Must-knows about Saas-Fee

  • Saas-Fee is a mountain village in the Valais, at nearly 1800 m altitude.
  • It’s surrounded by high snowy peaks. Under normal circumstances, there are year-round skiing options on the glaciers.
  • Saas-Fee can be reached by bus or car, not by train.
  • The village itself is car-free.
  • Saas-Fee is beautifully located, but a bit isolated. We don’t advise it as a base to explore a wider region.
  • Even though Saas-Fee is topographically close to Zermatt, the bus and train journey between both villages takes 2 hours.
Region: Valais
Recommended season: early January to late March, early June to late September and late December
This is a car-free town
Altitude: 1792 m (5879 ft)
This is a winter sports resort
Town size: Small
Local language: German

Activities in Saas-Fee Copy link to clipboard

Find excursions in Saas-Fee and the Saas Valley

Rotating restaurant at Mittelallalin above Saas-Fee
Mittelallalin
MountainsMin. time required: 3:00
Find out how to reach the mountain Mittelallalin near Saas-Fee in the Valais, what it costs and what to expect: a revolving restaurant, an ice …
Gorge Alpine winter night under the stars
Gorge Alpine winter night under the stars
Via ferrata climbingGuided day tour
Between Saas-Fee and Saas-Grund, you will experience a snow-covered gorge at night. The via ferrata leads along rugged rock formations and bizarre ice shapes.

Offered by Swiss Activities: www.swissactivities.com

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Gorge Alpine via ferrata in winter
Gorge Alpine via ferrata in winter
Via ferrata climbingGuided day tour
Between Saas-Fee and Saas-Grund you will experience a snow-covered gorge. The via ferrata leads along rugged rock formations and bizarre ice shapes.

Offered by Swiss Activities: www.swissactivities.com

  • Easy, online, free cancellation in most cases
  • Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Gorge Alpine via ferrata in summer
Gorge Alpine via ferrata in summer
Via ferrata climbingGuided day tour
Let a mountain guide take you through the entire "Gorge Alpine" from Saas-Fee to Saas-Grund. In addition to the Via Ferrata, you will also pass suspension bridges and fly with the Flying Fox (Tyrolienne).

Offered by Swiss Activities: www.swissactivities.com

  • Easy, online, free cancellation in most cases
  • Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Winter hiking with raclette from Saas-Fee
Winter hiking with raclette from Saas-Fee
Culinary (cheese), HikingDay tour
Go winter hiking in Saas-Fee and take a "Raclette to go" with you. You borrow a backpack from our partner, which is filled with delicious delicacies.

Offered by Swiss Activities: www.swissactivities.com

  • Easy, online, free cancellation in most cases
  • Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
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Winter fun in Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee is a paradise for snow lovers. It’s surrounded by 18 peaks of more than 4000 m high. This means that snow is practically guaranteed.

Several snow areas can be reached directly from the village: Plattjen, Felskinn-Mittelallalin and Spielboden-Längfluh. Even more snow fun is available in the ski areas of the nearby villages Saas-Almagell and Saas-Grund.

Apart from skiing and snowboarding, winter activities include ice skating, curling, sledging, winter hiking and snowshoe hiking. Guided glacier tours and an adventure forest with zip lines are available too.

Summer activities in Saas-Fee

Hiking, visiting mountaintops and mountain biking are the main summer excursions in Saas-Fee. In addition, we recommend the following:

  • Visit the Mattmarksee: a large reservoir lake with a dam at the southern end of the Saas Valley. You can reach it by bus and walk along the lake.
  • Book a guided tour in the Fee gorge. You'll descend from Saas-Fee to Saas-Grund, using ropes, ladders, and a zipline. You should never visit the gorge without a guide.

Family activities in Saas-Fee

Apart from easy hikes and mountain rides, the below options are fun for children:

  • There's a mini golf course in the village.
  • Visit the micro bowling alley.
  • Study marmots in the small Stafelwald marmot zoo.
  • Make a walk to the Wolfsgrüebe south-west of the village. You'll find a public barbecue area and a playground there.
  • Have fun on the Feeblitz toboggan run.

Saas-Fee travel tips and map Copy link to clipboard

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How to reach Saas-Fee by public transport

Saas-Fee can best be reached by bus from the larger towns Brig or Visp in the Rhone Valley. The main bus station in the village is called "Saas-Fee, Busterminal".

This is how long it takes to reach Saas-Fee:

You can plan your trips to, from and in Saas-Fee with the aid of the timetable.

