Family Fun in Saas-Fee: The Easy, Wow-Packed Family Getaway

Joanna Rogowska
11 minutes ago
8 min read

Car-free alpine base with year-round family highlights: Feed marmots at Spielboden, ride the Feeblitz mountain coaster, hike the app-guided “Eddie & Mountain Weather” trail on Hannig (playground at the top), and pop up to Mittelallalin via Metro Alpin for glacier fun; free gondolas with SaastalCard (Metro Alpin excluded).

Saas-Fee | Canton of Valais (Switzerland)

The "it" factor

What makes it special:

Car-free, postcard setting: Saas-Fee car-free village sits at 1,800 m, surrounded by 13 four-thousanders
Year-round snow play: Go up to Mittelallalin (3,500 m) via gondola + Metro Alpin for instant glacier fun and a revolving restaurant.
Marmot magic: At Spielboden, kids can meet (and often hand-feed) friendly marmots on a short loop.
Themed learning trail: Hannig – “Eddie & Mountain Weather” app-guided hike with hands-on stations, quizzes, and a great summit playground.
Thrill break in the village: Feeblitz mountain coaster—steep lift up, fast ride down, huge grins.
Family-friendly base: Compact village with sports complex, mini-golf, rope park (seasonal), pool/spa, cafés, and shops—easy to fill a day without big logistics.
Free lifts with SaastalCard: With most stays you get the SaastalCard = free cable cars all stay long

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Saas-Fee Walk-Through Video

Check out our step-by-step story on Instagram!

The fun factor

Saas-Fee—the “Pearl of the Alps”—is a charming car-free village at 1,800 meters, surrounded by 13 four-thousand-meter peaks that give it a uniquely dramatic, high-alpine setting. It’s an amazing spot for a family getaway—whether you’re planning a day trip, a weekend escape, or a whole week (and beyond).

This article focuses on Saas-Fee within the broader Saas Valley. The neighboring villages—Saas-Almagell and Saas-Grund—also offer plenty for families and are well worth exploring, and we hope to cover them in a future guide.

There are tons of family activities in Saas-Fee—we’re just sharing our favourites. For the full list, start here, and try Eddie’s Bingo Mania: pick up a free bingo sheet at the tourist office, scan QR codes around the Saas Valley, and complete fun mini-challenges to fill your card and enter for prizes. It’s basically a kid-friendly scavenger hunt that nudges you toward the top family experiences across the valley—so you end up discovering more, with a playful goal that keeps everyone moving.

Below are our top Family Fun Factors that for us, make Saas-Fee a standout for families.

Here are our top 6 Fun Factors of Saas-Fee

Feed the Marmots on Murmeli Trail

One of the coolest things in Saas-Fee is that you can actually feed wild marmots at Spielboden Murmeli Trail (2,448 m).

Take the Spielbodenbahn up, pick up a small bag of peanuts (CHF 6) at the Spielboden mountain restaurant (or at the Saas-Fee Tourist Office beforehand), then follow the short ~500 m loop around the mountain station—marmots roam freely here and often come right up to you. We visited in early autumn and met five marmots within minutes; a couple even ate from our hands.

Along the path you’ll find information boards (with audio/QR content, incl. English) about their lives and how to interact responsibly.

The loop itself is short but runs over stony mountain paths, so it’s not stroller-friendly. We’d recommend it only for kids who are already comfortable walkers in alpine terrain, and good shoes are a must.

If you want to make more of it, you can extend the walk into a full hike down to Saas-Fee village—about 6 km with ~1,000 m descent, which will take 2–3 hours depending on your pace. There are no adventure stations on that section—so we opted for the gondola back to the village. See more in our Instagram Stories.

