Guide to Saas Fee, Swiss Alps
The pictoresque Alpine village of Saas Fee lies surrounded by spectacular snowcovered peaks, in the Valais region of Switzerland. Most of the skiing here is high altitude and the snow quality is excellent. An underground funicular railway takes skiers up to the year-round glacier ski area. Large convenient nursery slopes lie next to the village, so children can ski whilst parents watch from the bar. Intermediates have the choice of runs and the long descent from Mittelallalin at 3500 m. There are enough black runs for the advanced to keep it interesting, with moguls on red and black runs. Like nearby Zermatt, Saas-Fee is car free, you park on the outskirts and take a bus or taxi. Once there, all the facilities are close to the slopes.
Zurich Airport (145 miles, 4 hours driving) is another option. A new direct train service from Zurich Airport to Brig (via Bern and Spiez through the Lötschberg tunnel) means only one change to Saas Fee. Accommodation in Saas FeeSaas Fee does not allow unlimited tourist development, such as in big-name Swiss resorts St Moritz and Crans Montana. About 7500 visitors can be housed in Saas Fee. Hotels are expensive but of high standard. A good number of affordable Bed & Breakfasts, spacious self catering apartments and chalets are available for the budget skier. A list is available from the tourist office. A Saas-Fee parking discount card should be available from your hotel or landlord. Wherever you stay, accommodation is never far from the slopes.Hotel Astoria is a nice 3-star, handy for both village and lifts, Hotel Europa has good food and nice rooms, La Gorge Aparthotel has rooms with kitchens. Another 6500 acommodation beds are available in 3 nearby villages Saas Almagell, Saas Grund and Saas Balen, which are resorts in themselves. Bars, restaurants and après skiMany of Saas Fee's restaurants are in hotels, but there is also a choice of independent ones. Hotel Allalin does affordable meals in a rustic setting. Hotel Dom does a good rosti, La Gorge and the Robinson Club offer excellent fondue and raclette. Or try Boccalino for pizza, the Lavern, Hotel Allalin, or Gletschergarten for traditional Swiss food. A novelty is the famous high Mittelallin mountain restaurant which spins round once an hour, so everyone gets all the views.As for apres ski nightlife in Saas Fee, excess noise in the village after 10pm is discouraged. Underground bars are soundproofed, some popular hotspots are the Popcorn disco, Happy Bar, The Crazy Night, Pic Pic (Swiss locals), Feeloch and Go Inn Bar (lively). Many also gather in bars like Chemi Stube in the Christiana, the Saaserhof, Nesti’s Ski Bar, the Black Bull or the Rendezvous. The Metropol has good dance music, billards and video games. Other ActivitiesOther activities in Saas Fee include a hairy 5 km. toboggan run, the Bielen sports centre has a large indoor swimming pool, indoor tennis court, billiards and table tennis, exercise room, whirlpools, steam bath and sauna. Also available are ice skating and parapenting, paragliding, snowshoeing, 30 km.of winter walking trails, a cinema and shopping. Then there is the Saaser Museum full of local history, and not to forget the highest and largest ice pavilion in the world, which houses an exhibition on the subject of glaciers.Saas Fee is full of snowboarders and there are as much as 4 snowboard shools here. (The village is an official training Centre for the Professional Snowboard Association). Up in the summer skiing area there is a big snowboard fun park. |
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