Saas-Fee
Saas Fee was not a place I knew about in detail before coming here. In fact in terms of names, outside the big cities of Switzerland, I am quite familiar with Interlaken, Grindelwald, Zermatt, etc .. these are big names. However, I was not familiar with Saas-Fee. Well I am pleasantly surprised. I can come back here over and over, although it is a very cloudy day.
Saas-Fee is often called the “Pearl of the Alps” as I am told by locals after coming here — and for good reason. It’s a high-mountain village in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, perched at 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and encircled by some of the highest peaks in the country, many topping 4,000 m. It sits on a plateau above the Saas Valley, with glaciers literally spilling down toward the rooftops.
Like Zermatt, Saas-Fee is completely car-free. Only little electric taxis and hotel shuttles are allowed. This makes the air crisp and the village very quiet — especially at night. I changed a few trains from Wengen to get to Visp and then took a bus just outside the station to get here. Took me little over 3 hours and 40 minutes to get here from Wengen.
It is raining from yesterday afternoon so peaks and top of glaciers are behind the clouds here as I took the cable car up to Hannig. Life up there is simple and perfectly balanced!
I took a panoramic cutoff the valley below. Clouds adds to the mystical nature of the valley.
Saas-Fee is surrounded by 13 peaks over 4,000 m, including the Dom (the highest mountain in Switzerland at 4,545 m). The Feegletscher (Fee Glacier) comes right down near the village. However lot of that is not visible now and I will try it tomorrow morning again if clouds clear up.
Down to the Village
Saas-Fee feels a bit more relaxed and traditional, which I like a lot. The old village still has wooden chalets and granaries dating back centuries, with the typical Valais darkened timber. In fact I took this picture as I was having a pint of Amber at Pubwise.
You can see the old and new side by side on this two pictures. Pubwise had a decent Amber for 5 CHF which for a tourist town is rather good.
Being in Valais, Saas-Fee is known for raclette, fondue, dried meats (viande séchée), and local wines. I wasn’t feeling hungry and it started to rain hard so I was going to get a bottle of wine and tuck in early.
I am told that Saas-Fee is in the Valais, the largest wine-producing region in Switzerland and since I like whites, I am recommended Heida (Païen / Savagnin Blanc) and Fendant (Chasselas). I got the second.
I thought as I have the wine with some Edamame beans (try it, you won’t regret) I should shoot some time lapse video of clouds moving over the village.
Enjoy!
That's funny. I saw Saas Fee and thought, what the flaming funk? As I work closely with an agency in Scotland named SAAS and indeed they charge fees for students!
I love a time lapse video! I did one at Ben Nevis last month. It's not as good as yours but I just remembered the function on my phone. I will need to upload it somewhere.
A fab looking time. Hope the rain clears quick!
I don’t mind the rain at all. Makes the day less tiresome and time to get multiple drinks in the evenings! Saas-Fee is a real place! I didn’t know it existed before coming here either :)
Yeah, I welcomed the odd bit of rain whilst we were up north in Scotland. Nothing makes the scenery look more dramatic than some mad cloud!
nice views! never been there - the highest hill/mountain i was traveled was in lucerne, the pilatus.
glad you added it to the map so whenever i will travel back to switzerland i will have some good spots to visit.
Cheerio.
Thank you.
There are a lot of pins at Switzerland but nothing recent until I checked and added some myself.
I was a little confused by the title at first, thinking it was maybe a SAAS (software as a service) business event haha I was pleasantly surprised by what I found instead. Those first photos of the mountains are really powerful, and I also love the vibe in the photos where the fog rolls into town. You look like you have the perfect vantage point for a nice bottle of wine and some edamame beans. I'll have to try that combination, I like both wine and edamame on their own, so I'd imagine that pairing would definitely be up my alley.
Yes, many said the same about Saas-Fee.
Try edamame with wine, anything white, it's absolutely fabulous.
Dang, I'm too deep into stocks, when I read Saas-fee I thought of Salesforce... Looks like you're enjoying the trip just as it should be! Especially the selection of beer and wine 😅 Must be quite the feeling to be enjoying that with those views.
It must be really nice to be in a car-free area. I can't even imagine that. Hopefully that idea travels, too.
I hope you get some nice pics of the glacier tomorrow. Have a good night!
Pretty much this entire trip I am staying in car free villages.
Still cloudy today. Heading to Zermatt.
Your photographs are a beautiful and profound journey through distance and time.
Thank you for making us feel closely this beautiful experience.
Greetings.
Thank you.
When I read the title, I was thinking you were going to write about "SaaS Fees" as in "Software as a Service" :)
I see Beelzael had a similar thought :)
Never knew there was a place by that name...
You guys are working too much :)
That said, as I mentioned in the post, I have never heard the name Saas-Fee before coming here.
Wow, is there an area of Switzerland that isn't beautiful? I like that they don't allow cars. We have an island like that here in Michigan and it gives a really nice feel.
I am sure they exist. Infact graffiti laden part of rail yard Geneva is not pretty. However, there are huge number of pretty places here.
It figures! You really do it justice with your photos!
Bottle of wine in a nice idyllic spot . It’s my idea of heaven . Thought I was gonna hear about a SAAS project there for a minute . Never heard of the place .
Now you have! I have done gods work :)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/c5EwAAvbQrrG599D8?g_st=ipc
The video is cool and I'm getting at such an altitude the village was cooler...
Crazy places you've traveled to, truly impressed and jealous 😂😂.
Saas Fee is an odd name pronunciation but as the name is from Switzerland it's a miracle we can pronounce it at all...
Fighting off the urge to ask...
lol! It is decently priced. Less than Zermatt, Wengen and Geneva for sure.
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Cloudy day, but still a pearl!💎 Sounds like Saas-Fee is a hidden gem worth exploring. 👍
I like it
You explained it very beautifully, it felt like I was there myself. Especially the part where you said there is no car and the weather is clear really touched my heart.
The car-free part sounds so cool and peaceful, very different from busy city life I’m used to.
Improve your KE by powering up hive.
Wow! Even though the peaks were hidden, the clouds wrapping around the valley adds a magical touch.
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I enjoyed the magnificent view while visiting your page, I hope the wine tastes good, the architectural structures are very beautiful
That panoramic view with clouds is breathtaking!