Château de Tourbillon
- Visit: about 1 h
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Why go
- Two generations of chapel murals survive, from the 14th and 15th centuries.
- Tourbillon and Valère crown separate hills that shape Sion’s cityscape.
- The hill was inhabited as early as the fifth millennium BC.
Opening hours
Today10:00 – 18:00Show all
Don't miss
- Chapel choir paintingsLook for the Annunciation, the Crucifixion and Saint George slaying a dragon in paintings made around 1320–1340.Chapel choir
- Sacristy paintingsSee the later mural cycle commissioned during the mid-15th-century rebuilding.Sacristy
- KeepThe keep gained an extra floor and a new staircase during the 15th-century rebuilding.Near the centre of the plateau
- Western defencesThe western approach passes a fortified wall and gate, with a semicircular watchtower higher up the hill.Western approach
Know before you go
- The ruins are open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, from mid-March to mid-November.
What's inside
- Within the castle enclosure: surviving remains include a walled courtyard, keep, garrison quarters, corner towers and a siege cistern.
- Saint George’s Chapel stands in the southeast corner of the enclosure.
Tips for your visit
- An on-site guide is available for the chapel and ruins; guided-tour visitors meet at the sign to the right of the entrance.
- Use the online 3D reconstruction, created in 2023, to see how the castle looked before the 1788 fire.
- A visitor toilet is at the western end, behind the chapel.
Best time to visit
- A floor inaugurated in the western building in 2022 enables theatre and music performances at the castle.
Interesting facts3
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155 metres
Tourbillon stands 155 metres above the Rhône plain.
Château de Tourbillon - Wikipedia -
1268
The name first appears in 1268 as “Turbillon.”
Château de Tourbillon - Wikipedia -
1788
Portraits of every bishop of Sion once hung in the keep and were lost in the 1788 fire.
Château de Tourbillon - Wikipedia
Shorts
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🇨🇭🏰 Le château de Tourbillon, Sion, Valais.Tourbillon castle, Sion, S…La Torpille
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📍This is the Basilica Notre-Dame de Valère Chateau de Tourbillon hike…Olivia Is Out of Office
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La dernière montée du château de tourbillonVoyages Découvertes
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Château de Tourbillon365dni_po_europie
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Ruines du château de tourbillon Valais SionVoyages Découvertes
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View of Sion from the Chateau de Tourbillon, Switzerland, Apr 10th 20…TheWoodsdevil
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Tourbillon Castle 🇨🇭Château de Tourbillon - Sion Valais SwitzerlandKendy Panson
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🇨🇭 Château de Tourbillon, Sion, Switzerlandgenesis
History
The bishops gradually abandoned Tourbillon because access was difficult and siege warfare had changed. After the final fire, the bishopric lacked funds to repair it, and surviving materials were reused in other buildings.
- Around 1297–1307Construction began around 1297 or 1298 under Bishop Boniface de Challant; much of the complex dates to around 1307.
- 1373Guichard Tavel acquired the Majorie tower below Tourbillon as the seat of episcopal power; Tourbillon retained defensive and symbolic roles.
- 1417The castle was burned and dismantled during the Raron Wars.
- 1440–1450Bishop Wilhelm III of Raron rebuilt damaged sections and commissioned a new chapel mural cycle, now displayed in the sacristy.
- 1788A fire destroyed the castle, which was never rebuilt.
Show all
- 1887Consolidation work on the ruins was completed.
- 1993–1999The palace masonry and perimeter walls were reinforced.
- 2022A new floor opened in the west building, enabling theatre and music performances at the site.
How to get there
- On footReach the castle from the east or west; the surrounding hill is too steep on its other sides.
- On footAccess is from Place Maurice Zermatten, Rue des Chateaux, 1950 Sion.
Sources: Tourbillon Castle - Wikipedia · Tourbillon Castle - Wikipedia (part 2) · Sion - Wikivoyage (see) · Bienvenue - Château de Tourbillon · HISTOIRE - Château de Tourbillon · GESCHICHTE - Château de Tourbillon · Schloss Tourbillon - Wikipedia · Château de Tourbillon - Wikipedia · Castello di Tourbillon - Wikipedia · checked 29 Sep 2026
- Website
- tourbillon.ch/
- Phone
- +41 27 322 52 00
Questions and answers
Can I approach Château de Tourbillon from either side?
Visitors can reach the castle from the east or west; the other slopes are too steep.
What survives on Château de Tourbillon’s eastern approach?
Ruined defensive walls with narrow archer openings.
Was Tourbillon hill used before Château de Tourbillon was built?
A document from around 1270 names people required to occupy its watchtower during wartime.
Who maintains Château de Tourbillon?
Fondation du Château de Tourbillon restores and maintains the complex.
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