There are few things more effective to escape the stress of the everyday city than breathing pure mountain air while basking in the magnificence of the Alpine landscapes. Switzerland is such a fantastic place with an abundance of almost surreal-looking places.
One of the many astounding mountain views in Gruyères.
One of these fairy tale-like towns is Gruyères. Famous for its eponymous cheese –its authenticity protected by a designation of origin status, just like champagne–, Gruyères offers a relaxing time next to the mountains in a traditional town while also hosting a very sui generis wicked jewel: the H.R. Giger Museum and Bar, a place of pilgrimage for many of us who appreciate Science Fiction and dark aesthetics.
Getting there.
Waiting for a train at the tiny train station in Gruyères.
If you plan to fly there, like we did, you should know that the nearest cities with international airports are Basel and Geneva. From either of those cities, Gruyères can be reached by a 2:30 hour train ride. The trains run every hour through the day, so it is well connected.
From the train, you can already get a grasp of the breathtaking mountain landscapes as a bonus during your trip, so while the views of the journey from Basel are still impressive and interesting, I recommend taking the route from Geneva since it runs next to the Lake Geneva and offers some really beautiful panoramic views.
Gruyères at the beginning of Spring. Can you spot the train?
Attractions and Things to Discover.
Gruyères is a very small and extremely quiet town. However, there is enough in it and its surroundings to fill a few days with interesting adventures; the added benefit of the slow life over there is that it gives you the opportunity of taking your time to savour the experience, instead of running around frantically trying to cover as many places as possible as it usually happens when one visits a big city.
The Old Town.
Some minutes of uphill walking takes you to the oldest part of the town, in which you find the Castle, Museums and a concentration of souvenir and artisan stores and restaurants. This is the touristic epicenter of the town, which surprises with the charming appeal of its medieval aesthetics amongst the snowy mountain backdrop.
View of the town from the Château St. Germain, home of the H.R. Giger Museum.
Snowy mountains as the town's surreal backdrop.
Château de Gruyères, historic place home of beautiful works of art, gardens and terraces with the best panoramic views.
Museums.
There are two museums in the town, situated next to each other: The Tibet Museum and the H.R. Giger Museum. The Tibet Museum features a collection of Himalayan and Buddhist art, including ceremonial objects, paintings and sculptures. Despite my fascination with the subject, in the end we didn't have get a chance to go through it since we prioritized our time to visit the H.R. Giger Museum, which was one of the main motivations to make this trip!
Sculptures marking the entrance to the H.R. Giger Museum, overlooking the Giger Bar.
The H.R. Giger Museum merits a blog post of its own (coming up!). It features a big collection of the works of H.R. Giger, Swiss artist recognized for his iconic character design for Science Fiction films like Alien and Prometheus. The comprehensive exhibition includes sketches, paintings, memorabilia related to the films H.R. Giger has collaborated in, sculptures and even some fantastically bizarre pieces of furniture designed by the artist.
Birth Machine, one of the sculptures that greet the visitors of the H.R. Giger Museum.
One of my favorite aspects of the museum is that it showcases a selection of pieces of artwork that form part of H.R. Giger's personal collection. It is fascinating to discover what a mind like his was interested in collecting and the objects and art pieces that captured his imagination and inspired him.
Right across the museum, you can find the Giger Bar –designed by Giger himself– which attracts visitors with its unreal, over-the-top alien décor. The interior of the bar has been carefully arranged with an Alien spaceship-like theme, so you can sit down and enjoy a drink or two –or take lots of pictures!– while your eyes feast on the myriad of details and adornments.
Detail of the ceiling decoration and memorabilia inside the Giger Bar.
La Maison du Gruyère.
Say cheese! La Maison du Gruyère offers its visitors a comprehensive experience of everything cheese-related. There are tours to learn about how the delicious Gruyere is produced, a chance to sample some of the different kinds of cheese, a restaurant with a menu full of cheese-based options, and even hiking tours to follow “The Cheese Path” within the region.
The cheese cellar at La Maison du Gruyère.
While we didn't attend the informative tours, we had our first meal of the trip there. I have to say that the restaurant is a bit of a tourist trap, with high prices, a crowded feel and a design of questionable authenticity. I imagine that the success of their business is highly based on location, with hungry travelers freshly arrived to the town landing there as is literally the first thing you encounter after getting out of the train station (i.e. what happened to us). The food was pleasant enough (even if they took ages to arrive to the table), but the quality was definitely not proportional to the prices. Also, keep in mind that eating large amounts of rich cheese –especially when combined with meat– can make you feel sluggish, so keep it light if you intend to start your adventure right away. My recommendation is that you save the cheesy goodness for an evening fondue, like we did –a wonderful, cozy way to end an amazing day!
Cailler Chocolate Factory.
A visit to Switzerland would not be complete without having some chocolate! The Cailler factory is not located in Gruyères, but in the neighboring town Broc, which can be easily reached either by bus or train (it's a 10 minute ride or so). However, if the weather permits, would recommend going by foot since it is an hour-long hike where you get to enjoy the incredible Alpine landscape, breathe fresh mountain air and discover lots of interesting little things along the way. Once in Broc, just follow the signs that read “Nestle” and they'll lead you there. Otherwise just ask, most people there speak only French, but will go out of their way to try to help you out.
Mountains everywhere you look!
On our way to Broc to visit the chocolate factory.
Once at the Factory, you can get a ticket for a guided tour. The tours are available in many languages and cost 10 CHF (although we went there on a Sunday that was some sort of “Family Day” and got the tickets with a discount, plus a free hot chocolate and bread, nice!).
