In early March this year, I made a solo trip to Gruyères. It was a pity back then that Vince couldn’t join me, as he was away on a business trip. Thus you could imagine our delight when we were invited by La Gruyère Tourism on a full day visit to the region once again!
In this blog post, I will be sharing my daytrip experience in Gruyères. I hope you enjoy it and are inspired to visit one day!
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About La Gruyère
La Gruyère (pronounced “groo-yair” in French) region in the canton of Fribourg is home to Switzerland’s most famous cheese. It boasts some of the most picturesque scenery in the country, with lush green hills and captivating views of mountain peaks. With its unparalleled beauty and ease of access Gruyères is an ideal destination for a weekend trip, especially if you are coming from Geneva or Lausanne.
La Gruyère consists four main touristic sites: Bulle, Charmey, Gruyères and Moléson.
How to Get to La Gruyère
From Lausanne, the train ride to La Gruyère (with two changes at Palezieux and Bulle) will get you there in just under two hours. Get your tickets from the SBB website.
If you are coming by car, the road distance from Geneva is 121km and will take approximately 1 hr 30 minutes to reach, based on varying traffic conditions.
La Maison du Gruyère
Upon arriving at La Gruyère, we started our day off by learning the art of making the region’s world renowned cheese: Le Gruyère AOP at La Maison du Gruyère. This cheese-making factory is located right in front of Gruyères train station, so you won’t miss it!
Fun facts about Le Gruyère AOP
- Le Gruyère AOP is one of the 3 most beloved cheeses in Switzerland, the other two being the Emmentaler cheese and the Tête-de-Moins. Every year, 30,000 tonnes is produced, with two-thirds consumed domestically in Switzerland! The rest are exported to the European Union and North America.
- Le Gruyère AOP is made from raw milk coming from cows fed on natural fodder without adding preserving agents (grass in summer, hay and aftergrowth in winter). The use of additives during the manufacturing and maturation process is prohibited.
- Le Gruyère AOP is produced in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura and several bordering villages in the canton of Bern.
- Le Gruyère AOP is also used to make the region’s famed Moitié-Moitié (half-half) fondue – the other half being Vacherin Fribourgeois
- I used to be very puzzled about the weird acronym “AOP”. In fact, it stands for “Appellation d’Origine Protégée”, or “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO) in English. Any products labelled with this mark in Switzerland are produced, processed and refined in a clearly defined region.
- For those who are lactose-intolerant, guess what? You can still consume Le Gruyère AOP safely! This is because the cheese is lactose-free, as it is already broken down during the production process.
Cheese-Making Tour
We went through an audio-tour, narrated by a fictional cow called Cherry. Throughout the 45 minutes, we learnt more about the historic of Gruyères, as well as the production of milk and cheese.
Certain parts of the exhibition were very interactive. There were sniffing-containers where we got to smell the scents of various flora in the high pastures of La Gruyère.
Another extra nice touch: Every visitor gets a small degustation package of 3 differently aged Gruyere cheeses to go along with your guided tour. Vince happily gobbled them up within minutes.
We then headed up to the viewing platform and peered through the large glass windows, where we got to witness the actual cheese making production in live action! I was thoroughly impressed with the preciseness and cleanliness and skill required to prepare good Gruyère cheese.
TIP: To avoid disappointment, I highly recommend visitors to check against this time-table and schedule your tour in advance, so that it coincides with the complete stages of the cheese-making process. Otherwise, you would only see the stages in a few snapshots which can be quite underwhelming.
After the tour, we went down to view the cheese cellar where the cheese are stored for maturing for up to a year. This was the first time I have seen loaves of hard cheese stored literally from floor to the ceiling!
As this is a modern cheese-making production plant after-all, the environment was kept sterile and industrial for hygiene reasons. Thus, it was not possible to get up and close with the cheese itself, which was a pity! Nevertheless, I found the visit to the La Maison du Gruyère educational and suitable for both children and adults.
While I won’t recommend coming to La Gruyère solely for this experience: If you are already in the region, it would certainly be a worthwhile opportunity to learn the makings of this famous delicacy, which is the pride of this Swiss country!
Useful Information
Opening Hours:
June to September: from 9.00 am to 6.30 pm
October to May: from 9.00 am to 6 pm
All days of the week, Last entrance: 30 min. before closing
Cheesemaking demonstration:
9.00am-11.00am and 12.30pm-2.30pm
Cost of Admission:
7 CHFfor Adults, CHF16 for a combination ticket with Château de Gruyères
Free for children under 12 and for annual Swiss Pass holders
16 CHF for families.
Moléson sur Gruyères
We then took the furnicular and cable car ride up to Moléson sur Gruyères, the region’s most famous mountain located 2000 meters above sea level.
I was like an excited kid seeing our FIRST snow of the year! We were told that in fact, it wasn’t supposed to snow this early in October. We were ill-prepared and forgot to bring along our gloves, so our fingers were so close to freezing while snapping photos!
