Saas-Fee/Saastal
Saas-Fee/Saastal is a high-alpine holiday region in the Swiss canton of Valais, nestled at the foot of the Dom, Switzerland's highest mountain entirely on Swiss soil, and surrounded by 18 four-thousand-metre peaks and a striking glacier world. The region comprises the car-free glacier village of Saas-Fee and the villages of Saas-Grund, Saas-Almagell and Saas-Balen, which together form a rural, mountain-oriented destination in the southern Valais Alps. It is dominated by high mountains and glaciers rather than by a lake, although the Mattmark reservoir in the south forms a distinctive high-alpine landscape. The area is known for its sunny, south-facing position with over 300 days of sunshine a year, extensive hiking and mountain-biking terrain, and a strong focus on sustainable tourism as a Swisstainable destination. Saas-Fee acts as the central hub of the region, offering a wide range of accommodation and mountain railway access to the surrounding peaks.
Summer activities
In summer, Saas-Fee/Saastal is an outdoor paradise with around 350 km of hiking trails and over 80 km of mountain-bike routes, including the Kreuzboden/Hohsaas bike area with its Bike Skills Park and the Hohsaas Trail. The region offers glacier experiences on the Fee glacier, via ferrata and climbing routes, alpine canyoning in the Feeschlucht, trail running, and summer skiing on the glaciers. Family attractions include marmot feeding on the Spielboden, themed trails, and the Hannig 'sun mountain' with its new bike trail and mountain carts.
Winter activities
In winter, Saas-Fee/Saastal offers a snow-sure ski area with 150 km of prepared pistes between 1,500 and 3,600 m, served by the Saas-Fee, Saas-Grund and Saas-Almagell ski regions. Beyond alpine skiing and snowboarding, the region offers winter hiking on a 60 km network, snowshoeing, glacier tours, cross-country skiing on 23 km of trails, toboggan runs including the 11 km Kreuzboden descent, ice climbing and ski touring.
Culture and entertainment
Saas-Fee/Saastal has a lively cultural life rooted in Valais tradition. The Saaser Museum in Saas-Fee and the Kulturzentrum Sonnenhalde in Saas-Grund present regional history, mountaineering heritage and changing exhibitions, while the Kunsthaus Werner Zurbriggen showcases the work of the local artist. Traditional summer events such as alpine festivals, ring cow fights and the nostalgic culinary mile, along with the open-air SaasFeestival and nightlife in the village bars, round out the cultural offering.