Some happy visitors at the Cailler Chocolate Factory.
The tour is quite amusing and takes you through the history of chocolate from the Aztecs to the establishment of the Swiss chocolate factory, followed by a brief overview on the actual making of the product. I won't say much about it so I don't spoil it for you, but let's just say that the tour it's the kind of thing that you would see portrayed in an episode of The Simpsons. The tour ends with its much anticipated highlight: access to the tasting room, where you can sample ad libitum a variety of chocolates and pralines produced by the Cailler brand.
The tasting room at the Cailler Chocolate Factory, so tempting!
A variety of chocolate truffles and pralines are offered for free during the tasting session. Tip: they save the best for the last, so be prepared!
Afterwards, you might want to take a look at their chocolate boutique and gift shop with its wide range of chocolate flavours and presentations, however be warned that it's not cheap! They take euros and credit cards as well, though, to make it easier for you to splurge.
The chocolate boutique and shop at the Cailler Factory.
Where to Stay.
When looking for accommodation in Gruyères, you will notice that there are only a handful of options when it comes to hotels, and most of them are not exactly cheap. Skip the inflated tariffs and get a more authentic experience by staying at one of the local B&Bs instead. During our trip, we stayed at La Ferme de Bourgoz, that offers cozy, clean and comfortable rooms at low prices (only 50 CHF per person!), perfect for relaxing. Breakfast is included, and it consists of delicious homemade bread, butter, and jam, as well as the signature Gruyère produced by our host's family farm, enjoyed with coffee or tea; the perfect way to start the day while looking at the morning light bathing the mountains.
The view from our room's window at La Ferme du Bourgoz.
Our host, Eliàne, was always very helpful and thoughtful and did her best to make us feel at home during our stay. She showed us a book with a compilation of beautiful photographs depicting the life in their farm, their care of the animals, and their dedication and commitment to the art of cheese-making, all of it carried out amidst a convivial, family atmosphere. What a wonderful life to live! During the summer months, she and her husband can organize visits to the farm to give their guests the opportunity to learn about and witness the making of their creamy, rich Gruyère cheese. Needless to say, since we liked it so much, we bought some Gruyère from the farm to enjoy at home; I cut the wedge myself from a huge cheese wheel inside the cool cellar full of maturing cheese and home-made preserves.
Culinary delights.
Since the Gruyère is the traditional culinary jewel of the region, 80% of the dishes in menus have cheese in them in one way or another –not exactly the best place for the lactose intolerant!– so you can't miss it: cheese salad dressing, mac & cheese, cheese grated over grilled vegetables, soup with grated cheese (my lunch on the first day), cheese with steak... well, you get the idea.
You must try the fondue! Fondue is one of those things that are so decadent and heavy that I rarely eat them. However, if there is a place and a time to do it, this is it. The idea is simple, but absolutely delicious: a melting pot of aromatic cheesy goodness, accompanied by bread, boiled potatos and pickled baby onions and cucumbers to dip in the cheese. Between Guitar Güero, my friend and I, managed to polish what must have been like ¾ of a kilo of cheese... surprisingly, we still had room for some ice cream afterwards!
Delicious fondue as served in Le Chalet de Gruyeres, enjoyed amidst a cozy, rustic atmosphere.
Another thing that seemed to be ubiquitous was a particular dessert: meringues and raspberries with double cream. While this pretty much sounds like a sure bet for a sugar addict like myself, I decided to stay focused on the cheese... that is until we encountered Swiss chocolate!
As stated above, we had the chance to sample (i.e. satisfy our gluttony with free chocolate) at the Cailler factory. I found that, while they have a good range, most of their flavors tended to be combinations and variations based on hazelnuts, almonds and caramel. They have other interesting creations for sale, though, like milk chocolate with dried fruits and muesli, white chocolate with honey, milk chocolate with lime-caramel pieces, and Bourbon vanilla-scented chocolate. This might be a controversial statement, but while I surely enjoyed Cailler's products, I found Ritter Sport –a German brand widely available in stores and supermarkets– to be superior in both flavor quality and variety. Most of the chocolates by Cailler –even the dark ones– were a bit too sweet for my taste, which makes them really addictive, but also masks and overwhelms the more delicate flavors that one should be able to taste in a good chocolate.
I think next time I will opt for artisan made, local brands instead.
Some final tips and hints:
- Everything is really close since the town is so small, so don't fret so much about the location of accommodation and transportation, as you can very well cover everything by foot!
- Be prepared for high prices. In Switzerland everything is quite expensive, and Gruyères, being a touristic destination, the prices are pumped up a bit more.
- There is no direct train from the main cities to Gruyères, you have to change two or three times depending on the ticket you purchased. In order to know your itinerary, look for the cities listed in your ticket. Some of the most modern trains have on-board screens telling you which train at which platform you need to take when changing, but as you approach Gruyères the trains become progressively older and smaller, so make sure to ask when in doubt!
- Plan your activities to be performed during daytime and early evening, since this is a small town and everything closes crazily early! The museums close at 6:00 pm, the shops at 7:00 pm, and even the Giger Bar closes its doors at 8:30 pm. At 9:00 pm, the streets are empty. The restaurants close a bit later but as you can see, this is not exactly a place to look for vibrant nightlife.
What do you think? Have you been to Gruyères? Do you feel like adventuring to the Alpine region to experience these culinary and cultural little gems? Let us know!
Thanks for reading!