| Saanen
Saanen is a village, a commune and the capital of Saanenland (Gessenay, in French), just a few kilometres from the world-famous resort of Gstaad, which incidentally is part of the same commune. The entire resort region is made up of a multitude of villages and chalet hamlets, offering a diverse range of leisure activities in a beautiful and authentic Alpine landscape. There is, of course, the village of Gstaad, at 1050m above sea level, the chic resort par excellence with Saanen nearby, at 1020m, right on the language border with French-speaking Switzerland. But further up this long Saanenland valley, which extends the Pays-d'Enhaut to the northeast, are the sunny plateaus of Schönried (1230m) and Saanenmöser (1270m) before descending to Zweisimmen, at 945m, which provides access to the region's largest ski and hiking area. Further up the mountain, this time heading south, is Lauenen (1241m), a romantic mountain village whose lake has often been celebrated in song, while eastwards is Turbach (1320m), a scattered settlement in a romantic side valley. Still further south we have Feutersoey (1185m), a starting point for excursions to Lake Arnen, then Gsteig (1200m) near the Pillon Pass, beyond which we cross the language border again to descend to Les Diablerets in the Vaud Alps. Saanen is thus the heart of a whole region absolutely magnificent to discover! |
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