Things to Do With One Day in Gruyères, Switzerland

We came to Gruyères, Switzerland, for the cheese. While we certainly had plenty of that, from our cheese factory tour to filling our bellies with fondue for lunch, this medieval village is charming even apart from the dairy.

You don’t need more than one day in Gruyères to explore its best attractions, but you will want to linger in the town’s best panoramic spots. This place is atmospheric as heck.

One day is enough for the highlights of Gruyères.

Gruyères was made for day trips. The small town even gets a little sleepy by mid-afternoon, especially if you’ve had a few cocktails at the town’s alien-themed bar.

Give yourself more time if you love to hike, as you are surrounded by mountains here, or find a less pricey base to create memories full of outdoor adventure. A full day here will be plenty, but still a lot of fun.

How to Spend a Day in Gruyères

You can spend your day in Gruyères like this:

• See a cheesemaking demo at La Maison du Gruyère.
• Explore the H. R. Giger Museum.
• Eat a fondue lunch at the foot of Moléson.
• Visit the Château de Gruyères.
• Snap a photo of Église Saint-Théodule de Gruyères.
• Grab a drink at the H.R. Giger Bar.
• Eat dinner (and dessert) in town.

One Day in Gruyères

How you approach your morning will depend on the timing of your first stop. We wanted to get to La Maison du Gruyère, the town’s cheese factory, at a specific time to watch the cutting of the curds and then the start of the filling of the cheese molds.

That meant a fairly early morning from our base across the border in France, but you may be able to sleep in some if you’re staying in Gruyères. We’re all adults here. Plan your day as it makes sense for you, with this itinerary as your broad outline!

Stop 1: La Maison du Gruyère

Start your day at La Maison du Gruyère, an interactive museum with live cheese-making action throughout the morning. Check timetables online for when the magic is happening, as it varies by the season.

We arrived around 9am in the summer to watch them cut the curds, and it was more exciting than it sounds. I get into it all in my guide to the cheese factory, including whether we went home with some Gruyère cheese of our own.

I bet you can make an educated guess there.

The shop has all of the varietals, including Gruyère aged to your desired level of sharpness. Grab some sausages, too, if you need a morning snack.

READ MORE: If you love cheese-themed travel, plan a trip to Parma, the home of Italy’s most famous cheese.

Stop 2: H. R. Giger Museum

This may just be the strangest museum we’ve ever visited, and we’ve seen some weird shit. Skip this one if you’re traveling with kids (it’s just not appropriate), but otherwise, spend an hour or so exploring a tribute to Giger in a 400-year-old château.

Giger is a Swiss artist best known for designing the creatures in Alien. The museum includes original paintings, sculptures, and film design pieces in striking contrast to the town’s quaint surroundings.

There’s seriously nothing cute about this place. Head to my guide to the museum to learn more about what you’ll see inside.

Note: There are combo ticket offers all over town to save you a little money. You can get a combo ticket to this museum and the castle in town OR a combo ticket to the castle and cheese factory. You can also get a ticket that covers entry to the castle and the Tibet Museum I’ll get into later.

Stop 3: Lunch

For lunch, you can stay in the medieval town and dine at one of the traditional Swiss restaurants nearby.

Chalet de Gruyères is a popular choice and was on our list for its homey Alpine atmosphere and plentiful fondue and raclette. Auberge de la Halle in town was another local recommendation.

If you have a car, as we did, I’d suggest a side trip to Moléson, just a 10-minute drive from the medieval village.

We went to lunch there at Fromagerie d’alpage de Moléson. I needed some fondue after that creepy museum, and this one kept popping up as a great cheese shop, too.

Note: Yes, we’d already bought some cheese at the cheese factory. No, I can never have too much dairy.

We got the recommendation to get the lukewarm “special” fondue from our server, and I love special. It came with potatoes, not bread, which I didn’t hate, and was like having a pot of tartiflette.

I found it kinda pricey, but you have to remind yourself from time to time that you’re in Switzerland, an expensive place to be. You’re also noshing in a Swiss chalet at this place specifically.

Our server was so nice and inquisitive about us, and the views of the Moléson, a mountain of the Swiss Prealps, were fantastic. There are chickens, sheep, and pigs to meet on the property, too.

If you want to linger here, there is an alpine coaster track set up for summer fun, with skiing in the winter. We took a stroll after lunch in the surrounding area just to walk off some of that fondue.

Optional Stop 4: Tibet Museum

We wanted to get to the Gruyères castle at this point, but if you’re doing fine on time because you didn’t linger too hard at lunch, you may have time for this one.

