Saas-Fee is a mountain town located in the Swiss Valais. The town is best known for its views of some of the tallest mountains in Europe. Saas Fee offers skiing and snowboarding for 10 months of the year (in the summer the glacier is used for skiing and snowboarding). There are also a huge amount of hiking paths around the area, including the Monte Rosa hiking trail.

Saas Fee sits in the shadow of its larger neighbour, Zermatt. Saas-Fee is less developed than its neighbour, mainly because it doesn't have the Matterhorn but also because it doesn't have a railway. Saas-Fee is nice if you want what Zermatt has minus the millions of tourists that come to see the Matterhorn.

Get in

Saas Fee has a bus service that runs half-hourly from Visp and Brig run by the Post Bus. You can connect to the bus very easily from Visp and Brig train stations.

Tickets for the bus can be either bought from the driver, from a SBB train station (and included in the train ticket) or from a Post Bus ticket office.

Since the opening of the new Lötschberg tunnel, Visp is the main point of access. It has direct trains to: Geneva, Sion, Martigny, Montreux, Vevey, Lausanne, Geneva Airport (and in peak season a direct train from Paris) in the West, as well as to Berne, Basel and Zürich in the North. Some trains to Milan might only stop in Brig.

Train times and tickets for internal travel in Switzerland can be looked up/bought from SBB. It is sometimes cheaper to get a transfer ticket if you are flying to an airport in Switzerland, information on the Swiss Travel Services website.

International train times can be looked up on the German Trains website

The nearest airport to Saas Fee is Sion, but few airlines fly into here. Your best bet is to fly to either Zurich or Geneva and jump on a direct train from inside the airport to Visp. Then take the bus. You may notice that the last bus is around 7-8pm from Visp so if you're arriving in on a late flight there may be a train to Visp but no bus to connect to. Your best bet is to either stay the night in Brig or get a taxi to Saas Fee, which will cost as much as 180CHF.

Get around

Getting around Saas Fee is easiest by walking, and the village isn't too large. The village itself is car free meaning there are only milk-float-type electric buggies roaming the village. Just be careful because they can sneak up on you, then give you a bit of a shock when they beep at you!

There are taxi firms that run in Saas Fee, but be prepared to pay large amounts for a ride. Try it once and you will decide you're walking for the rest of your stay here!

See

Besides the obvious 'wow' factor when you look up at the mountains after walking out of the post bus station:

Do

Saas-Fee in summer.

• Wander the village It's super nice at any time of the year, but in winter it really is quite nice.

• Ski and snowboard It's what it's famous for. The skiing and snowboarding is very catered towards the intermediates but there are a few runs for the more advanced riders. Notably the Plattjen lift has more advanced terrain. The easier runs can be found either in the village or on Feechatz slope, just above Langfluh. A quick word of warning about this run, it may be a nice run but you have to endure the longest t-bar lift and downloading is also recommended as the runs down are difficult for beginners and get very busy later on in the day. You can ski and snowboard all year with the exception of May and June, in the summer you can ski on the glacier with 8km of runs.

• Snowboard park Increasingly popular due to the quality of the snow park. Full information can be found on the Snowparks web site. The snowpark is open 10 months also and is increasingly popular with Snowboard camps.

• Allalin Visit the top of the ski resort, using the gondolas and the Metro-Alpin. Great views of the Alps on a good day. In winter it can get very cold at the top, so wrap up warm. You can also have a meal in the revolving restaurant at the top (but it's pricey).

• Walks There are many walks you can do, more of course in the summer months than in the winter months. Among the best routes are the route from Saas-Fee down to Saas Almagell, which can be done in winter and summer. There is a bus to take you back up. There are many other walking routes including the Monte Rosa Path. Ask at the Tourist Office, also the location to buy hiking maps.

• Feeblitz Bobsleigh but on rails, great fun, but expensive. At least do it twice, maybe even three times. Prices about 6CHF per ride, but can buy multi ride tickets and save money.

• Swimming pool Well not the most glamorous, but it's something to entertain the most stubborn kids!

In the winter there are many more things to do such as:

• Sledging Go up to the Hannig lift and hire out a sledge and go down the sledge run. It can be quite scary at first, take your time the first run down, as there are some sharp bends, and you really don't want to go over the edge!

• Snow tubing Down in Saas Grund there is a tubing area. Tubing is where you sit in a large inflatable tube of air and slide down the hill, normally spinning as you go.

• Ice skating There is a natural ice skating ring and a man made one in Saas-Fee. You need to hire skates out from one of the hire shops in the village. Also don't fall over... it hurts!

• Cross country skiing Only one trail available in Saas-Fee itself. Best to go down into the valley, where there are many kilometers of cross country skiing trails.

Note: You can get discounts on many of these activities if you are staying in Saas-Fee. Take you guest card with you!

Buy

Saas Fee is very expensive, that has to be said, there are some nice shops. Just make sure you bring your diamond studded gold credit card.

Sleep

Budget

• 1 wellnessHostel4000, Panoramastrasse 1, 3906 Saas-Fee. Check-in: 15:00-22:00, check-out: 07:00-10:00. This hostel was opened in 2014. It is advertised as being the only youth hostel in the world with its own spa area. The price includes breakfast and access to a indoor pool. The hostel is located at the entrance of the village just next to the bus station. CHF 41 for bed in 6-bed room, CHF 108 for single room. (updated Mar 2016)

Mid range

• 2 Schweizerhof, Saas-Fee, CH-3920, fax: +41 27 958 75 76, info@schweizerhof-saasfee.ch. The hotel is located 0.8km from the bus terminal of the car-free village. Shuttle service available. There is a great wellness area with swimming pool, whirlpool, gym and an extensive beauty program. The restaurant is an exquisite gourmet highlight. Two-person room from 276CHF (low season January 2009).