Last Updated: May 2026
Gruyères is located in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, and is famous for its cheese which has been produced there for over 800 years. The medieval hilltop village is one of the best-preserved in Switzerland, and a day that combines Gruyères with Lausanne, Montreux, and Château de Chillon packs an extraordinary range of Swiss history, scenery, and flavor into a single excursion.
Montreux, Switzerland
From Lausanne we traveled through Montreux to the Château de Chillon. Located in Montreux is a statue of Freddie Mercury, who had a significant and special connection to Montreux, Switzerland. From 1978 to 1991, Queen — Freddie Mercury’s band — regularly recorded in Montreux at the famous Mountain Studios located in the Montreux Casino. The peaceful and scenic setting by Lake Geneva offered Mercury and the band a retreat away from the pressures of the media and fans, providing an ideal environment for artistic inspiration. They recorded six studio albums during that period.
Freddie began splitting his time between London and Montreux in the late 1980s and eventually acquired a flat there as his health declined due to AIDS.
To honor his legacy, a bronze statue of Freddie stands on the Montreux lakeside promenade, commemorating his strong ties to the town. Since 2001, Montreux has hosted the annual Freddie Celebration Days around his birthday, attracting fans worldwide to celebrate his life and music.
Château de Chillon, Switzerland
Located on a small island in Lake Geneva between Montreux and Villeneuve, Chillon Castle is a medieval fortress famous for its scenic and strategic location.
Lord Byron visited the castle in 1816 and was inspired by the story of François Bonivard, a prisoner held there in the 16th century, to write his poem “The Prisoner of Chillon.” Byron famously carved his name on a pillar in the dungeon, which remains a notable historical feature today.
Chillon Castle is well known as Switzerland’s most visited historic monument and has a rich history dating back to the 12th century, having been under the control of the House of Savoy, then Bernese authorities, and now the canton of Vaud.
The castle has served various roles, including as a military fortification, prison, and residence.
It is a popular tourist destination with approximately 50 rooms open to visitors, including the dungeons that inspired Lord Byron’s poetry.
Gruyères
We walked the small town of Gruyères to the main church, the Church of Saint-Théodule, which was established in 1254 by Count Rodolfo III as the parish church for the village and surrounding areas. While the original Gothic building was destroyed by fire in 1679 and again in 1856, it was rebuilt and the current church was consecrated in 1860. This church acts as a key religious and historic landmark in the village and offers a picturesque setting. From there was a beautiful view of the monastery in Gruyères.
Gruyère cheese is a hard Swiss cheese with a rich, creamy and slightly nutty flavor. It is made from raw cow’s milk and is highly regarded in Switzerland and worldwide for its quality and unique taste. The cheese matures over months, developing a complex flavor that is both sweet and slightly salty, often used in dishes like fondue, French onion soup, and croque-monsieur. The production of Gruyère cheese follows traditional methods and is protected under the Swiss appellation system to guarantee its authenticity.
We had lunch to sample some of the cheese dishes. Raclette is a traditional Swiss dish in which a large slice of cheese — usually Raclette cheese — is heated under a broiler or a special raclette grill until the surface is melted and bubbly. The melted cheese is then scraped off onto bread, potatoes, and believe it or not, pickles. It was absolutely delicious.
This was a very picturesque and charming area of Switzerland.
H.R. Giger Museum, Gruyères
Along the way there was a museum dedicated to the artwork of H.R. Giger, a Swiss artist famous for designing the titular alien creature and other biomechanical creatures for the “Alien” film series. The museum is housed in Château St. Germain, a historic castle in the medieval town of Gruyères, which Giger purchased in 1997 and transformed into a permanent home for his art. It opened to the public in 1998. Michael couldn’t help himself from being silly.
Visitor Information
Château de Chillon is located at Avenue de Chillon 21, 1820 Veytaux, on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva between Montreux and Villeneuve. Open daily year-round; hours vary by season. Adult admission is approximately CHF 15. Allow at least two hours to explore the approximately 50 rooms. Visit chillon.ch for current hours and ticket prices.
Gruyères village is located in the canton of Fribourg, approximately 35 kilometers south of Fribourg city. The medieval hilltop village is free to enter and open at all times; individual restaurants, shops, and the castle have their own hours and admission fees. Parking is available at the base of the hill — the village itself is pedestrian-only.