2. Conquer the Mittelallalin Glacier

We’re big fans of every season—but our favourite is when you get two seasons in one day! In Saas-Fee you can chase fresh snow any time of year up on the Mittelallalin Glacier at 3,500 m. It’s super doable with kids: gondola up, then the Metro Alpin (world’s highest underground metro—tiny thrill already!). At the top it’s instant snow play—waterproof shoes recommended—plus a viewing platform with big-moment views. You can also go skiing up here. We skipped it this time, but it’s an option year-round.

For a cosy break, head to the world’s highest revolving restaurant. It turns so slowly you barely notice… until you try our kid game: pop a small object on the inner ledge and wait for it to glide back to you—magic.

There’s also Virtual Allalin - a VR flight over the glacier (including in English) that our kid loved —perfect warm-up between snow bursts and hot chocolate.

3. Ride Feeblitz Mountain Coaster (Toboggan)

After coming down to the village, we headed straight for the Feeblitz mountain coaster—and since there was no queue, we rode it three times in a row. You’re pulled up on what Saas-Fee calls the steepest toboggan lift in the Alps, then descend up to 40 km/h over roughly 900 m track. As a bonus, the lift ride gives you a wide panorama over Saas-Fee!

Here’s a sneak preview from our experience — audio included :)

4. Embark on Eddie and the Mountain Weather Themed Trail

On the other side of Saas-Fee, head up to Hannig for a different kind of mountain day. There’s a restaurant with a playground at the top with fantastic views (we only saw them in photos—our day was super foggy), and right beside it you’ll find a board with a QR code—scan it, download the app, and follow the in-app map to start the “Eddie and the mountain weather” themed trail. Note: the hike isn’t signposted on the ground; you navigate only via the app, and access costs CHF 15 per group/family.

The app packs weather facts, short videos, and quizzes, which worked well for slightly older kids, while younger ones (and older too) loved the hands-on stations along the trail: a world-map puzzle, Jenga (you’ll get a code in the app to open a chest with the blocks on the route), sense-testing challenges, and more. Simple, fun and engaging—and a nice balance of learning and play.

The final station sits in the forest with a cute Mälchbodu playground, barbecue spots (check ahead—they may be closed during fire risk), and a small lake. Pack a picnic—there are tables—and linger a bit; it’s a lovely way to end the hike.

Eddie and the Mountain Weather Food Factor

The hike starts next to the Hannig restaurant with a playground.

Along the hike you’ll pass a little cheese shop, Alpe Hannig, for picnic supplies and, further on, Restaurant & Café Alpenblick— with binoculars, big views, and honest, authentic food (we loved the deer salad), reachable only on foot.

At the finish, Mälchbodu playground has a picnic table and barbecue spots—check in advance as BBQs may be closed during fire hazard periods.

Eddie and the Mountain Weather Fitness Factor

The official route is 2.8 km with about 402 m down; to return to the start you add another 1 km with roughly 522 m down through the forest. The first stretch is stony and a bit steeper, so take care at the top, but it soon eases into a gentle forest path. Overall, the path isn’t difficult. A note for families: the trail is not stroller-friendly.

5. Extend the adventure with a Fairytale Trail

From the end of Eddie & the Weather, you can extend your day on the Märliweg (Fairytale Trail) between Mälchbodu and Bärufalla. Winding through larch forest, the route is dotted with beautifully illustrated story boards that follow Pia and bring local Saas Valley legends—including the dwarf realm “Gotwergi”—to life with simple, tactile elements in nature.

For us, the Eddie trail (with stops) took almost a full day, so we only checked out the beginning of the Märliweg—it looked lovely, and we’re hoping to return and do the full route.

6. Hang out in Saas-Fee Village

If you just want to hang out in the village, there’s plenty to do. Think sports complex, mini golf, rope park (it was closed for renovation during our visit but looks great—reopening in 2026), Aqua Allalin, swimming pool with wellness center, and of course lots of shops and cafés. And the village itself is surrounded by beautiful mountains, so even simply wandering around feels fantastic.

The views factor

The views here are jaw-dropping—every corner looks like a postcard.