The Moléson summit offers the most STUNNING panorama of Suisse Romande. Standing at the top, you could see the vast Lac Léman, all the way to the Jura & Trois-Lacs region, and even the Mont Blanc!
As it was the off-season right now. there wasn’t too much of a crowd at the summit, and we had views and the snow grounds all to ourselves, how lucky!
Useful Information
Furnicular and Cable-car to Moléson
Opening Hours:
Departures every 20 minutes at 9.00 am, 9.20 am, 9.40 am etc
Mon-Thu, Sun: 9.00 am – 06.00 pm
Fri and Sat: 9.00 am – 11.00 pm*
*from 6.00 pm : departures every 30 minutes
Cost of Admission:
Restaurant Le Sommet
It was soon time for lunch, and we scurried back in to Restaurant Le Sommet to get some respite from the cold.
How could one go to Gruyère and NOT taste their cheese fondue? The last time I came alone, and didn’t felt like splurging on cheese fondue by myself. This time I’m so glad to have Vince along to share this yummy cheesy pot of goodness together!
When ordering fondue, it usually comes with bread, meats or potatoes. My favourite are the potatoes, along with a side plate of acidic pickles.
This was a perfect time for us to enjoy the food along with the fantastic mountain views!
Don’t forget to finish off your meal with the famous double cream with meringue as dessert ( you won’t find it anywhere else in Switzerland!)
TIP: You can choose to enjoy cheese fondue at La Maison du Gruyère or at the old town of Gruyère, but between there and Restaurant du Sommet, I would personally recommend the latter. Because for almost the same price for lunch, you get a better view at the mountain top!
Gruyère Old Town
No trip to Gruyères is complete without a stroll through its medieval old town!
Did you know? History has it that the founder of Gruyères caught a crane (which is “Grue” in French) and picked it as his heraldic animal, hence inspiring the village’s name.
Topped alongside rustic wooden chalets, and bright flowers peppering the streets make for a picturesque moment at EVERY turn!
H.R. Giger Museum & Bar
You can’t get any bigger contrast than this: Strolling through the pristine wholesome medieval streets of La Gruyère for one moment, and then entering another INSANE alien universe the next!
The H.R. Giger Bar is a work of art, modeled in the style of the Oscar-winning Swiss artist Hans Rudolph Giger (1940-2014), who famously designed the artistic concept for Ridley Scott’s “Alien” movie in 1979.
The interior decorations are simply eye-popping. Sit in one of the high-backed, bony vault chairs, and sip on coffee as you marvel at the dramatic skeletal arches that sweep across the ceiling.
The bar itself serves quite the usual fare, and I felt that the drinks are just average at best… But really, you’re here mainly to marvel at the interior architecture and alien atmosphere!
There’s only TWO original Giger bars in the world: one here in Gruyères, the other one at Giger’s birthplace in Chur. So fans of Giger should not miss the chance to check this immersive experience off their bucket-list.
TIP: The bar is also right across from the Giger Museum, and also very near Gruyeres Castle. So if you’re visiting any of these two sites, this bar would be the perfect spooky pitstop along the way!
Château de Gruyères (Gruyères Castle)
Note: The Gruyère Castle was not included in our itinerary this time round, as Vince and I had already previously visited it. Photos are personally taken from my earlier trip back in March 2020.
Perched on the highest part of the town, the majestic Gruyère Castle is the 13th century ancestral grounds of the dukes of Gruyère. A wander inside the castle will take you back in time of old European opulence.
A great way to start the tour is to watch the introduction movie. It tells the story about the founding of Gruyeres and the role the castle had played in the region’s history over the past 900 years, which I found very informative.
The castle rooms are incredibly well-preserved, giving visitors an inkling of its former days of glory. In every room, there were intricate period furniture, impressive frescoes, stained glass windows, armour…all from various periods in the castle’s history.
TIP: Make sure you look for the severed hand!
Once you’re done with the castle exhibition, spend some time at the lovely castle grounds. I remember just sitting alone by the bench and enjoying the calming views of the surrounding alpine countryside.
Useful Information
Opening Hours:
From 1 Apr 2020 to 31 Oct 2020
Monday – Sunday: 9.00am to 06.00pm
From 1 Nov 2020 to 31 Mar 2021:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10.00am to 5.00pm
Cost of Admission:
12 CHF for adults, 19 CHF with HR Giger Musuem, 16 CHF with La Maison du Gruyère
8 CHF for seniors and students
4 CHF for students
25 CHF for families
Maison Cailler
Note: Maison Cailler was not included in our itinerary this time round, as Vince and I had already previously visited it. Photos are personally taken from my earlier trip back in March 2020.
If you are visiting Maison Caillier with children, there’s no need to even read my recommendation: JUST. GO. This is a chocolate experience that your kids will never forget!
