A Short Break in Saas Fee

Catherine, May 2023

Our European Product Manager, Catherine, spent a few days last winter in charming Saas Fee...

Saas Fee is a superb Swiss ski resort. With picture postcard charm, fantastic high altitude skiing and amazingly warm hospitality, put this beautiful village at the top of your list for your next ski holiday.

High altitude skiing and pretty Alpine villages don’t normally go hand-in-hand. Saas Fee, however, with most skiing above 2500m and one of the most charming resorts in the world, is the exception to the rule. Affectionately knows as the Pearl of the Alps it’s easy to see how it acquired its nickname.

The Saas Fee ski area is relatively small but perfectly formed with just over 100km of pistes to explore. The highest ski point is at 3600m and you can ski all the way down to the village at 1800m making this one of the longest descents in Europe. The high altitude glacier skiing also ensures great snow conditions all season long. Maybe I was just really lucky, but the best thing for me about the ski area was how quiet the slopes were. On numerous occasions I literally had an entire slope to myself!

If you’re here for longer than just a few days, there’s more skiing available in both Saas Grund and Saas Almagell which can be accessed using the local bus service.

As most of the uplift is provided via gondolas, cable cars and funicular (with a fair few T-bars and Poma lifts thrown in as well) the resort also works well if you aren’t skiing, especially if you invest in a pedestrian lift pass. I travelled with a non-skier and it was so easy to meet up on the mountain for a coffee or spot of lunch. Non skiers and skiers alike can also enjoy the Feeblitz toboggan ride, which is a great way to round off a day on the slopes.

My favourite mountain restaurant was the Gletschergrotte and I thoroughly recommend a visit. It’s a charming, traditional mountain hut with stunning views over the entire ski area – a fantastic spot to watch the world go by. You’ll also find a great atmosphere at the bottom of the slopes every day with a number of lively bars offering good-natured après.

The village itself is so picturesque with an extensive choice of shops and restaurants. Surrounded by stunning peaks and full of traditional chalets, it’s just a lovely place to wander round and spend some time.

I stayed at the 4-star Hotel Allalin (a lovely hotel run by the Zurbriggen family) where a warm welcome awaits. The hotel is full of beautiful hand-carved furniture and the standard of food at the restaurant is excellent with a daily 5 course menu. My room was modern, spacious and comfortable with stunning views from the balcony. The hotel offers free ski storage at the bottom of the main lift so it’s easy to get on the slopes each day. My stay was perfect in every respect and the quality of hospitality at this hotel is superb.

If you’d like any more information about a stay in Saas Fee or any of our other featured resorts, please call our Ski Specialists on 0131 243 8097 and we’ll be happy to help.