Grächen

Grächen sits on a broad sun terrace at 1,619 metres above St Niklaus in the Mattertal, about thirty-five minutes' drive away. The village is first mentioned in 1295 as de Grangiis, has been accessible by road since 1953, and today has just over twelve hundred residents. The centre is largely traffic-free.

The ski area has 44 kilometres of piste between 1,619 and 2,864 metres with ten lifts, of which nine kilometres are easy, 33 kilometres intermediate and two kilometres difficult, a split that explains why Grächen is known as a family area. The Hannigalpbahn takes you to the mid-station at 2,114 metres, the heart of the area. Non-skiers will find more than 38 kilometres of winter walking paths and 23 kilometres of snowshoe routes, including the Königsroute from the Hannigalp to the Wannihorn. Snow biking is available too.

The real reason to visit Grächen in summer is the walking network: more than 250 kilometres of paths starting at 1,620 metres. The high-altitude route from the Hannigalp to Saas-Fee is the classic, a demanding day hike from June to October, crossing a wooden footbridge over the Schweibbach along the way, linking two valleys. For families there's the Fragender Rundweg near the Hannigalp, a themed trail with thirty questions and QR codes that keep children entertained for hours.

Mountain bikers will find a flow trail here, the Mattsand Enduro and the Gspon Panorama, plus a stage of the Valais Alpine Bike Tour that climbs to 2,005 metres. Anyone after something calmer can go llama trekking or take a tandem paragliding flight off the mountain. Grächen also sits at one end of the Europaweg, the multi-day high route that runs from here to Zermatt.