Saas Fee Switzerland • 5 day itinerary for families

Some of you wanted the details from our Saas Fee trip last week. I’m still on holiday, so I’m just including some rough details to help you out until I have more time to write up a proper post. Enjoy!

Location

Saastal is a mountain region in southern Switzerland, one valley east of Zermatt. It has three villages, each with their own mountain transport: Saas Fee, Saas Grund, and Saas Almagell. Saas Fee is a bit more upscale, with a pedestrian only shopping street and nicer restaurants, more of that alpine ski village feel. Saas Grund is more spread out and practical, with everything accessible by car. Saas Almagell is quieter since it’s farther up the valley, away from the fray.

Summer hiking map

Here is the summer hiking map for the Saastal area. You can see this and more maps here.

If you stay overnight anywhere in the Saastal, you get the Saastal Card, which includes public transportation and all the gondolas & cable cars in the area. It also gives you a small discount on various activities like scooter rides, mini golf, alpine coaster, etc. Your hotel or apartment manager will give you this after paying your tourist tax.

Getting There

By car: You can easily drive into and around the Saastal. However, the village of Saas Fee is pedestrian only and has a big car park on the edge of town (CHF 14/day, less if you park for multiple days).

By public transport: To reach the Saastal, take a train to Visp, then a bus into the Saastal. There are lots of buses servicing the three villages in this valley, including express buses and buses not on the schedule. We got on the wrong bus a couple times and ended up in the wrong place. Check the schedule carefully and best to ask the driver if the bus stops where you want to go.

Suggested hikes

1. Hannig ridge hike to Saas Fee

We rode up the gondola from Saas Fee to Hannig, then hiked up to the ridge with big panorama views and three glaciers in sight. It was a bit of a tough climb up for 1 hr. But then it’s a steep descent for the next two hours, all the way back to Saas Fee. The end is in the forest, a nice break from the hot sun but no views at that point. >> See details for Hannig hike >> 

2. Längfluh glacier lake

After riding a gondola and cable car up to the Langfluh viewpoint, it’s an easy short walk to visit three beautiful glacier lakes and an amazing view of the glacier from there. There is a hut at the top serving simple meals. >> See details for Langfluh viewpoint & glacier lakes >>

3. Almagelleralp – Kreuzboden to Furggstalden hike

My main reason for picking this hike was the Erlebnis section at the end, with two suspension bridges sketchy cliff walkways, ladders, etc. That part was fun but the rest of the hike was super beautiful and a real treat. >> See more details for the Almagelleralp hike >>

4. Mattmarksee lake walk

This walk around a big reservoir was a surprise! I wasn’t sure if this would be very nice because it’s an easy rather flat walk, partially on a dirt road. But it was spectacular. Loved it! Lots of wildflowers, a rushing river and a few huge waterfalls. >> Details in my Mattmarksee post >>

5. Hohsaas 4000m Peak hike

Ride gondolas to the top, then a short rocky wander with a view of 18 peaks over 4000m and a beautiful glacier. A nice place for a picnic. >> See details for the Hohsaas hike >>

6. Kreuzboden Playground

This playground is at the middle station between Saas Grund and Hohsaas. Great playground, great views. There is a little sensory theme trail as well. More info in my other post.

7. Mountain scooter – Kreuzboden to Saas Grund

The path is 11 km, super long. The top bit is super rocky and difficult to manage, dare I say a little unpleasant. The scooters have very big tires to help go over such rough terrain. We were very happy when the road turned into a smoother dirt/gravel road after about 10 mins. Then we had lots of fun the rest of the way down. Not for little kids. Probably best for ages 10+.

Where we stayed

We rented a 2br apartment at Apartments Carmena just south of Saas Grund at Bidermatten. We loved this apartment. Newly renovated, very comfortable and clean. It has a trampoline for the kids. Views from our balcony were great. Free parking. Next to a bus stop. Friendly host. Very happy here. I’d go back for sure.

I’ll revise this post and add more details when I get back from holidays.

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