The Tibet Museum – Fondation Alain Bordier is a mouthful of a name, but it’s meant to be a serene experience. The museum, curated by the guy in the name, boasts one of the largest collections of Buddhist art in the world.

Fun fact: The museum is housed in what used to be a chapel dedicated to St. Joseph and then an institute for deaf children run by Catholic nuns. 

While inside, you’ll see Tibetan Buddhist art, including statues, thangkas, or sacred scrolls, ritual objects, and ancient manuscripts. The space is small but described as deeply atmospheric.

Again, we didn’t pop in, but it would certainly be a striking contrast to the H. R. Giger Museum you visited in the morning.

Stop 5: Château de Gruyères

Spend the next hour or so at the Castle of Gruyères, a wonderfully preserved medieval castle with rooms of period furniture and exhibits depicting life from the 13th century.

The real goods here are the views, and you won’t want to rush those. Don’t miss the landscaped gardens and the panoramic terraces, especially if you’re here on a quiet day. These spots offer the best photos in the village.

You don’t need tickets in advance for this one. Just show up and pick up a ticket, or show a combo ticket you’ve purchased earlier in the day. We felt just fine about exploring the castle in a self-guided way, but they offer guided tours, too.

READ MORE: Love castles? You’ll want to make plans to visit the Loire Valley in France.

Stop 6: Église Saint-Théodule de Gruyères

You’ll see views of this one from above as you explore the castle. The Église Saint-Théodule de Gruyères is a 13th-century Gothic church dedicated to Saint Theodul, the patron saint of the region.

Step inside to see its stained glass windows and impressive organ, or admire it from the outside up against that pastoral landscape. Seriously, this place is very photogenic.

Stop 7: H.R. Giger Bar

Take a stroll around the village and its main street if you like tchotchkes before your next stop. Also known as the H. R. Giger Museum Bar, this bar is almost as strange as the museum.

It’s a fun stop to check out its vaulted, ribcage-like ceilings and alien-inspired furniture and grab a drink before dinner if you indulge in that sort of thing.

Fun fact: There is a second bar like this one in Chur, Switzerland, where Giger was born.

The themed cocktails are the most exciting option on the drink menu, but those will cost you. We went with beer and hard cider, as we felt like the atmosphere was enough.

Stop 8: Dinner

We returned to our base across the border in France for dinner, as we felt like we got the Swiss chalet experience at lunch. If you’d like to hang out after the sun goes down, feel free to do so.

Just make sure you’re timing things right if you arrived via public transit, as what you do in the evening may be dictated by the time of your train ride back.

Chalet de Gruyères and Auberge de la Halle, the two alternatives I recommended at lunch, are still nice for dinner. Both offer traditional Swiss cuisine made with regional ingredients.

For dessert, indulge in anything with double crème de la Gruyère, a silky cream popular in the region. You may see it served with meringue.

With More Time in Gruyères

Your day in Gruyères will go by quickly. If you’re lucky enough to have more time or just like options, here are a few more things to do in Gruyères:

• If you’re traveling with kids, skip the Giger stuff in favor of a tour at Maison Cailler, the oldest Swiss chocolate brand still in existence.
• On that note, have a chocolate tasting at Chocolaterie de Gruyères.
• For more chocolate, ride the chocolate train from Montreux and the Cailler chocolate factory at Broc.
• Visit the Fondue Academy for a cooking class from master fondue chefs.
• Do some shopping at any of the village shops, like Boutique Edelweiss.
• Walk some of the surrounding trails, like the nearly six-mile Broc Village via Gruyères trail.

How to Get to Gruyères

Gruyères, in the canton of Fribourg, is best reached by car. That’s what we did on our day trip there. Paid parking is available in lots below the medieval village. You’ll just need to walk a short distance up the hill from there.

You can also reach Gruyères from major cities like Geneva, Bern, or Zurich by train. From each of those cities, you can take a train to Bulle, then transfer to another local train to get to Gruyères. It’s a short uphill walk from the train station to the village.

Expect the journey to take at least two hours if you want to take the train. The trains may not come as frequently as you’d like, either.

Where to Stay in Gruyères

We visited Gruyères on a day trip from Évian-les-Bains, France. It was just over the border and much less expensive than anywhere in Switzerland. This is one of the most expensive countries in Europe.

Don’t let me stop you from staying in Gruyères, though. Use the map below for your options:

Gruyères is worth visiting for more than cheese.

I mean, the cheese was certainly still a part of our visit, but the town is more than that, too. It’s also about fondue.

OK, it’s also about a very strange museum, sweeping castle views of Gruyères and the cities beyond, and a charming medieval village. It’s perfectly situated and sized for a day’s worth of exploring.

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