Cycling in Switzerland
Lakes Route
Stage 2, Bulle–Gstaad
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Lakes Route
Stage 2, Bulle–Gstaad
Picture postcard Switzerland: cheese, chalets, snowy summits, cable cars, hotel aromas and scissor cuts. Away from the idyllic image, the Pays d'Enhaut and Saanenland, an impressive landscape enlivened by a VIP aura and canny mountain folk.
From Bulle you travel from one small town to the next in the direction of Gruyères. Those who like will take a detour away from the Lakes Route to Lac de la Gruyère, Switzerland’s longest reservoir. The small town of Gruyères is the main attraction of the region. Its picturesque townscape, the striking castle and the medieval fortress walls nestled in the green hills at the foot of the Moléson and Dent du Chamois mountains attract scores of visitors. Down in Pringy, you have the opportunity to visit the Maison du Gruyère to see how Gruyère cheese is made. The tourists and other visitors who come here to taste the famous cheese and the Cailler chocolate from nearby Broc are joined by motorcycles and the latest in motorhomes. A vibrant piece of storybook Switzerland in the Pays-d’Enhaut region, so to speak…
The Sarine River is also quite lively in the Gruyère area. In German-speaking Switzerland, it is called Saane. It accompanies you on the way out of the Gruyère district and into pretty Grandvillard, where cattle breeding and milk production are playing an important role to this day. To the right you see Mount Moléson and to the left Vanil Noir, the highest peak in the Fribourg foothills at 2389 m. Many flowers that have already withered away in the flatlands are just now starting to blossom in the Haute Gruyère region. The fragrance, the chirping of insects and oodles of dancing butterflies are simply delightful, and you can’t get enough of the bright yellow dandelions.
Along the lake between Lessoc and Montbovon, where water is turned into power, the butterflies have vanished. If you bypass Château-d’Oex, the main town of the region, you will see the lovely village perched slightly elevated on a terrace. The area with the excellent artisan craftwork is also a mecca for hot air balloons. The International Hot Air Balloon Festival is held here every year, the largest get-together of its kind in the Alpine region. After Rougemont, an intact village with pretty chalets and fountains, the town of Saanen soon follows. Known for its amazing wooden houses, Saanen seems to whisper of wealth and prosperity. Gstaad, today’s destination, on the other hand, is one of the most famous and fashionable resorts in Switzerland and tells of a different kind of affluence.
The Sarine River is also quite lively in the Gruyère area. In German-speaking Switzerland, it is called Saane. It accompanies you on the way out of the Gruyère district and into pretty Grandvillard, where cattle breeding and milk production are playing an important role to this day. To the right you see Mount Moléson and to the left Vanil Noir, the highest peak in the Fribourg foothills at 2389 m. Many flowers that have already withered away in the flatlands are just now starting to blossom in the Haute Gruyère region. The fragrance, the chirping of insects and oodles of dancing butterflies are simply delightful, and you can’t get enough of the bright yellow dandelions.
Along the lake between Lessoc and Montbovon, where water is turned into power, the butterflies have vanished. If you bypass Château-d’Oex, the main town of the region, you will see the lovely village perched slightly elevated on a terrace. The area with the excellent artisan craftwork is also a mecca for hot air balloons. The International Hot Air Balloon Festival is held here every year, the largest get-together of its kind in the Alpine region. After Rougemont, an intact village with pretty chalets and fountains, the town of Saanen soon follows. Known for its amazing wooden houses, Saanen seems to whisper of wealth and prosperity. Gstaad, today’s destination, on the other hand, is one of the most famous and fashionable resorts in Switzerland and tells of a different kind of affluence.
Picture postcard Switzerland: cheese, chalets, snowy summits, cable cars, hotel aromas and scissor cuts. Away from the idyllic image, the Pays d'Enhaut and Saanenland, an impressive landscape enlivened by a VIP aura and canny mountain folk.
