I’ve heard the drive from Geneva to Gruyere isn’t so bad. I hate driving, so used public transportation. While it is user friendly (easy to connect and find trains), it was quite expensive and time consuming. I intended to spend one day in Montreux and one full day in Gruyere but the cost of the train tickets persuaded me to combine both places into one long day trip.
Despite the length of the train ride, and the number of switches, I absolutely cannot complain about the scenery. The first train from Geneva to Montreux cruised along the coast of lake Geneva (or Lac Leman) zooming through picturesque farms and sunflower field.
Montreux, Switzerland
In Montreux, we hopped off to visit the famous Chateau du Chillon. Some people claim this castle was the inspiration for the Little Mermaid castle. This gorgeous lakeside castle was a ten minute bus ride from the main station. If you’re interested in seeing pictures from inside the castle, sign up for my mailing list to be notified of future posts!
After a quick tour of the castle, we were back on a train climbing up the mountains into the Swiss Alps. I would have loved to spend a little more time exploring the castle from the lake or splashing in this cute little beach just next to the castle, but in order to make it to Gruyere and back to Geneva in one day, we had to hurry on our way.
The Train Ride to Gruyere
The view of Lake Geneva and the mountains from the train was incredible. Twisting and turning up the mountainside we saw the village of Montreux from above, more farms, and lovely scenery. At our final transfer, we boarded the final train to Gruyere. We continued traveling past small village after small village. Each with its own church and about a dozen or so homes. The train stops at each station were like a step back in time. I could tell it would have been very special to spend a day or two in this peaceful region living life at a much slower pace.
Gruyere, Switzerland
Gruyere has a number of attractions, but it can be hard to get around the area without a car. We cut our trip in half, so we had to make some difficult choices about what to see and what to skip. Contenders included the Gruyere Cheese Museum, the chocolate museum, the alien museum, Gruyere castle, and Mount Moleson.
The cheese shop is located directly across from the train station, making it the easiest attraction to visit, so we started there. You can also access the castle and medical village by walking up a steep hill not far from the town. I was traveling with my friend’s mother on this day, and she was not keen for the hike. The chocolate shop was located in another village accessible by train. Mount Moleson was about a 10 min bus ride from the train station, but hiring a taxi for the drive was nearly impossible. Apparently the taxis have to come in from another town. You have to pay the fare starting from when they leave their origin to when they return.
We decided to do the cheese museum and the cable car up Mt. Moleson.
La Maison du Gruyere
La Maison du Gruyere is a small factory in the village of Gruyere, located directly across the street from the train station. Inside you will find a lovely restaurant, a shop (I picked up some chocolates since I ran out of time to visit the chocolate factory), a small tribute to the making of cheese and a viewing station to watch the workers as they process the cheese.
From the observatory we saw them empty the creamy mixture into several smaller vats where the cheese was molded and hardened. To see more pictures and videos of this process please visit my Instagram account here.
Have no fear, there will be no cheese shortage anytime soon!
Mount Moleson Cable Car & Funicular
After the cheese museum we struggled to find the bus to he mountain. Not everything was so clearly marked. The bus itself was easy to find, but understanding the destinations and which to take to the mountain was a challenge. With the help of the lovely women at the cheese museum we realized we just missed the hourly bus, but if we made the next one we could get to the mountain top and back down on the last bus of the evening.
It was slightly risky as we heard that it was nearly impossible to get a taxi earlier, but we decided to give it a try. Of all the places to hitchhike, a small village in Switzerland is probably not the worst place. Oh yeah, I would know because we had to do it after we took the train one stop too far. Thank goodness I speak a little German.
We finally boarded the bus to the mountain. There are several options for going up and down the mountain. You can walk parts of it or take the cable car and the funicular, stopping in between. Due to the lack of time we took the cable car all the way to the top and back down again, but I’m sure it would have been a lovely hike had time allowed. We definitely would have had quite the hike if we missed that last bus!
The Top of Mount Moleson
We wasted no time at the switching stop. Straight to the top for us! Once you reach the top of the mountain there are a few options to explore. You can climb above the restaurant for a beautiful panoramic view. There are also two peaks that can be reached with a short walk, but my travel companion wasn’t hiking and I wasn’t wearing appropriate footwear. I opted to take the stairs to the landing above the restaurant. We spent about ten minutes at the top of the mountain taking in the beautiful scenery all around us. We could see Lake Gruyere, cows, various other mountain peaks and the Mt. Moleson luge which looked like a blast!
I captured the descent on video, enhanced by hyper lapse to add a little thrill. Once again the views were absolutely breathtaking. We headed back to our train resting assured that we chose the right activities for our day trip to Gruyere. We boarded the train for our long trek back to Geneva. This time as we rode along Lake Geneva, the sun was setting and there was an outlet above my train seat. All was good in the world. At least for that moment. And we even made it back to Geneva in time for a farewell dinner for my friend’s mom!
