the street signs. Sion is located exactly on the linguistic border of the canton. While the city is predominantly French-speaking today, its history is a mix of both French and German cultures, making it a truly unique place!