Hideaways in Upper Valais: these 3 places promise relaxation

Crazy, right? It’s been less than two weeks since we trudged through the freezing cold Appenzellerland with our snowshoes, and now the snowdrops and crocuses are already blooming. But before we change the scenery here and tackle the first spring hikes in the Swiss Plateau, I would like to show you three excellent hideaways in the Upper Valais at the end of this year’s winter season. Among them is one of our well-known favorite places and two brand new discoveries. All three tips look good on both a winter and summer bucket list.

Chäserstatt – the mountain hotel far away from the hustle and bustle

I received the tip to visit the Berghotel Chäserstatt above Ernen in the Upper Valais last spring in connection with the publication of my list of recommended Swiss hotels, hostels and alpine huts. This winter, I took advantage of an announced beautiful weekend for a detour to the Binntal Landscape Park in the Upper Valais and combined it with an overnight stay at the Berghotel Chäserstatt and another night in the second tip of this post – the BerglandHof in Ernen. The perfect combination far away from winter sports areas with ski lifts and crowds of people and at the same time ideally located to go on one or the other beautiful snowshoe hike.

And so, to be honest, our stay at the Berghotel Chäserstatt starts anything but relaxed. From Mühlebach (Ernen), a sporty snowshoe trail (Chäserstatt Trail) leads through the Mühlebach Forest a good 575 metres uphill to the mountain hotel, which is located on a sun terrace at 1,777 metres above sea level. A jagged ascent, for which 2 to 3 hours of walking time should be planned, depending on your condition (and snow situation). On request (and for a corresponding surcharge), the Berghotel Chäserstatt will of course also pick you up with the snow taxi. In my opinion, however, it is precisely the ascent on foot via the Chäserstatt Trail that makes this place so special.

The rest of the afternoon we relax on the sun terrace and enjoy the panorama. If you like, you can also reserve a one-hour time slot in the small wellness area. Unfortunately, on the day of our arrival, the whirlpool broke, but the sauna worked perfectly.

Price for an overnight stay in a double room from 117 CHF
Further information: chaeserstatt.ch

Snowshoeing and other winter activities around Chäserstatt

The Berghotel Chäserstatt is located halfway along a popular ski touring route from Mühlebach towards the archipelago/Ernergale. At the same time, two signposted snowshoe trails also lead along this route. We had already completed the first of these – the Chäserstatt Trail – the day before. Now we tackle the second stage (Erner Galen Trail) and overcome another 550 metres in altitude until we reach the wide plateau of the “Ärnergale” at the archipelago. A snowshoe tour that, thanks to its altitude, can also be done well in warmer temperatures and the first spring fever in the valley below.

On the way back we make another short stop in the Chäserstatt. The take-away offer is too good to just march past. Our tip: the Chäserstatt hot dog with chili sauerkraut, bratwurst and fried onions for a fair 16 CHF.

While overnight guests can borrow snowshoes free of charge, both day-trippers and guests also have the opportunity to rent sleds (for 10 CHF). With these, you can then take the winter hiking trail back down to the valley.

BerglandHof: A hotel in Ernen as an oasis of peace in the Binn Valley

Since we have more than enough time, we do without the toboggan and march down to the valley on the winter hiking trail. This follows the course of the road, which winds down to Mühlebach in just under seven kilometres (contrary to the 2-kilometre-long Direttissima of the Chäserstatt Trail). Down in Mühlebach we follow the winter hiking trail through the pretty village centre (the oldest in Switzerland in timber construction) and reach Ernen after a good 2.5 hour walk.

Less than 5 minutes from the village square is the BerglandHof. The generational house is a hotel, a residential building and part of a biodynamic farm at the same time. An exciting project, both in terms of concept and architecture. We are immediately impressed by the great south-facing balcony of our double room. The perfect place to end this wonderful day.

The Ernergarten restaurant is also part of the business, where top chef Klaus Leuenberger helped shape the set-up and cooked up 16 GaultMillau points for the restaurant. At the end of 2020, Klaus Leuenberg retired and is now devoting himself again to his projects in Erner’s “Dorfbeiz” St. Georg. The 16 points that the Ernergarten currently still has are therefore somewhat misleading. The kitchen concept has been slightly adapted with the retirement of Klaus Leuenberger and is less extravagant, but no less refined. Every evening you can choose from a 5-course menu (vegetarian and with meat), from which you can choose from 3, 4 or 5 courses (cost for 5 courses: 65 CHF). Everything is freshly prepared and served in generous portions (a bit too lavish for us, but we have already placed this feedback directly on site) on sharing plates.

Price for an overnight stay in a double room from 190 CHF
Further information: berglandhof.ch

Winter activities around Ernen

Before we dedicate ourselves to the winter activities around Ernen, we first try our way through the rich breakfast buffet in the Ernergarten. This scores with us with the many regional products and the good coffee quality. The perfect refreshment for the subsequent winter hike along the Trusera Trail from Ausserbinn via Binnegga back to Ernen. This tour is one of many options available in Ernen.

A nice overview of winter activities is provided by the winter panorama map of the BInntal Landscape Park, which is available in the Berghotel Chäserstatt, in the BerglandHof as well as on the village square of Ernen. On it you can see at a glance the various winter hiking trails, cross-country ski trails (both in Ernen and in the direction of Goms), snowshoe trails and toboggan runs.

It is also worth taking the time to take a walk through Ernen and marvel at the various historic houses around the village square. This is also where the St. Georg is located, where Klaus Leuenberger himself prepares fresh take-away dishes every day from Wednesday to Sunday. And directly behind the restaurant on the village square is BnB Chez Pia with the BerglandHof shop on the ground floor. Here you can buy the regional products that are served in the Ernergarten as souvenirs to take home.

Nest- & Bietschorn: the gourmet hotel in the Lötschental

For this last tip, we switch from the Binntal Landscape Park to the no less bustling Lötschental. Both valleys are located away from the main traffic axes and have long relied on gentle, sustainable tourism. Already in the summer of 2015 we reported on the Genusshotel Nest- & Bietschhorn. But since then, a lot has happened not only with us, but also with the Hotel Nest- & Bietschorn. The hotel rooms, which were furnished in a rustic style at the time, have been given a “makeover” that is worth seeing. And Laurent Huber’s creative cuisine, which we praised even back then, has since earned two more points. Even with 15 GaultMillau points and a refreshed room look, the soul of the Hotel Nest- & Bietschhorn has remained the same. Down-to-earth, charming and focused on quality – just the way we like it.

Price for an overnight stay in a double room from 100 CHF
Further information: nest-bietschorn.ch

Winter activities in the Lötschental

While two years ago we had taken a winter hike including a sleigh ride on the Lauchernalp on a beautiful winter’s day, the weather was not so kind to us this time. Actually, we had envisaged the winter classic in the Lötschental – the hike from Blatten to the Fafleralp. In the end, it was a short round from Blatten via Eiseten to Weissenried and back. The Binntal and the Lötschental are similar in that there is also a wide selection of winter activities away from the ski slopes in the Lötschental. However, due to the partly exposed and steep slopes, the avalanche situation must always be kept in mind when making a detour to the Lötschental.

Note: in the new room at the Hotel Nest- & Bietschhorn we were allowed to test sleep by invitation. We organized the other two hotel stays ourselves and also paid for them out of our own pockets.