Grächen ski resort guide & reviews Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in Grächen
Resort review
Grächen ski resort sits on a sunny high plateau at 1620m above the Matter Valley in Valais. Its accessed by the same road from Visp that takes you up to the glacial ski resorts of Saas Fee and Zermatt.
This pretty ski resort is not that well known outside of Valais yet is one of the best family ski resorts around with excellent facilities off and on the slopes.
Après-ski
There is a very good selection of apres-ski venues with 35 restaurants and 12 bars that tend to get very busy at weekends with the Valais locals. For late night entertainment, there are 2 clubs / discos.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1620m |
| Top lift | 2868m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 44 |
| Longest run | 7 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 5 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 1 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Relaxed |
Grächen ski area guide
There are 44kms of pistes across the carousel split between....
Blue - 9kms
Red - 33kms
Black - 2kms
Beginners
In addition to the begimnners area that has a magic carpet for first timers, there are 9kms of gentle blue pistes. The nursery slopes are located at the top of the gondola.
Intermediate
Grächen ski area is ideal for early intermediate skiers and boarders with 31kms of red trails most of which are on Hannigalp and Seetalhorn ski areas.
Advanced
There is a limited amount of really challenging terrain with just 2kms of pistes and hardly any off-piste opportunities on the local slopes. However, advanced skiers are in for a treat as there are some fantastic 1 day ski touring possibilities.
The Platthorn ski tour takes you up to 3,246m and starts from the Seetalhorn Station. It involves a 1.5 hour ascent towards Eisten or Gasenried followed by amazing powder trails back down to Grächen.
Things to see & do
For those days where you simply dont want to put skis on, there are plenty of other activities to hand...
| A few suggestions... | |
|---|---|
| Snowshoeing | ✔ |
| Spa & wellness | ✔ |
| Sports centre with indoor swimming pool | ✔ |
| Ice skating | ✔ |
| Ice climbing | ✔ |
| Tobogganning | ✔ |
One of the toboggan runs is 3km long and stretches from Hannigalp to Grächen Lake with some great steep bends.
Families & kid's clubs
Grächen was awarded the "Families Welcome label" by the Swiss Tourism Federation which means it provides top-class activity programmes, family-friendly accommodation and amenities such as day nurseries and babysitting services.
During the winter, there are daily activities organised for tiny tots and older children plus the ski schools accept children from the age of 3 for ski lessons. There are four children’s parks, a sledge run and the crèche, the cost of which is included with the skipass.
Our View on Grächen
For a relaxing family ski holiday, Grächen takes some beating as its one of the most child friendly ski resorts around. Combined with fantastic views of the surrunding peaks, great mountain restaurants and excellent ski touring opportunities, Grächen is a hidden gem.
