Brig

Brig (French: Brigue, Italian: Briga), officially Brig-Glis, is a city in Valais in Switzerland. The city is actually made up of two neighbouring towns, Brig and Glis with a third independent town Naters across the Rhone river to the north. It is a regional centre and is also a border town of sorts. While it does not directly lie on the Italian border, it is the last stop for trains before going through the Simplon tunnel.

Understand

Brig used to be the most important transport hub in the region, as the old Lötschberg line from Berne, the Simplon line from Domodossola and Milan, the InterRegio trains from Lausanne as well as the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn towards Andermatt and Zermatt all converge here. Since the opening of the new Lötschberg base tunnel, a lot of this has been diverted to Visp, making Brig quieter than it used to be. Nevertheless it remains an important town and all international trains (EC) still stop here and not in Visp as the last stop before Italy.

Tourist Office
  • 🌍 Brig-Simplon Tourismus, Bahnhofstrasse 2 (Across the road from the main station), ☎ +41 27 921 60 30. Oct-May M-F 09:00-12:00/13:00-17:00, Jun-Aug M-F 08:00-12:00/13:00-17:00, Sa 09:00-15:00. (updated Dec 2016)

Get in

Brig is the end of the major train lines from Geneva and Zurich as well as the old Lötschberg line. The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (the tracks are located on the square in front of the railway station) also stops here with trains towards Zermatt, Andermatt and Disentis and Brig is a stop on the Glacier Express. All international trains from and to Domodossola and Milan stop here, as it is the first stop after the Swiss-Italian border. Buses stop at landing bays in front of the railway station building in between the main station and the MGB tracks.

Get around

While there are some buses with stops around town the city centre is quite small and nice to walk through. Parts of it are pedestrian only and all the main sights are within walking distance.

If you want to get out a bit further during summer (for instance to Brigerbad for swimming), there is a 🌍 free bike rental close to the railway station. It's run as a social project and is free for the first four hours. Be sure to check the website first as opening hours frequently change.

See
  • 🌍 Stockalper Palace. This castle was built by a local merchant Kaspar Stockalper in the 17th century. Today the garden and the courtyard can be visited freely whereas the castle can only be visited as part of a guided tour. Fr. 8 for guided tour. (updated Mar 2016)
  • 🌍 Swiss Guard Museum (Festung Naters). Jun-Oct Sa 14:00-18:00, year round guided tours on request. This is an old fortification in the neighbouring town of Naters (which is just across the river from the main station). The museum offers an insight into the history of the Swiss Guard in Rome. There is also a couple of other museums located in the same fortification, one among which showcases the fortification itself. Fr. 10. (updated Jun 2016)
  • 🌍 Ernest Guglielminetti Monument. A monument to Ernest Guglielminetti, the inventor of the tar road. (updated Jul 2016)

Do

Take a stroll in the town centre. Typical Swiss town, with a nice river passing through the town centre.

  • 🌍 Topic path railway, nature and art (12 km, 3h, easy) (Starts right in front of the railway station). An easy hike through Brig and neighbouring Bitsch and Naters. Passes by several railway buildings, such as the north portal of the Simplon tunnel. (updated Dec 2016)

Buy

Eat
  • 🌍 Channa, Furkastrasse 5, ☎ +41 27 923 65 56. 08:00-23:00. The menu includes some local dishes, but the restaurant is mostly known for its excellent pizza. (updated Jul 2016)

Sleep
  • 🌍 Europe Hotel (right in front of the train station). Fr. 140 per night. (updated Jun 2016)

Nearby

There are several smaller villages around Brig which are worth a trip on their own:

  • 🌍 Brigerbad is a small town a short bus ride away from either Brig or Visp. There is a big 🌍 thermal bath with an extended outdoor pool area, as well as a camping ground.
  • The Simplon area south of Brig makes a good destination for a day trip. From Brig take the postal bus up to the 🌍 Simplon Pass and then down the other side to the picturesque villages of 🌍 Simplon Dorf and 🌍 Gondo where the checkpoint on the Italian border is located.

Go next
  • Take a 20 minute train ride to Domodossola, Italy for their weekly markets on a Saturday.
  • Take a short train ride to Mörel or Betten and from there the cable car up to the Riederalp or the Bettmeralp. From here you have access to one of Europe's best ski resorts, unknown to most non-Europeans, named Aletsch as well as the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO heritage site.


Routes through Brig

Chur ← Fiesch ←  St. Moritz  Zermatt  → Zermatt → END
Montreux ← Sion ←  Geneva  Milan  → Domodossola → Milan
Spiez ← Visp ←  Romanshorn  Brig  → END
Sion ← Visp ←  Geneva Airport  Brig  → END
Goppenstein ← Kandersteg ←  Bern  Brig  → END
Andermatt ← Fiesch ←  Göschenen  Zermatt  → Visp → Zermatt
END ←  Brig  Domodossola  → Simplon Tunnel → Domodossola



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