Wow so beautiful, I would love to go to Switzerland, lovely pictures, sharing on twitter!
This looks like such a wonderful little place! I’m a fan of anywhere that has a castle, haha. Those views really were stellar.
What a lovely day. The scenery is just stunning and the cheese museum sounds really interesting. It’s nice that’s its doable by public transportation.
oh yes, Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses especially mixed with Elemental Swiss cheese in fondue! Be fantastic to ski down the hill and fondue later 🙂 the MONTREUX looks amazing, the water on the side looks like a medieval moat! 🙂
Did you take a cable car to the top of Mount Moleson? Didn’t explore this part of Switzerland. It’s so refreshing to see so much greens!
Wow, what a lovely day! 🙂 I really really love switzerland!
Love Switzerland (and its cheese) – we were there this summer and the trains really are fantastic – it was honestly the easiest place to get around and all our trips were effortless.
This sounds like a fantastic day trip, though I prefer not to be as rushed, I’d definitely have wanted to ride the funicular… they are so interesting, and such a simple advancement from long ago.
Great day trip ideas. I love the cheeses very interesting to see how they are made! Th view from the top of the mountain is simply breathtaking
Oh, beautiful Switzerland. It is true, everything is very expensive in Switzerland and so is public transport. I am sure the train ride alone was worth it though – beautiful pictures <3
Incredible view! I’ve always wanted to do a trek in beautiful Geneva but now I’ll definitely add Montreux and Gruyere to the list!
Switzerland has ALWAYS been one of the places I desperately want to visit one day. I am so in love with it. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful well written post x
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Oh wow, stunning photos. This looks like the perfect day trip Switzerland is high on my list. Thanks for sharing and happy travels 🙂
OMG the view is so gorgeous!!! I would love to just sit there and admire the view over a bottle of wine.
I would love to go to the cheese museum. I like exploring places where you can actually see how it’s made. The views from atop look amazing. I bet the air was so fresh and crisp up there 🙂
Castles and Swiss cheese, who can resist? Switzerland is such a scenic country and those castles are straight out of a fairytale!
I’VE never been to Switzerland but would love to go. The views here are amazing! A cheese museum? ! I love that name! And I would have just stayed there and eaten all the cheese! 😂 maybe with a bit of wine. ree Love30
Omg that stockhouse of Gruyere cheese! Legit my stomach is rumbling just looking at everything you have to offer. Chateau du Chillon really does look the castle in the Little Mermaid. Did you include that hyperlapse video of your descent or is it coming in a future post? Sounds like a good day trip, a very busy one for sure!
The photos are stunning. It is such a beautiful part of the world but the only problem is that the prices are as jaw-dropping as the scenery, especially for us Brits post Brexit vote. Looks like a fun day out
Wow – what a beautiful and thoroughly busy day! I love driving, in fact I live for road trips, so I think I would have taken a car to explore these places. I would especially love to explore more of Mt. Moleson – your photos are just stunning!
Thats looks amazing ! Love this view for Lake Geneva!! Cant wait to visit Switzerland !
I tend to avoid Switzerland because I spend every cent I have each time I go there, but your gorgeous photos might have just convinced me to reconsider.
Good information on one of my favorite places.
Mount Moleson, what a place to have a beer. Great views no doubt a beer costs a small fortune in Switzerland but well worth it.
The views are soooo breathtaking!! Ahhhh! I hope to be able to visit soon. Thanks for sharing! xo, sharon
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Switzerland reminds me of New Zealand a lot! The scenery and landscapes seem to be very similar!
You sure covered a lot in 1 day, this is my kind of travel! The cheese factory looks amazing, I wouldn’t be able to resist myself in there. Do they give you samples? Did you buy any cheese?
They do give you samples, but since we traveled quite far I didn’t buy any to take home!
Thanks for adding to my wanderlust, haha! I have a friend who lives in Switzerland and I so want to visit and go on an Alps road trip!
Do it!! I have friends there too or I never would have went, but it is amazing. Go in the summer when it’s warm and beautiful (unless you love to ski).
We love visiting Switzerland, though have only visited the German speaking region this far…we usually go to Lenk, Gstaad region which is in Berner Oberland. We visited Montreux once, on a day trip, it’s very famous for its hot air ballooning and wellness, but then again with that pure air, the whole of Switzerland is a giant wellness walhalla
Thank you for sharing this with me! The shots were lovely, I can’t wait to start planning for Switzerland, looks incredible.
I will send you my Zurich walking tour when I finally put it up!! You will love Switzerland!
I can’t believe that I have always missed Switzerland on my European travels. These photos and your recommendations are amazing. What a great (and very busy) day out.