Zermatt + Saas Fee

Hi -

I'm going to be in Switzerland for the last part of January. I've been to Zermatt before, but would like to visit Saas Fee on the same trip. I'm thinking of staying in one area (not sure which one first), then taking a train back to Visp to transfer to the other area for the remainder of the trip. My other thought was to stay in Visp and take the train in each day, but that frankly feels like a work commute.

Has anyone out there visited these two areas in one trip? Any tips/suggestions?

Many thanks!

The bus from Visp to Saas Fee runs every half-an-hour and takes 50 minutes. The train to Zermatt runs at a similar frequency and takes an hour and eight to 12 minutes. Visp has a reputation of being a pretty utilitarian place but I've only changed buses and trains there.

LOTA wrote:Visp has a reputation of being a pretty utilitarian place but I've only changed buses and trains there.

That's perhaps the nicest thing anybody has ever said about Visp! Visp is an industrial town; it's the home of several chemical / pharmaceutical manufacturers that make, among other things, the active ingredient in slug pellets and the vaccine substance for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. As it receives lots of business travellers, you might find it difficult to find accommodation there, and traveling to Saas Fee or Zermatt every day would be tedious.

If you don't want to stay in Saas Fee or Zermatt, you could stay in Saas Grund or Täsch. If you decide to move from Saas Fee to Zermatt or vice versa, you only need to travel to Stalden, from there you can catch a bus to Saas Fee or a train to Zermatt.

Good plan but be careful if planning to change at Stalden. In December, the 511 bus to and from Saas Fee did not stop at the railway station due to construction work. My understanding is this restriction continues.

Thanks to all for their helpful replies. I'm going to stay in town at each resort, rather than attempting to 'commute' from Visp.

The bus stop at Stalden railway station (Stalden Saas) is currently in service, there is a 1-minute walk from the railway platform to the bus stop. The only stop on the Stalden – Saas Fee route that is not in service is Stalden Illas, which is closed due to the construction of the long-awaited Stalden bypass. This does not affect journeys to and from Saas Fee.

Hi everyone -

I ended up switching my January trip from Switzerland to Utah. But now I'm thinking of Zermatt and Saas Fee for early-mid March. From what I can see, their snow drought is continuing, though. Is anyone from this forum there now (or recently)? How are the on-piste conditions? (I know that off-piste is likely off limits for the rest of the season).

If no one has any recent info, can anyone recommend a good source for up-to-date, skier-reported conditions?

Many thanks!

Just back from Zinal, which is in the same canton. Very decent conditions up high, pistes very hard lower down. Off-piste marginal.