From the village, it just feels good to be surrounded by dramatic peaks—those big, glacier-tipped mountains are in sight from café tables, shop-lined lanes, and every little square.

Ride up to Mittelallalin (3,500 m) and you’re suddenly in snow-and-glacier territory with wide-open, high-alpine vistas.

Over at Spielboden/Murmeli, the outlook is more rocky and stony, a rugged stage where marmots pop up with sweeping views behind them.

And on Hannig, you start on stony, open slopes before the trail dives into quiet larch forest—a gorgeous contrast that shows just how much variety Saas-Fee packs into a single day.

The food factor

We’re not foodies or food bloggers, so take this as one family’s honest take — but every time we’re in Saas-Fee, we end up eating really well. You’ll find the classic mountain comfort dishes alongside plenty of variety, and there’s even an official Culinary Trail that pairs an easy hike with tasting stops at several restaurants. During our latest stay, three spots stood out:

Zur Mühle — decadent truffle fondue and super cute decor.
Essstube — creative plates, beautifully executed, genuinely delicious.
Alpenblick — gorgeous terrace with binoculars to soak in the view and honest, authentic food (our deer salad was amazing). Note: reachable only by hiking.

If you’re more into barbecues, check options in advance — on our visit, the hike’s BBQ pits were closed due to fire hazard.

The comfort factor

There are over 500 accommodations in the Saas Valley, and ~460 of them are SaastalCard partner properties.

You can stay in hotels, family-run guesthouses/B&Bs, holiday apartments, chalets, aparthotels, hostels, and holiday homes (self-catering).

Our pick: Hotel Mistral — perfectly located near the gondolas and right by shops and restaurants. They include the SaastalCard (which gives you free access to all gondolas), offer pick-up/drop-off in the car-free village, and have fantastic staff.

We loved the family apartment setup: two bedrooms, living room, two bathrooms, plus a kitchen—so you get home-style space with hotel perks (helpful staff when needed and breakfast at the hotel). And the view from our room was amazing!

The value factor

2025 Prices

With almost any accommodation you’ll get free hiking tickets during your stay!

Just ask if your place includes the SaastalCard: free cable cars throughout your stay (Metro Alpin excluded — and only needed for the glacier trip) plus free PostBus in the valley. It’s valid at the lifts on either your arrival or your departure day.

If you’re visiting for a day—or your accommodation doesn’t include the SaastalCard—here are the prices:

Kids under 6 years old: Free (all tickets)

Spielboden (Marmot Trail)

Return (up & down): Adults CHF 50 · Kids (6–15) CHF 25

Hannig (Eddie and Mountain Weather Themed Trail)

One way: Adults CHF 30 · Kids CHF 15
App access required: CHF 15 per group/family to participate in the themed trail

Glacier / Mittelallalin (via Felskinn + Metro Alpin)

Saas-Fee ↔ Mittelallalin (return): Adults CHF 79 · Kids CHF 39.50
Metro Plus ticket (with SaastalCard): one-time CHF 45 (kids CHF 38) = unlimited Mittelallalin rides during your stay + VirtuAllalin entry

Hiking Pass (Saas Valley) — for guests without SaastalCard

Valid on all cable cars in Saas-Fee/Saastal for hiking (not skiing). Redeemable flexibly within 7 days

2 days: Adults CHF 109 · Kids CHF 80
4 days: Adults CHF 169 · Kids CHF 140
6 days: Adults CHF 229 · Kids CHF 184

📌 More ticket options available

Saas-Fee Family Adventures | Practical Info

Arrival by car: Park in the official village car park (Dorfpl., 3906 Saas-Fee) just outside the village, then either walk to your accommodation, take a taxi, or ask your accommodation for a pickup if they offer it.
Arrival by public transport: Take the train to Visp, then the PostBus straight to Saas-Fee. From Zürich or Bern it’s often faster than driving!

More info: Website | All Family Activities | Accommodations | Arrival