A day trip to Gruyere

On the very last day of our recent two-weeker in Meiringen, our gear was all packed and the weather didn’t appear conducive to hiking, so we took the long train ride to Gruyere. You can start at Meiringen on the 8:39 local to Interlaken Ost. From there the connections at Zweisimmen and Montbovan are snappy so the trip passes quickly. The ride takes you from the steep,austere bluffs of our Hasli valley past Lake Thun and south through the Simmental with it’s more rolling hills and emerald green agricultural spaces. There is a short stop at Gstaad, that very upscale tourist destination, where you can glimpse grand old Victorian age hotels that you know cost as much for a night as do two weeks in Meiringen. Then comes Saanen with it’s fourteenth century church you can spot uphill from the station and the invisible border where the next town name is in French and if you get off the train from then on you might as well be in France.

You land at Gruyere just before noon. Right across from the depot is a modern building that houses a nice looking restaurant, a cheese museum (free on the rail pass), and, guess what, a gift shop. Our advice is to postpone the museum to be sure you have enough time in the town. Although the restaurant looks inviting and it’s lunch time, hold on. Better things await!

You can’t see the old town from the station, but from the corner follow a road sign to Gruyere. Shortly you will see a yellow sign. It’s not exactly a “wanderweg” but it says something like “tourisme pedestrienne” and even I can work that out. This puts you on an uphill dirt path and, as you crest the knoll, there is the old walled town of Guyere looking very much like a hanging village in Provence.

(this is actually the view if you take the road up instead of the walking path)

When you walk through the old wall, you are in the main square which is about all there is of Gruyere. The street is cobbled, there is the usual center fountain surrounded by attractively decorated buildings. It bristles with quaint restaurants and shops. For lunch we had the local soup with a mild gruyere base (not surprising) with greens, macaroni and other stuff afloat, bread spread with a chutney mustard and a glass of wine. Great lunch!

At the end of the square is the chateau where the lord of the manor lived looking down on his serfs working the cheese making him rich. This is now a museum (again free on rail pass.)

We took the 1359 train out of Gruyere as Sandy wanted to cook supper from everything left in the refrigerator. To allow more time for the museums take the next train at 1559. As this doesn’t get back to Meiringen until 1930, it’s a good idea to stop at a stand at the end of the square opposite from the Chateau where they offer great looking baguette sandwiches which you can eat on the train trip home.