The perfect ski holiday in Saas-Fee, the off-the-radar resort that’s Zermatt in miniature
The gorgeous little, traffic-free village of Saas-Fee looks a bit like a small Zermatt with its dark wooden chalets, and it is surrounded by magnificent glaciers and mountain peaks, including the Dom – the highest mountain located entirely within Switzerland.
Saas-Fee’s ski area is one of the highest in the Alps, popular for summer skiing on the glacier as well as the winter pistes that spread over a bigger area. The village is based on an old farming community and retains its charm (and its cowsheds full of overwintering cattle) despite substantial expansion since the first access road was built in 1951.
Most of the slopes are north-facing and above 2,500m, which makes for very reliable and light powdery snow. The whole area is relatively small, with just 100km of pistes, which keen skiers and snowboarders are likely to cover within a couple of days, and best suits confident beginners and intermediates.
Stay on track with the essential facts from the resort below, and scroll down for our insider guide to a day on the pistes, expert ratings and advice. For further Saas-Fee inspiration, see our guides to the resort's best accommodation, restaurants and après ski.
In this guide:
Inside the resort
Saas-Fee's narrow streets, lined with attractive old buildings and newer low-rise chalets, are a charming setting for a stroll. And the surrounding mountains are stunning – known as the Pearl of the Alps, the resort has 13 peaks measuring 4,000m and higher towering above it.
The village is traffic‑free, with car parks at the entrance and electric buses, taxis and hotel vehicles to ferry people around. It gets very little sun in early season, so March and April are good months to visit, when temperatures in the resort and on the mountain are warmer – December and January can be bitterly cold.
After the access gondola to Felskinn, an underground funicular speeds through the mountain to Mittelallalin and the resort’s glacier at 3,500m (for 2025, two carriages have been replaced, providing more compartments, more space for passengers and better suspension). Beware though – the air is thin up there, so it’s a good idea to walk slowly when getting out to acclimatise. Also: make sure you visit the world’s highest revolving restaurant, Allalin – the floor revolves under diners and drinkers, allowing 360-degree views of the surrounding ring of 4,000m peaks.
There’s also Ice Cave Allalin, built deep in the glacier with stunning ice sculptures, along with explanations of how the ice was formed and how it changes, and an avalanche simulation experience. Entrance costs CHF 20 (approx £18).
Unusually, Saas-Fee also has a whole mountain, Hannig, devoted to activities other than skiing and snowboarding – snowshoeing, tobogganing, parapenting (paragliding) or walking on cleared paths. For 2025, the Hannig lift has been overhauled and now carries 10 people per gondola, instead of four. There’s a leisure centre as well, with a 25m pool, kids’ pool and water slide, hot tub, a variety of saunas and steam rooms, and a gym, plus a natural ice rink, and the Feeblitz, a fun rollercoaster-style ride on rails.
On the slopes
Saas-Fee’s ski area is ideal for confident beginners and leisurely intermediates who want runs with great snow and are happy to cover the same ground several times in a week.
The glacier area and most of the top half of the mountain are ideal for them. Even runs that are marked red here are generally very gentle, and would be classified blue in many resorts.
More adventurous intermediates will want to try the steeper reds to be found on the lower runs back to the village and in the Längfluh, Spielboden and Plattjen sectors; but the snow here is rarely as good as the lovely powdery snow to be found on the higher slopes. And the blues back to the village are largely narrow tracks – not good for timid skiers or snowboarders, who can catch the lifts back down to avoid them.
There's a powerful lift system, starting with a 30-person gondola that whisks 1,500 people per hour from the village up to Felskinn at 3,000m.
There are few steep pistes to challenge experts, and off-piste is severely limited by the deep crevasses which make venturing away from the pistes on the glacier extremely dangerous. However, Saas-Fee is an excellent starting point for ski touring and forms an extension of the classic Chamonix-to-Zermatt Haute Route. And descending the 1,700m vertical from the top to bottom of the mountain is a challenge for all abilities.
The area is pretty much perfect for learners. There’s a dedicated beginner area at the edge of the village, which generally has good snow and is covered by a special beginner lift pass. Ideal progression slopes are found up on the glacier, where top-quality powder snow is almost guaranteed.
The area is popular with freestylers and snowboarders who make the most of the top-notch terrain parks. In winter the park is at Morenia, below Felskinn, and has rails, kickers, boxes, tables and lines for all ability levels. In summer the park moves up to the glacier and is specially set up for advanced and pro freestylers, with many of the world’s top freestyle riders coming here to train. There’s also a popular chill-out area for just relaxing and enjoying the music.
Who should go?
The nursery slopes in Saas-Fee, which are covered by a special beginner lift pass, are long, gentle, quiet and only a short walk from the main street – plus the glacier area and most of the top half of the mountain are also ideal for beginners, with glorious easy blue runs up at altitude. Saas-Fee has a friendly atmosphere and is good for families as there is plenty of après-ski entertainment to keep everyone occupied.
Where to stay
Most of the accommodation in Saas-Fee is in hotels, including some smart options with spas and fancy restaurants to suit guests with deep pockets. However, families and visitors on modest budgets can find cheaper self-catering apartments in the resort’s traffic-free centre and within easy reach of the lifts. There’s limited ski-in, ski-out accommodation, but the town is a pleasure to walk through, and some outlying hotels provide shuttle services to the slopes, plus convenient ski rooms next to the lifts. New for 2025 is the Revier Hotel, which started taking bookings from mid-January and offers a relaxed, youthful vibe.
How to get there
Swiss prices and a comparatively long transfer time make Saas-Fee a little off the radar when it comes to British holidaymakers, and this is reflected in a relatively limited choice of packages offered by UK ski operators. Ski Solutions, Inghams and Crystal have a handful of hotels, ranging from three to five stars, and the Swiss Holiday Company offers an aparthotel. By public transport, the transfer time from Zurich Airport – with a connection at Visp and a bus journey to Saas-Fee – is three hours, 20 minutes. From Geneva, it’s just under three hours by car. Rail is via Basel and Berne to Visp.
When to go
Opening date: November 1 2024
Closing date: April 27 2025
With one of the highest and most snow-sure of the Alpine glaciers, Saas-Fee is one of the most reliable resorts for guaranteed conditions for early and late season, and indeed for year-round skiing. However, the runs back to the resort can get worn and slushy – and the extent of its slopes isn’t huge, so overcrowding at busy times can be a problem. It has a full programme of events, with an Ice Climbing World Cup (Jan 24-25), Carnival in the Saas Valley (Feb 21 to March 3), Christmas and Easter celebrations, and a season-end party with parades through the resort (April 26). St Valentine’s Day is a calendar standout too.
Know before you go
Essential information
British Embassy/Consulate: 00 31 359 77 00
Ambulance: dial 144
Police: dial 117
Fire: dial 118
Tourist office: See saas-fee.ch, the website for the Saas Fee Tourist Board, for weather reports, lift status, webcams, traffic details and local event listings. Pick up maps, leaflets and other information from the office on the main roundabout in the centre of Saas Fee.
The basics
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Telephone code: from abroad, dial 00 41, then leave off the zero at the start of the 10-figure number.
Time difference: +1 hour
