Trains, scenery, cheese: this Swiss region has it all
While touring Gstaad Saanenland, our writer finds all the elements that make Switzerland so compelling for an alpine summer break – including plenty of artisanal cheese
Edging down the steep steps, the pungent, nutty aroma of ageing cheese hangs heavy in the air, drawing me deeper into the darkened vault in search of alpine gold. Emerging into what I can only describe as a cathedral of cheese – a vision reinforced by the candlelight and piped choral singing – my hungry eyes survey the racks of ageing cheese reverentially ordered, or ordained, within. The temperature is a fresh 10ºC, in marked contrast to the early summer alpine day outside.
Secreted within Molkerei Gstaad Dairy’s subterranean grotto, these venerable golden wheels are the products of local artisanal producers such as Dominik Matti, who I’d seen in full cheesemaking action earlier that day, working the curds (to book group visits, email dominik.matti@bluewin.ch). Spoiler alert – said cheeses prove incredibly tasty, much like other calorific mountain fare I’ll gorge on later, including voluminous rosti and spicy sausages.
MELTING POT
“Here, inside, it’s only the best of the best,” declares Rene, leading one of Molkerei’s daily tours. “This is the top of the top of the top; we call it the Fort Knox.” Given what Rene says next, I’m lucky there’s anything to sample.
“Locals typically eat around 25kg of cheese a year,” he reveals. “In cheese eating, everyone’s a world champion!”
When packaged and sold, each product features a number that buyers can enter online to trace its origins. This focus on local sourcing and traceability is one of many examples of sustainability I’ll encounter on my chomp around the region.
Emerging squinting into the daylight, I reach for one of the tourism board’s genius fondue-making backpack kits. Designed to be taken on mountain excursions (pre-order the day before), ideally consumed in the area’s “fondue caquelons”, resembling oversized wooden pots, I greedily unpack and mix, alternating between stirring the contents in figure of eight motions and revering the dreamy mountain views, mopping up the symphony of melted cheese on forked bread chunks.
RICH MIX
This intriguing Swiss Alpine area of Gstaad Saanenland, centred on neighbouring Gstaad and Saanen, is big on eye candy – immaculate wooden chalets resplendent with painted shutters and plant pots bursting with geraniums are backdropped by rich mountain vistas.
Gstaad itself is not short of a paradox. Unabashedly dripping with cash, both old and new, it exudes an air of exclusivity. Yet it maintains an approachable, everyman air, having steadfastly retained its traditional alpine roots, surrounded by working farms, local producers and accessible landscapes.
There’s much wealth concentrated in Gstaad, a decent chunk of which is owned by UK billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, but look beyond those boutique shopfronts and the eye-watering prices in establishments such as the Ecclestone-owned Hotel Olden’s restaurant, and you’ll find a range of affordable options such as Cappuccino Grand Cafe.
NATURAL HIGHS
Come winter a magnet for monied snowsports fans, viewed in June the lush green alpine meadows, forests and twinkling lakes burst with fresh vitality, urging visitors to take their foot off the gas. Take Lake Lauenensee where I enjoy a gentle 2.5km circular walk amid the nature reserve before a refreshing dip.
Topping out at just over 1,000 metres, Wispile is, quite literally, another bucolic highpoint. Here, admiring the view towards distant Gstaad from the porch of Dominik Matti’s mountainside farm, my guide Selina posits an explanation for all this implausible beauty. “People say a long time ago God laid his hand on this area, Saanenland, and created its five valleys containing 10 villages – two in each valley.”
On Wispile, clients can rent a non-motorised scooter to race back down from the middle station, or reach for the skies with Paragliding Gstaad. For higher, craggier alpine scenery, Selina suggests nearby Sanetsch. Here, active options include climbing routes, hiking the reservoir lake and an exhilarating 30km roadbike route.
My trip also takes in nearby Ablandschen. In this sleepy, understated area, also known as “Detox Valley”, I rest my head at the cute, newly renovated Berghotel zur Sau, meeting more local artisanal producers, including a shingle roof maker and a beekeeper.
Bathing in whey is another nod to the area’s traditional roots that clients can experience for themselves at Alp Turnels – this by-product of the cheesemaking process is good for making skin supple and silky soft.
KEEPING IT RAIL
With the Swiss tourist board fully committed to sustainable travel, through its Swisstainable strategy, these opportunities to experience local culture in an authentic way are common all over the country. This is supported by one of the densest rail networks in the world, helping make more remote locations accessible by public transport, while national airline Swiss is rolling out Europewide Green Fares onboard aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel.
Once I fly into Geneva with Swiss, it’s an hour by train to reach Montreux, where I take my seat on the GoldenPass Belle-Epoque, whose scenic route to Zweisimmen – all lakes, mountains and chocolate-box communities – stops at Saanenmoser (one hour 50 minutes). Four miles from “downtown” Gstaad, my base, the four-star family-run Golfhotel Les Hauts de Gstaad, is adjacent to Saanenmoser station, giving me an immensely satisfying journey from my London neighbourhood to what feels like the heart of Switzerland and lungfuls of fresh mountain air.
Clients keen on no-fly options could easily train it all the way from London, taking the Eurostar to Paris before switching to a TGV for Geneva and onwards to Gstaad, all told taking nine or so hours.
Ripe with old-world romance and vintage charm, the Belle-Epoque journey proves a memorable experience in itself. Come the return Gstaad-Geneva leg, I make the most of the Prestige Class seat-side lunch service as I goggle at the scenery unfurling beyond the large picture windows.
Here I learn that Michael Portillo had been onboard filming just the day before, which makes me feel rather smug – if it’s good enough for the colourfully trousered BBC rail aficionado, then I’m clearly on the right track – and so is Switzerland when it comes to responsible travel.
Book it: Newmarket Holidays offers an eight-day Swiss Alpine Glories and the GoldenPass train itinerary. With eight departures between October 2023 and October 2024, from £954pp, this includes flights to Geneva from a choice of six UK airports and B&B accommodation at Hotel Roc et Neige in Chateau d’Oex; newmarketholidays.co.uk
Find out more about the GoldenPass Belle-Epoque; Switzerland Tourism and Swisstainable.
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