Crans-Montana is located at an altitude of 1,495 metres, on a plateau overlooking the Rhone Valley and the town of Sierre. Above it are the Bella Lui, Mont Bonvin, and the Plaine Morte glacier. Crans-Montana is home to a resort that has developed since the end of the 19th century: it was previously just a vast plateau crossed by herds and their keepers, but in the 20th century it became a small mountain town known internationally, thanks in particular to the golf and ski competitions it hosts each year. Many leisure and cultural activities have developed there, attracting holidaymakers and visitors in both winter and summer.