CerniatGruyère region1000 m
A century-old Fribourg chalet, renovated in 2023 with a light hand, facing the pre-Alps at a thousand metres.
Check availabilityThe Chalet
Chalet Le 1er has stood in Cerniat for a hundred years. In 2023 it was renovated with a light hand: modern comfort throughout, every original beam and board kept in place.
Step onto the terrace in the morning and it is all there, the pre-Alps across the valley, cowbells somewhere below, the smell of cut hay. Expect a full pantry, a warm welcome, and wild-raspberry jam Nathalie and Jean-François make by hand.
The Spaces
Living & Dining
The heart of the chalet is one warm, open room: a soft corner to sink into, a long wooden table set for six, and the balcony doors just beyond. Wood panelling on every wall, warmth for the cold evenings, and the valley framed in each window.
The Kitchen
Guests write home about this kitchen. Oil, vinegar, salt and spices already on the shelf, herbal teas gathered by hand, a proper oven and hob, a good coffee machine, and the copper kettle for the view. Cook a full dinner, or just boil water for tea.
Three BedroomsSleeps Six
Three bedrooms sleep up to six. Two hold a double bed each, dressed in cotton linens with extra pillows and blankets close by; the third has a sofa bed for two more. Lace at the windows, a reading lamp within reach, and the hills right there when you wake.
The Bathroom
The 2023 renovation put in a clean, tactile bathroom: a round basin on solid wood, a heated rail for towels, hot water whenever you want it. Shampoo, soap and the essentials are stocked, so you can pack light.
Balcony & Terrace
A balcony off the living room, a terrace in the garden, both turned toward the pre-Alps. Coffee at sunrise, the grill going at dusk, and a long quiet evening watching the light move down the ridge.
The Garden
The whole garden is yours. Free parking at the door and a shelter for bikes.
Room by room
Choose a room to see only its photos, or browse the whole house.
01 / 09 spaces
Inside & Out
The Region
Twenty minutes from a castle, an hour from Lake Geneva,
thirty seconds from the trailhead and five minutes from the pistes.
Open every day of the year, 9am to 9pm, and to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. Last entry an hour before closing.
A three-hour bath ticket is CHF 30 for adults on weekdays and CHF 34 at weekends and on holidays. Children of five to fifteen pay CHF 16 to 18, and under fives go free.
Saunas and hammams are included in that ticket, though they are reserved for guests of sixteen and over. Swimwear is required throughout.
No booking needed for the baths. Treatments are booked separately.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) The baths (opens in a new tab)
The summer season runs from mid-May to late October, daily 9am to 6pm and to 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday. Adult return CHF 25, one way CHF 17, and bikes and dogs travel free.
A combined ticket with the thermal baths, Montagne et bains, is CHF 44 instead of 57 for the same day.
At the top there are eight marked walking routes, restaurants, a via ferrata, a treetop course and a seven-slide toboggan trail.
The lift closes between the seasons, roughly late October to November and again in spring. What the mountain becomes in winter is in the row just below.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) The lift (opens in a new tab)
Three marked ski touring routes climb from the village: La Scie, 3.88 km and 2h10, fairly easy; Ganet, 4.13 km and 2h40, medium; Vitaski, 4.39 km and 2h45. Ganet stays open to tourers every evening from 5pm to 10:30pm, on a voluntary contribution of CHF 6 a day or CHF 99 a season rather than a lift pass. The routes close during daytime grooming, and you go at your own risk.
The Nordic Jogne centre at Im Fang has 20 km of cross-country tracks linking Charmey to Jaun between 870 and 1050 m, and a 4 km loop floodlit every evening. Heated room, waxing room, rental and lessons on site. Day pass CHF 10, the week CHF 40, open December to February.
The gondola climbs from the village at 876 m to 1617 m and serves over 30 km of runs, with a beginner area and the Swiss Ski School. Adult day pass CHF 49, four hours CHF 40, plus a compulsory CHF 5 keycard, and the Magic Pass is accepted.
There are five marked snowshoe routes, among them Vounetz to La Scie, 4 km and 2h30, easy, and La Valsainte to Vounetz, 5.58 km and 3h30, medium. Night sledging runs on Fridays from 26 December, a 4 km run with 440 m of descent, departures 5:30pm to 9pm, headlamp required and for hire at CHF 5, sledge CHF 12. By day the last sledge leaves the summit at 3:45pm.
The season usually runs from mid-December to mid-March. The village sits low for an Alpine resort and the pistes carry no artificial snow by choice, so conditions vary from one winter to the next, and the resort publishes live lift and snow status. Whatever the snow is doing, the thermal baths are five minutes away and their outdoor pool is a fine place to end a day out.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) Ski touring (opens in a new tab) Cross-country skiing (opens in a new tab)
The castle opens daily, 9am to 6pm from April to October and 10am to 5pm from November to March, with the last entry 45 minutes before closing. Adults CHF 13.