H.R. Giger Museum is housed in Château St. Germain on the main street of Gruyères. Open daily April through October; weekends only November through March. Admission is charged. Visit hrgigermuseum.com for current hours and prices.
Maison du Gruyère, the working cheese dairy where you can watch Gruyère cheese being produced, is located at Place de la Gare 3, 1663 Pringy, just below the village of Gruyères. Open daily with demonstrations at regular intervals. Visit lamaisondugruyere.ch for the demonstration schedule.
Practical Tips for Visiting Gruyères and Château de Chillon
Arrive at Gruyères early. As our lead photo shows — taken before the tourists arrived — the main square is genuinely magical in the early morning. By midday the cobblestone street fills quickly, especially in summer. Getting there by 9 AM gives you the place almost to yourself and the light is excellent for photography.
Park at the base of the hill. Gruyères village is pedestrian-only at the top. Leave your car or bus in the parking area below and walk the short path up to the village. It is not a difficult climb and the views open up as you ascend.
Eat lunch in Gruyères — it is worth it. The cheese dishes here are the real thing. Raclette and fondue made with locally produced Gruyère cheese taste noticeably different from what you get elsewhere, and the terrace restaurants with views of the surrounding valley make the experience genuinely memorable. Book ahead in summer.
Allow at least two hours at Château de Chillon. The castle is larger inside than it looks from the outside and has approximately 50 rooms spread across multiple levels. The dungeons alone are worth a long visit — the atmosphere, Byron’s carved name, the lake visible through the iron-barred windows, and the stories of François Bonivard make it vivid in a way that a typical museum cannot.
The H.R. Giger Museum is a striking contrast to the medieval setting. If you are a fan of the Alien films or surrealist art, it is absolutely worth stepping inside. The juxtaposition of Giger’s biomechanical nightmare imagery in a 13th-century Swiss castle is genuinely unforgettable. Even if his work is not your taste, it is hard not to appreciate the audacity of the whole thing.
From Gruyères, the next stop on our Tauck Switzerland tour was Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gruyères and Château de Chillon
What is Gruyères famous for? Gruyères is famous for two things above all: its cheese and its medieval village. The hilltop town is one of Switzerland’s best-preserved medieval villages, with a castle, cobblestone main street, and surrounding countryside that have changed little in centuries. Gruyère cheese — made from raw cow’s milk in the surrounding region for over 800 years — is one of Switzerland’s most celebrated exports, recognized worldwide for its complex, nutty flavor.
Is Château de Chillon worth visiting? Absolutely — it is Switzerland’s most visited historic monument for good reason. The combination of the setting (on a rocky island in Lake Geneva with the Alps as a backdrop), the history (12th-century fortifications, House of Savoy residence, dungeon prison), and the literary connection to Lord Byron makes it one of the most atmospheric medieval castles in Europe. The interior is remarkably intact and the dungeon is genuinely memorable.
What is the connection between Freddie Mercury and Montreux? Queen recorded six studio albums at Mountain Studios in Montreux between 1978 and 1991, and Freddie Mercury spent significant time there in his final years, eventually acquiring a flat in the town. He found Montreux’s lakeside peace and privacy an ideal retreat from the pressures of fame. Since his death in 1991, the town has honored him with a bronze statue on the lakeside promenade and an annual Freddie Celebration Days event held near his November birthday.
Who was H.R. Giger? Hans Rudolf Giger (1940–2014) was a Swiss surrealist artist best known for designing the creature in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien, work that earned him an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. His signature style — biomechanical imagery that fuses human anatomy with machine components — is immediately recognizable and deeply unsettling. He purchased Château St. Germain in Gruyères in 1997 and converted it into a permanent museum for his work, which opened in 1998.
What should you eat in Gruyères? Raclette and fondue made with locally produced Gruyère cheese are the obvious choices and both are excellent here. Raclette involves melting a half-wheel of cheese under a grill and scraping the molten cheese over potatoes, bread, and pickles — simple, rich, and deeply satisfying. The double-cream of Gruyères (crème de la Gruyère) is also worth trying, particularly on meringues, which is a local specialty.
