Trails of Gruyères and Gstaad

This tour is ideal for those looking for an easy-going walking tour in a beautiful, often overlooked, part of Switzerland. The abundance of locally-made cheese and chocolate means it’s also perfect for foodies. The walks are graded easy-moderate and paths are well maintained. The itinerary makes use of the fantastic local public transport to get to the start and from the end of many walks. Stay in friendly, comfortable 3* hotels, all of which extend a warm welcome to hikers.

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This tour is graded as easy to moderate as there are some walks which can be considered easy with minimal ascent/descent (riverside walking to Broc and Rougemont) and other walks which involve quite a bit of ascent, which we would consider moderate. The paths are all well maintained and there are no technical sections involved. You should be comfortable using cable cars and be in good shape to get the most out of this tour.  

Stay 6 nights in high-quality, friendly 3* hotels. Some examples of accommodations we typically use are listed below. These accommodations are subject to availability and therefore alternatives of an equal standard may be offered.

Why not treat yourself to an upgraded hotel in Rougemont and/or Gstaad? Upgrades are to 4* hotels and an example of the upgraded accommodation can be found below.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is available to solo walkers and a supplement is payable as some of the costs are not shared. Single rooms are available should some of your party wish to have their own room and again, a single supplement is payable. 

Meals

6 continental breakfasts are included. This is usually in buffet form and there are many filling breakfast items available which are perfect for hikers; e.g. boiled eggs, ham, cheese, fresh bread and muesli.Lunch is not included and can be picked up at local supermarkets, ‘Backerei/Boulangerie’ or restaurants along the way. Dinners are not included, leaving you free to choose from the various options each day. There are restaurant choices at each overnight location, and most hotels will also have an on-site restaurant.

Food in Switzerland is hearty and traditional, with cheese being one of the dominant ingredients, particularly in this area! Fondue and raclette are popular and a must try. Roesti is another classic which is a bed of grated then fried potato, with various toppings like cheese, bacon or fried eggs.

If you have a sweet tooth, prepare to be in chocolate heaven! The Swiss love their chocolate and proudly claim theirs to be the best in the world. Milk-chocolate is undoubtedly the favourite and there is a dazzling array available in just about every supermarket. A popular dessert in the canton of Bern is meringue served with Gruyère double cream and fruit. The ultimate treat!  

Walking trails are generally very well signposted in Switzerland and together with our route notes, maps and the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone's GPS, you will have no problems finding the way.

This walk is available to start on any day of the week from June to the end of September. For the 2018 season only, it will be available from the end of July to the end of September.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is available to solo walkers and a solo traveller supplement is payable.  Single rooms are on request and again a supplement is payable.

Fly into Geneva, Zurich or Bern airports and then travel by train to Gruyères (2.5, 2.5 or 2 hours). The centre of Gruyères is about a ten minute uphill walk from the train station. So we recommend taking a local bus from the train station. This takes just a couple of minutes. Unfortunately there is no taxi rank at Gruyères train station.

Travel by train from Gstaad to Geneva (3 hours), Bern (2.5 hours) or Zurich (3.5 hours) airports. You can also reach any other Swiss destination by train, and other European destinations should you wish to continue your travels!Train and bus information can be found at the excellent journey planner: www.sbb.ch 

Public Transport

Public transport is used on many of the walks in this itinerary. Swiss public transport really runs like clockwork. You shouldn’t be put off if a journey through Switzerland has a few connections, this is common due to the topography of the country, and it always runs very smoothly. Some of the rural services don’t run as often as some of the busier services, so you should always check bus/train/cable car times before setting off for a walk, so you can plan and time well to avoid any long waits. The Swiss railway website is excellent for planning and up to date information regarding travelling in Switzerland: www.sbb.ch (info available in English)

Gstaad Card

You can purchase a Gstaad card from the tourist office and some accommodations in Gruyères, Rougemont and Gstaad. This costs 19 CHF per person per day and covers free entry on most of the train, bus and cable car lines in the area. It also offers free entry to local pools, museums and village tours. It is very good value for money considering a one way journey on the Vidamenette (needed for day 4’s walk) costs 32CHF. You can find out more info about the Gstaad Card here.

Your bags will be transferred between your accommodation as per your itinerary. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.