From Bulle you travel from one small town to the next in the direction of Gruyères. Those who like will take a detour away from the Lakes Route to Lac de la Gruyère, Switzerland’s longest reservoir. The small town of Gruyères is the main attraction of the region. Its picturesque townscape, the striking castle and the medieval fortress walls nestled in the green hills at the foot of the Moléson and Dent du Chamois mountains attract scores of visitors. Down in Pringy, you have the opportunity to visit the Maison du Gruyère to see how Gruyère cheese is made. The tourists and other visitors who come here to taste the famous cheese and the Cailler chocolate from nearby Broc are joined by motorcycles and the latest in motorhomes. A vibrant piece of storybook Switzerland in the Pays-d’Enhaut region, so to speak…
The Sarine River is also quite lively in the Gruyère area. In German-speaking Switzerland, it is called Saane. It accompanies you on the way out of the Gruyère district and into pretty Grandvillard, where cattle breeding and milk production are playing an important role to this day. To the right you see Mount Moléson and to the left Vanil Noir, the highest peak in the Fribourg foothills at 2389 m. Many flowers that have already withered away in the flatlands are just now starting to blossom in the Haute Gruyère region. The fragrance, the chirping of insects and oodles of dancing butterflies are simply delightful, and you can’t get enough of the bright yellow dandelions.
Along the lake between Lessoc and Montbovon, where water is turned into power, the butterflies have vanished. If you bypass Château-d’Oex, the main town of the region, you will see the lovely village perched slightly elevated on a terrace. The area with the excellent artisan craftwork is also a mecca for hot air balloons. The International Hot Air Balloon Festival is held here every year, the largest get-together of its kind in the Alpine region. After Rougemont, an intact village with pretty chalets and fountains, the town of Saanen soon follows. Known for its amazing wooden houses, Saanen seems to whisper of wealth and prosperity. Gstaad, today’s destination, on the other hand, is one of the most famous and fashionable resorts in Switzerland and tells of a different kind of affluence.
The Sarine River is also quite lively in the Gruyère area. In German-speaking Switzerland, it is called Saane. It accompanies you on the way out of the Gruyère district and into pretty Grandvillard, where cattle breeding and milk production are playing an important role to this day. To the right you see Mount Moléson and to the left Vanil Noir, the highest peak in the Fribourg foothills at 2389 m. Many flowers that have already withered away in the flatlands are just now starting to blossom in the Haute Gruyère region. The fragrance, the chirping of insects and oodles of dancing butterflies are simply delightful, and you can’t get enough of the bright yellow dandelions.
Along the lake between Lessoc and Montbovon, where water is turned into power, the butterflies have vanished. If you bypass Château-d’Oex, the main town of the region, you will see the lovely village perched slightly elevated on a terrace. The area with the excellent artisan craftwork is also a mecca for hot air balloons. The International Hot Air Balloon Festival is held here every year, the largest get-together of its kind in the Alpine region. After Rougemont, an intact village with pretty chalets and fountains, the town of Saanen soon follows. Known for its amazing wooden houses, Saanen seems to whisper of wealth and prosperity. Gstaad, today’s destination, on the other hand, is one of the most famous and fashionable resorts in Switzerland and tells of a different kind of affluence.
Length
45 km
Roads and trails
Asphalted: 43 km
Natural surface: 2 km
Natural surface: 2 km
Ascent | Descent
820 m | 540 m
Fitness level
medium
Arrival | return travel
More …
Traffic volume
Beware: busy mainroads Lessoc–La Tine and Rougemont–Saanen
Saving metres in altitude
There is a train between Montbovon and Château-d'Oex that saves about 200 metres in altitude.
Hints
Arrival | return travel
Hints
Biking in swiss parks
From Gruyère , the Saane is followed through the valley with picturesque villages, testimony to the golden age of the cheese trade. Then we cross the Pays- d’Enhaut with numerous streams, a rich architectural heritage and exceptional landscapes.
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