Maison Cailler in Broc-Fabrique is the site of the very first industrial chocolate production in the world. I went for the chocolate tour, and in groups of 20, we went through a series of interactive, themed rooms explaining the history of chocolate (beginning with the Aztecs through to the 1800s), the founding of Caillerr, its merger with Nestlé in the 1930s, and its phenomenal growth into a household favourite product.
There’s also another fun sensory area where you can get up close and touch /smell the raw cocoa beans, roasted almonds and hazelnuts used for chocolate production.
My favourite (and most worth-it) part of the tour is hands-down the last segment, where you get UNLIMITED flow of chocolates to gorge on! (But you can’t take them outside of the sampling room). I tried sooo many chocolates to my heart’s content, honestly I didn’t wanted to get out of the room.
This chocolate paradise is definitely no good if you’re on a diet!
TIP: You can buy Cailler chocolates at Maison Cailler’s gift-shop, and that’s a unique and delightful experience on its own. But there is actually a more wallet-friendly option! Just walk 5 minutes out to this small grocery STORE between the factory and train station. It stocks nearly everything that is available in Maison Cailler, along with other Nestle food items at bargain prices.
Otherwise, if you don’t mind waiting after your trip, just get your Cailler chocolate at any Lidl, Migros or Aldi outlets near your place 🙂
Useful Information
Opening Hours:
1st April to 31st October: 10.00 am to 05.00 pm
1st November to 31st March: 10.00am to 04.00 pm
Maison Cailler closes one hour after the last guided tour (after the start of the last visit)
Cost of Admission:
12 CHF for adults
Free for children under 16 –(when accompanied by a paying adult)
9 CHF for seniors and students
Note: You can also book ahead the Chocolate train that goes from Montreux to Broc! For more information see here.
Les Bains de Gruyères
Note: Photo-taking in the baths was not allowed. All photos below are credited to Les Bains de Gruyères.
After walking around for the entire day, we were very much looking forward to soothing our sore muscles. We finally ended our day with a relaxing spa experience at Les Bains de Gruyeres.
Les Bains de Gruyères features two large indoor and one outdoor swimming pool, alongside an array of other water features such as swan-neck showers, mini whirlpools and jacuzzis. The baths are all filled with natural spring water, that is is heated to a warm 34ºC.
We found there were also Nordic and Oriental steam baths such as sauna, hammam and Turkish baths to relax. However, there were some slight inconvenience as due to current COVID restrictions, each room currently has a limit of 4 persons per 15 minutes.
We came on a weekend, so there were more crowds. In fact, we queued for an hour before entering the baths! The facilities at the Wellness Spa (massages, facials, etc.,) are also highly popular so I would suggest that you book well ahead of time.
Finally we dipped into the waters outside, we saw the most amazing backdrop of alpine peaks! In my opinion, the perfect time to come to the baths would be nearing sunset, as it is really beautiful to see the snow-kissed mountains from the pool outside when the sun goes down!
This is a really relaxing place to spend an unplugged evening (since handphones are not allowed anyway!). I would highly recommend coming to the baths with your special someone, or as a family.
Useful Information
Opening Hours:
From Sunday to Thursday: 9.00am to 09.00pm
Friday and Saturday: 9.00am to 10.00pm
Last Entry: 1 hour before closing
Cost of Admission:
Adults: 28 CHF (3 hours), 39 CHF (5 hours)
Students: 25 CHF (3 hours), 35 CHF (5 hours)
Children above 4 years old: 14 CHF (3 hours), 26 CHF (5 hours)
Additional ½ hour: 5 CHF
TIP: bring your own towel to avoid rental costs!
Where to Stay in Gruyères
Although we were in Gruyères just for a daytrip, there are plenty of accommodation options if you are looking to stay overnight.
For budget options, consider Hotel du Cheval Blanc, located in neighbouring Bulle and at an affordable rate of 95CHF per night for 2. For a more luxurious stay, Hotel Cailler is also a good 4-star option, furthermore it is conveniently located right next to Les Bains de Gruyère.
And with that round up, I hope I have you itching to book a trip to Gruyères and discover everything it has to offer! It truly is a very iconic and special place where everyone should visit ONCE in their lifetime in Switzerland. Especially if you live in Swiss Romande!
Be sure to let me know in the comments section below what you fancy doing the most on your trip to Gruyères!
If you are still looking for some inspiration on where to travel next in Switzerland, check out my other travel guides, such as a weekend in Lugano and Iseltwald.
This visit to Gruyères is in collaboration with Gruyère Tourism. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Love, Ollie
5 Comments
Deborah Patterson
What a fabulously detailed guide! The cheese factory, the fondue, the views! Just wow!
Carley
That bar is WILD! Awesome post, this city looks amazing! Adding it to my list 🙂
Alessia
This is such a great guide! Never heard about Gruyeres before but the city looks lovely! Added to my bucket list places to visit!
Kriszti
Oh wow Gruyéres looks so beautiful! I’m so sad that we were not able to visit it on our Switzerland road trip, hopefully next time!
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Best regards,
Harrell Valenzuela