How to reach Saas-Fee by car

Driving to Saas-Fee from the Rhone Valley is possible too. To our taste, the road in the Saas Valley is quite winding and narrow. So we don't recommend a car trip if you have no prior experience driving in the mountains.

The village is car-free, so you'll have to park your car in the large covered park near the bus terminal. Parking is paid.

How to get around in Saas-Fee

Saas-Fee is relatively small, but stretched out from north to south. Depending on where you're staying, you can reach most restaurants and cable car valley stations on foot.

If any walking distance is too long for you, you can rely on the local buses that offer frequent connections throughout the village. Buses are also the way to go if you want to explore the other villages and their activities: Saas-Balen, Saas-Grund and Saas-Almagell.

Free local trips with the SaastalCard

Your hotel, or the landlord or rental company of your holiday home, will provide a free SaastalCard upon arrival. The pass allows free local traveling by bus/cable cars, and discounts on several activities.

If you own a rail pass, you get free bus and train travel in a much wider area, and discounts on mountain transport. Options:

Learn how to pick the right rail pass here.

Switzerland map with the town Saas-Fee

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When to visit Saas-Fee Copy link to clipboard

The best time for a trip to Saas-Fee is early January to late March, early June to late September and late December.

Saas-Fee in summer: June to September

Saas-Fee is at a plateau at high altitude, and the surrounding mountains are high too. This means that spring and summer set in later than in Switzerland's lower areas. In general, June to September are the best months for hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor activities.

Saas-Fee in winter: late December to late March

The winter season can last long in this area. Cable cars and lifts are open from mid-December to early April. Some lifts already operate from late October/early November. This depends on weather and snow circumstances.

Saas-Fee in low season: November, early December, late March to May

Of course you can visit Saas-Fee in shoulder seasons. The great advantage is the peace and quiet you'll experience in the village.

But your choice of activities will be limited. Some hotels and restaurants may be closed. Hiking trails may be muddy or snow-covered.

Weather in Saas-Fee Copy link to clipboard

What's weather in Saas-Fee like?

Due to its high elevation, it's relatively cold in Saas-Fee. Summer daytime temperatures in the village range from 10°C to 15°C.

In winter, it usually freezes at night. Frost during the day is common too. Average daytime winter temperatures are 0°C to 3°C.

The amount of precipitation in Saas-Fee doesn't vary a lot during the year. In winter months, snow in the village is very likely. Snow can even fall in spring and autumn too.

Weather in Saas-Fee is changeable in any season. Clouds, showers, and sunny spells can all occur in rapid succession. But stable sunny weather is no exception either.

5-day forecast for Saas-Fee

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What Saas-Fee is like

Location and scenery

Saas-Fee is situated at the very end of the Saas Valley, which is one of the southern side valleys of the Rhone Valley. It’s in the Swiss canton Valais. The village is on a plateau above the valley, and at higher altitude than the other villages Saas-Balen, Saas-Grund, and Saas-Almagell.

Saas-Fee can be reached by car and bus, but cars are not allowed into the village. Drivers have to park at the entrance of the village. There’s no train line in the Saas Valley.

The town is surrounded by some of Switzerland’s highest peaks. These form a stunning area for mountain visits and all sorts of outdoor activities.

How much time to spend in Saas-Fee

We would advise staying at least three nights to fully enjoy this region. There’s enough to do to spend two or more weeks here though.

Pros and cons of Saas-Fee

Plenty of outdoor activities year-long

Hiking, biking, winter sports and just enjoying the Alps are reasons to come to Saas-Fee. You can often ski and snowboard here all year, even in summer if you’re experienced. There’s excellent transportation into the mountains.

All facilities you need as a tourist

The village isn’t large, but it is fully focused on catering to demanding tourists. There’s a fine selection of shops and restaurants.

An isolated location

You’d best focus on local activities if you stay in Saas-Fee, as the village is quite isolated. It takes close to an hour to get to other towns of some size, such as Visp and Brig in the Rhone Valley. From there, you can continue traveling to other areas.

This is why we wouldn’t choose Saas-Fee as a base to explore a larger area.

Changing weather

Saas-Fee is located amidst the mountains, so the weather can vary a lot. It can rain for days, but clear sunny days are common as well.

Other websites of interest

More about the Valais Copy link to clipboard

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Annika
Page author: AnnikaSince early childhood I've been visiting Switzerland during my holidays and I just fell in love with the country. I spent many summers in the Bernese Oberland, which still feels like my second home, and then started to explore other areas. Traveling, hiking and photographing in the Swiss Alps are my absolute favorite activities.