3 Best Sights in Valais, Switzerland

Saas-Fee is at the heart of a circle of mountains called the Mischabel, 13 of which tower more than 13,120 feet. Among them is the Dom (14,908 feet), the highest mountain entirely on Swiss soil.

The Eispavillon combines fascinating construction with a dash of kitsch and lets you look beneath the frozen surface of the earth. More than 25 feet below the ice pack, the cavernous facility provides an impressive view of the surreal, frozen environment inside glacial formations. Bring a coat or sweater—it's literally freezing down there. There are ice sculptures, exhibits on glaciology and crevasse rescue, and even a chapel-like room for meditation, concerts, and art shows. To reach the Eis Pavillon, take the Alpin Express or Felskinn cable car up to Felskinn before switching to the underground funicular—the world's highest (prepare yourself for a drastic change in altitude).

Saas-Fee lies in a deep valley that leaves no doubt about its source—it seems to pour from the vast, intimidating Fee Glacier. "Fee" can be translated as "fairy," and this primordial landscape could illustrate a fairy tale. See it up close by taking a gondola up to Spielboden and then a cable car to Längfluh, right on the glacier's edge, where there's a restaurant with magnificent glacial views.