Private Gruyères Castle & Bern Old Town Day Trip from Montreux

Gruyères, the medieval village of the cheese country

From Montreux the van climbs above Lake Geneva and crosses green farmland to Gruyères in about 45 minutes. The village sits on a hill at about 800 m, and cars stay below, so you walk through the old gate onto a single cobbled street of 15th- and 16th-century houses with painted shutters and flower boxes, leading up to the castle.

The village gave its name to the famous cheese, made in this region since at least the 12th century from the milk of cows grazing on the surrounding pastures. At the foot of the hill a show dairy, which you can visit at your own expense, demonstrates how a wheel is made. Is Gruyères worth visiting? Its intact medieval street and mountain backdrop make it one of the most photogenic villages in Switzerland.

Gruyères Castle, admission included

At the top of the village, Gruyères Castle has stood guard since the 13th century. It was the seat of the counts of Gruyère, who ruled the valley until the last count went bankrupt in 1554, when it passed to the city of Fribourg. Restored in the 19th century by new owners who invited painters to decorate several rooms, it now presents eight centuries of history.

With your ticket included, you visit the knights' hall, furnished living rooms, tapestries, a multimedia show and the formal gardens laid out on the ramparts, with wide views over the hills toward Moléson. Allow about an hour. Gruyères Castle opening hours are generally from morning to late afternoon, a little shorter in winter; your driver plans the timing so you enjoy the village before the busiest hours.

Bern old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site

About an hour's drive brings you to Bern, founded in 1191 on a narrow rocky peninsula wrapped by a loop of the green Aare river. Its old town was listed by UNESCO in 1983 for its remarkably preserved medieval layout: long parallel streets of sandstone houses lined with covered arcades, which together run for several kilometres and shelter shops in any weather.

Painted Renaissance fountains with colourful figures stand along the main streets, and the late-Gothic Minster raises the tallest church spire in Switzerland, about 100 m high. Not far away, the domed Federal Palace houses the Swiss parliament and government and looks out over the Aare and, on clear days, the Bernese Alps. Bern is also an easy place to find halal food, which makes it a good lunch stop on this day trip.

The Zytglogge clock tower

In the heart of the old town, the Zytglogge was built in the early 13th century as the city's western gate and later served as a prison before becoming a clock tower. Its great astronomical clock, made in 1530, shows not only the hours but also the days, the months, the phases of the moon and the signs of the zodiac.

Arrive about four minutes before the hour to watch the mechanical show: a parade of little bears, a crowing rooster, a jester ringing bells and a golden figure striking the hour on the great bell. The tower is the city's most famous landmark and the classic starting point to explore Bern; your driver drops you nearby and suggests a route through the arcades at your own pace.

The bear park and the Rose Garden viewpoint

Bears have been the symbol of Bern since its founding, and the city has kept live bears since the 15th century. Today they live in the bear park, a large wooded enclosure on the steep bank of the Aare at the end of the old town, opened in 2009 next to the historic round bear pit. You can watch them climb, swim and play, usually most active in the morning and late afternoon.

Just above, a short climb leads to the Rose Garden, a former cemetery turned into a park, with hundreds of rose varieties and a pond. Its terrace offers the best view in Bern: red-tiled roofs, the Minster spire and the curve of the Aare. The roses bloom from late May to September. Your driver then drives you back to Montreux in about an hour and a quarter.