Charmey lies at the heart of the Gruyère region, in an unspoilt pre-alpine landscape in the canton of Fribourg. The wide range of activities for families and lovers of sport and culture make this traditional mountain village a popular holiday destination in summer and winter.
Charmey is just a few kilometres away from Gruyères and Bulle, on the road leading to Jaun and the Jaun Pass. For a long time, the village was the main production centre for the tasty Gruyère cheese, when the cheese was still primarily made up in the mountains. Nowadays tourism is the main industry in the little village. You can relax and be pampered in the new wellness and fun thermal baths in Charmey. The museum tells you about the history of this rural area.
For walkers and lovers of Nordic walking and mountain biking, Charmey is just the right place: there are various tracks marked out, for example on the Vounetse mountain (1627 m) with its fine views, and there are maps showing them too. At the middle station of the cable-car you can test your skills and courage in a rope adventure park with five routes. There are signposted paths with information boards about the alpine economy and the flora and fauna, drawing your attention to the special features of the landscape. Finally, at the top station there is an alpine cheesery where Gruyère cheese is still made in the traditional way over a wood fire.
The Jaun Pass connects the Gruyère region with the Simmental in the Bernese Oberland. In summer, the steep, weather-beaten slopes of the Gastlosen (1998 m) attract many hikers and climbers to the area. Nearby Jaun, at the foot of an impressive waterfall, is close to the language border between French and German. Here it is worth visiting the old cemetery with its many wooden carvings, recalling the previous occupations of those who are buried there.
Skiers can take the cable-car up to the Vounetse in the massif of the Dents Vertes. The six lifts, a snowpark, floodlit cross-country tracks, a sledging run, snow-shoe routes and an artificial ice-rink mean there is a wide range of winter sports available. The family-friendly skiing area of Jaun, with its four lifts, also offers all the benefits of a compact skiing area for families with children. There are other nearby skiing areas on the La Berra (1720 m) and Moléson (2003 m).
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