Château-d’Oex
February 11, 2009 by Pegagus Pendrean · Leave a Comment
Château-d’Oex is situated at around 1000 metres in altitude, half-way between the classy resort of Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland and the small town of Gruyères in the canton of Fribourg.
In both summer and winter, Château-d’Oex offers a diverse range of holiday experiences and sporting activities. Old decorated chalets and wonderful mountainscapes are typical for the villages of this region.
Thanks to its favourable micro-climate, Château-d’Oex has developed into a hot-air ballooning metropolis. Passenger flights are available throughout the year and an international competition in hot-air ballooning is held every January.
Highlights:
- Espace Ballon – balloon museum charting the history of aviation and ballooning. The hot-air balloon – as used by Jules Vernes, through to its use in the adventures of Piccard and Jones – is the focus of everything here.
- Etivaz cheese – is made in the Alpine huts of the Pays-d’Enhaut in cauldrons over open wood fires, and in the «Le Chalet» Fromagerie show creamery in Château-d’Oex.
- Mike Horn Family – obstacle course by the adventurer Mike Horn in the form of a treasure hunt with interesting posts about the demands placed on expeditions – an adventure for the entire family.
- Musée du Vieux Pays-d’Enhaut – the homeland museum in Château-d’Oex has dedicated its collections amongst others, to the art of silhouette cutting which has enjoyed popularity since the 18th century.
- Le Grand Chalet in Rossinière – the chalet dating from 1754 with 113 windows, in which the well-known painter Henri Balthus lived, has long been regarded as the largest in Switzerland.
- Montreux – Bernese Oberland Railway (MOB) – the Pays-d’Enhaut lies along its panoramic rail route, which links Montreux on Lake Geneva to Gstaad and Zweisimmen in the Bernese Oberland.
Top Events:
- International hot-air balloon week – a colourful spectacle in the sky. Balloonists from throughout the world convene to participate in a week-long competition (January).
How to get there:
- Public Transport: Geneva- Montreux by SBB, then take the train from MOB to Château-d’Oex.
- By car: Auto route Geneva – Lausanne – Vevey – Freiburg Take the Bulle exit and follow the road to Château-d’Oex.
- Other/Air: Connections from the international airports of Geneva and Zürich. From Geneva-Cointrin: By train to Montreux, then by MOB to Château-d’Oex. From Zürich-Kloten: by train to Bern – Spiez – Zweisimmen and then by MOB to Château-d’Oex.
Swissinfo’s Simon Bradley hitches a ride at the Château-d’Oex international balloon festival to find out why the region’s low-lying, snow-capped valleys and unusual weather conditions make for such…
Geneva
February 9, 2009 by Pegagus Pendrean · Leave a Comment
Geneva is Switzerland’s most international city. The city of Geneva is French-speaking and lies in the bay where the river Rhone leaves Lake Geneva and is embedded between nearby Alpine peaks and the hilly terrain of the Jura mountains. Geneva the “capital of peace”, with its humanitarian traditions and cosmopolitan flair, is also the European seat of the United Nations and headquarters of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent.
The symbol of Geneva, often referred to as the «world’s smallest metropolis» is the “Jet d’eau” – a fountain with a 140-metre-high water jet at the periphery of Lake Geneva. Besides being a congress city, Geneva is also a centre for culture and history, for trade fairs and exhibitions.
The «Horloge Fleuri», the large flower clock in the “Jardin Anglais” (English Garden), is a world-renowned symbol of the Geneva watch industry.
Most of the large hotels and many restaurants are situated on the right-hand shore of the lake. The old town, the heart of Geneva with the shopping and business quarter, holds sway over the left-hand shore. It is dominated by St. Peter’s Cathedral, however the actual centre of the old town is the Place du Bourg-de-Four, which is the oldest square in the city. Quays, lakeside promenades, countless parks, lively side streets in the old town and elegant shops invite guests to stroll. One of the best-maintained streets is the Grand-Rue, where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. The «mouettes», a type of water taxi, enable crossings to be made from one lakeshore to the other, while larger vessels invite visitors to enjoy cruises on Lake Geneva.
Culturally, this city on the westernmost fringe of Switzerland has much to offer. International artists perform in the Grand Théâtre and Geneva Opera House, and an extremely diverse range of museums such as the “Musée international de l’horlogerie”, a watch museum with a collection of jewellery watches and musical clocks, and the International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which provides an insight into the work of these humanitarian organisations, invite city guests to visit them.
A rewarding excursion destination is Mont Salève, which is situated in neighbouring France. The cableway lifts visitors to an altitude of 1100 metres in less than five minutes, giving rise to outstanding vistas across the city of Geneva, Lake Geneva, the chain of Alps, the Jura and Montblanc.
Highlights
- Jet d’eau – visible from afar, the 140-metre-high water jet is the ‘landmark’ of Geneva.
- St. Pierre Cathedral – the north tower of the three-naved basilica in the old town of Geneva offers up a unique vista over the city and lake.
- Palace of the United Nations – on passing through the paled gate of the Palace of the UNO, visitors enter international territory.
- International Museum of the Red Cross – the birthplace of the International Red Cross houses the only museum dedicated to the history and work of this organisation.
- Cruises on Lake Geneva – from the cruise boats, visitors can marvel at the unique scenery of castles and magnificent residences set against wonderful landscape and mountain panoramas.
How to get there
- Public Transport: Direct train connections. The ride from to airport to Geneva City takes 6 minutes.
- By car: Direct connection to the national and international motorway network.
- Other/Air: International Airport Geneva, 10 minutes by car from the center of the city.
