Most villages in the Goms valley are noted for sun-browned wooden houses, but the heart of Obergesteln (1355 m) consists of stone-built houses, the result of a disastrous fire in 1868. Despite being tiny, the village has a wide range of leisure options.

Diverse hiking trails, two signposted Nordic walking trails, several beautiful mountain-bike trails, a children’s playground with barbecue grills, two tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool with wellness facilities and the Crystal, Korn- & Stadel Museum (on farming) in the village centre are among the tourist attractions in the tiny municipality of about 200 inhabitants. Obergesteln also lies on the Rhone cycle route and on the Via Sbrinz, the long-distance hiking trail from Lucerne over the nearby Grimsel and Gries Passes to Domodossola. The village’s own nine-hole golf course «Source du Rhone» lies on the banks of the River Rhone and with its length of 6040 metres is one of the longest golf courses.

Goms is an excellent cross-country skiing area and runs directly past Obergesteln. The Matterhorn Gotthard Railway with stations in almost every village in the Goms valley enables a very varied cross-country skiing holiday. The former top cross-country ski racer Koni Hallenbarter runs a cross-country ski school at Obergesteln. The chairlift in nearby Oberwald takes skiers up to Hungerberg, where several skilifts access a scenic winter-sports area (up to 2080m altitude). In summer the chairlift serves hikers and walkers.

Highlights

• Goms cross-country ski runs – snow-sure Goms is one of the best-known cross-country skiing areas in Switzerland with a piste network of almost 100 km.
• Furka mountain section – under full steam from Gletsch through a marvellous mountain world: on the former section of the Furka Railway in two hours to Realp in Canton Uri.