Saillon

Located on the right bank of the Rhône River, the village of Saillon combines modern residential neighbourhoods on the valley floor with one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Switzerland, dominated by the Bayart Tower and its historic ramparts. This unique heritage earned Saillon the title of the most beautiful village in French-speaking Switzerland, as voted by the readers of L’Illustré magazine in 2013.

Agriculture plays a key role in shaping the municipality’s landscape, particularly the cultivation of asparagus, especially white asparagus, which thrives in the sandy soils of the region, as well as viticulture. Of the municipality’s approximately 200 hectares of vineyards, around 20 hectares are dedicated directly to promoting biodiversity as part of Switzerland’s first fully wine-growing agro-environmental network.

To the west of the village, a marble quarry bears witness to the industrial extraction of cipollino marble, a stone characterised by onion-like veining. This marble was quarried for more than a century until operations ceased in the mid-1970s. Today, the site can be visited with members of the Association of Friends of Saillon Marble.

To the east of the village, the Salentze stream has carved a spectacular gorge. It was here that the famous counterfeiter Joseph-Samuel Farinet, a legendary outlaw of Valais, met his death while being pursued by the police. Beneath a dramatic footbridge spanning the gorge flows a spring whose therapeutic qualities were already known to the Romans. Since 1983, these mineral-rich waters have supplied a thermal spa complex, making Saillon a renowned wellness and spa destination, particularly appreciated for the treatment of rheumatic conditions.

 

Altitude:	510 (m. above sea level)
Number of inhabitants (as of 31.12.2025):	3'226

Administration communale de Saillon
Rue du Bourg 19
1913 Saillon

Phone: +41 (0)27 743 43 00
info@saillon.ch
www.saillon.ch