Grächen is on a shelf above the Mattertal. This is the driest village in Switzerland & your best bet for zero rain is September. It is very pleasant to bide a wee in Grächen but it is also an important staging point for other trips.

Go to Brig (as described on the index page). Take the BVZ (Zermatt) train to St. Niklaus & either take the post bus up to Grächen or the 1 hr walk up (see this link for the walk). You can also do the stiffer 2.5 hr walk up from Stalden (an earlier train stop on the BVZ) on this link.

...you need somewhere to stay. I either stay in the Hotel Zum See (beautiful setting), which is a 100 metre slog above the village or the Hotel Alpha, when it is necessary to be in the village. There are many other hotel options.

First afternoon walk - to the Hannig Alp

This is the Grächen Hannigalp. There are lots of Hannigalps! A gentle walk from the village up past the Hotel Zum See & throught the woods for most of the way. There is skiing here in the winter and magnificent views north to the Berner Oberland. South. the ridge continues to the Balfrin but non-rock climbers will get little further! The beautiful Brunegghorn dominates to the West. For an extended walk, go up the path in front of the cafe to the ridge above the meadow & head South over the Kleine Furgge & Grosse Furgge to the Wannihorn 2669m (or Wannenhorn on some maps). There is a different path back down to the village from there through the Heidnisch Tossen. Alternatively, from the Hannig Alp, drop down the ridge to the café Hohtschuggen, hidden (but signposted) in the woods for tea & return to Grächen village by a more-or-less contour path.		Grächen from Jungu across the valley
The Brunegghorn 3838m from the ridge. This beautiful hill dominates the area.	The Berner Oberland from just below the Wannihorn. H marks the Hannigalp	The Balfrin (see this link to climb) from the Wannihorn

Easy times - the Water tracks

Heading off southward in the woods from the Zum See & above, are irrigation channels (this is the driest Swiss village) dug along the contours, with paths on their downhill side. It is delightful & easy to walk along these, enjoy the views to the West & North and observe the wild life. There are still red (almost black) squirrels here.

In the village 1973.	An evening view of the Bietschhorn in the Berner Oberland from the water track.
View from the village of the Wannihorn & Gabelhorn 3136m (the spiky one), which is a hard rock climb. The Plattehorn is hidden by the Gabelhorn.	The Ried Glacier from the Heidnisch Tossen. The high hills (r to l) are the Durrenhorn4034m, Hohberghorn 4213m & Stecknadelhorn 4242m.	The Gabelhorn from the Plattehorn summit.

Further up the ridge - the Plattehorn

Go up the path towards the Hannigalp & take the obvious path South at point 1780 (the one you come down from the Wannihorn) about 200m past the Hotel Zum See. Keep going upwards (signpost for Heidnich Tossen at Lowizig) for about 4.5 km to the Ferichlücke 2886m, a pass below the ferocious North Face of the Ferichhorn. Ignore this (!) & turn North up the ridge over large blocks of stone to the Plattehorn summit, 3246m. The views should be even more open than from the Wannihorn but it was a filthy day when I went up, using it as a training walk for harder things to come. There is no need to go back to the Ferichlucke to get down. Head due West over the untracked rubble back to the path you came up on.

Other trips from Grächen

The Balfrin Hoheweg to Saas Fee is an attractive but quite tough back-packing way out of Grächen. This is a stage on the Monte Rose Rundtour. See this link.

You could reverse my Best Day in the Mountains trip to the Mischabel Hut above Saas-Fee by going up the Ried Glacier & staying in the Bordier Hut, before continuing to the Mischabel Hut & Saas-Fee or combine these two trips. See this link.

There is also now, a high-level footpath to Zermatt called the Europaweg, part of the Chamonix-Zermatt walk & a long & hard 2 days, on this link. Not for the faint-hearted!