The Urseren Valley is the flat-bottomed alpine basin at about 1440 metres in which Andermatt sits. The valley floor runs roughly southwest to northeast, ringed by peaks that rise steeply on all sides, and gives the village its characteristic boxed-in quality — you are at the center of things, with passes going out in three directions.
In summer the valley meadows are excellent for walking and cycling: the flat valley floor makes easy progress, while the surrounding trails climb to high pastures, mountain huts, and the passes themselves. The Reuss river, which drains the valley north through the Schöllenen Gorge, rises from a spring below the Furka Pass. The valley has been inhabited since prehistoric times and small stone chapels mark routes that pilgrims and traders walked for centuries.