Visit the World's Highest Gravity Dam

Grande Dixence is Europe's tallest dam and the tallest gravity dam in the world being located in the canton of Valais, 40 kilometers from Sion, Switzerland. It's a fabulous construction that has written history, until recently being the tallest dam in the world. It is one of Switzerland's attractions, and we recently visited it and we invite you to read the article and see the video with our hike at Grande Dixence.

Grande Dixence Dam

Once arrived in the parking lot next to it, the dam will impress you. It is practically a huge cement mountain located between the natural mountains. When looking up it is simply gigantic, it's an almost unreal construction. You will immediately feel its strength, power and magic. And when you will start to climb up towards Europe's tallest dam, you will enjoy a breathtaking view of the Heremence valley and Lake Dix. The lake has a fabulous color, a light blue and due to the limestone in the water it has a milk texture. To enjoy the truly spectacular views of the lake, the dam and the surrounding mountains, I recommend you walk a bit on the Bouquetins hike that starts just beside the dam.

Facts about Grande Dixence dam

The dam was built between 1951 and 1965 and has some impressive dimensions:

• 200 meters thick at the base
• 695 meters wide
• 285 meters high
• 284 meters maximum depth of the lake
• it is at an altitude of 2,364 m.

Also read our article about another major hike: Bisse du Torrent Neuf!

Activities at Grande Dixence dam

Every year the dam attracts several hundred thousand tourists who enjoy various activities in the area such as numerous mountain trails or visiting the dam. From June to September, daily visits are made inside the dam. Prices vary from 6 CHF for children (6-15 years) to 10 CHF for adults. A visit takes just over 1 hour and you can walk along some parts of the tens of kilometers of tunnels inside the dam.

To see the lake of the dam you can do some mountain hiles, the most famous of which is the Sentier des Bouquetins. The route has several spectacular tunnels in the mountains and you can reach the altitude of 2800m in the Col du Croix area. The length of the route is 12 km, it has a height of 540 meters and it is advisable to be traveled between May and October.

How can you reach Grande Dixence

The easiest way to get there is by car. Follow the A9 motorway to Sion and then Route d'Hérens, Route de Sion, Route d'Héremence, Rafô and Pralong to Le Chargeur in Hérémence. The road is spectacular, with many serpentines and climbs up close to the dam. The road stops in the Hotel Restaurant du Barrage area where also cable car that goes up to the dam is located. The cable car runs from May to mid-October. If the cable car is not up and running, you can climb to the dam on a forest road and walk for about 45 minutes. 

In conclusion, the Grande Dixence is a landmark in Switzerland. If you visit it you will be amazed at how imposing it is, you will enjoy some sensational views and spend some hours in nature admiring how modern technology blends with nature to create great constructions.

Go and discover the magic Switzerland!