Its French garden closes at 5:30pm and only opens from Easter to September, so see it first if you go late in the day.
The town itself is entirely pedestrian, with three paid car parks below. P3 is the largest and the likeliest to have room in summer.
La Maison du Gruyère at Pringy is CHF 8 for adults, with an audioguide and a tasting of Gruyère AOP at three ages. The cheese is only made between 9am and 12:30pm, two to four times a day, so an afternoon visit finds empty vats.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) The castle (opens in a new tab) Maison du Gruyère (opens in a new tab)
Open daily, 10am to 6pm from April to October and 10am to 5pm the rest of the year, closed on 25 December and 1 January.
Last entry an hour before closing. Adults CHF 17, and the tasting at the end of the visit is included.
Booking online is worth doing to avoid the queue, though it is not required.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) Maison Cailler (opens in a new tab)
About fifty minutes of driving brings you to the shore of Lake Geneva.
The Château de Chillon sits on its own island five minutes beyond Montreux. It opens 9am to 7pm from April to September, 9:30am to 6pm in March and October, and 10am to 5pm in winter. Adults CHF 15.
The Montreux Jazz Festival takes over the town each July.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) Château de Chillon (opens in a new tab)
The farm trail from Charmey to La Valsainte is an easy 5 km, about an hour and a half, and crosses the Javroz on a footbridge.
The loop around Lac de Montsalvens is 9 km and roughly three hours, easy going, though the left bank is closed for now with a signed detour.
For a real climb, the Vanil des Cours loop starts in Cerniat itself: 13 km, four and a half hours, 613 m of ascent.
On two wheels, the Charmey to Cerniat e-bike loop is 12 km of very easy riding and passes the chalet, and e-bikes rent from the Charmey sports centre from May to October. The Gorges de la Jogne trail is closed after a rockfall, with no reopening date.
Cerniat's own shop, run by the village cooperative, and the only one in the village. A flat seven-minute walk away.
It is open 24 hours a day, every day. You open the door with a QR code, and Nathalie sends yours before you arrive.
Inside there are more than 700 products with the accent on regional produce, a self-scanning terminal and card payment.
Someone is behind the counter every morning until midday, and from 8am on Sundays.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) The shop (opens in a new tab)
The Coop supermarket on Route du Plan opens Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 7pm, and Sunday 8am to 6pm.
There is a Denner nearby as well, and Epi'Vrac for bulk goods.
Boulangerie du Parc bakes daily from 6am, closes on Thursdays, and opens Sunday mornings only.
For cheese at the source, the Charmey dairy makes Gruyère AOP and Vacherin fribourgeois AOP, and shows visitors round by appointment.
Open in Maps (opens in a new tab) Charmey (opens in a new tab) The dairy (opens in a new tab)
Hours and prices were checked in July 2026 and shift with the season. The links go to the official pages.
Val-de-Charmey
Questions
Six, in three bedrooms with one bathroom. It is the whole chalet and its garden, let to one party at a time.
In the village of Cerniat, in the Val-de-Charmey, Gruyère region of canton Fribourg. It sits at about a thousand metres, facing the pre-Alps across the valley.
Val-Marché 24/24, the village cooperative shop, is 500 m away, a flat seven-minute walk, and open 24 hours a day. You open the door with a QR code that Nathalie sends before you arrive, and someone is behind the counter every morning until midday. The Coop in Charmey is 3 km down the road.
Bains de la Gruyère is five minutes away, with thermal water at 34 degrees indoors and out. It opens every day of the year, 9am to 9pm, and to 10pm on Friday and Saturday.
Three marked ski touring routes climb from the village, the Nordic Jogne centre at Im Fang has 20 km of cross-country tracks, and the gondola runs from 876 m to 1617 m over more than 30 km of pistes. There are also five marked snowshoe routes and night sledging on Fridays.
The farm trail from Charmey to La Valsainte is an easy 5 km. The loop around Lac de Montsalvens is 9 km. For a real climb, the Vanil des Cours loop starts in Cerniat itself: 13 km and 613 m of ascent. The Charmey to Cerniat e-bike loop passes the chalet.
Twenty minutes by car. The castle opens daily, at CHF 13 for adults. La Maison du Gruyère at Pringy is CHF 8, and the cheese is only made between 9am and 12:30pm, so an afternoon visit finds empty vats.
Self check-in with a lockbox. Arrival from 3pm, departure by 11am. Nathalie and Jean-François are reachable directly if anything comes up.
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