Château-d'Œx

Château d'Œx is a ski station in Switzerland near Gstaad and Montreux.

Understand

Château-d'Œx is a small village of approximately 3,500 inhabitants in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Château-d'Œx has become popular among travelers primarily for the village's incredibly authentic Swiss alpine feel, stunning natural surroundings, and quiet atmosphere.

Get in

By train

The 1 station of Château-d'Œx has hourly trains to Montreux (1 hr) and Zweisimmen (50 min) via Gstaad (30 min) in the Bernese Highlands. The trip will take a bit longer if you take a regional slow train. The train is operated by GoldenPass Montreux-Bernese Oberland (MOB) Railway. Some of the connections are panorama trains or old style 'classic' trains which do not cost extra and are part of the regular timetable.

There is a bus to Col-des-Mosse from where it is possible to join Aigle via another bus to Le Sépey and a train to Aigle, however it is much easier and faster to take the longer route via train passing through Montreux.

By car

Château-d'Œx is approximately a 2-hour drive from Geneva and a 1-hour and 15-minute drive to Bern. While not directly accessible by a motorway, driving into Château-d'Œx is not difficult. It can be accessed from three directions. The main road comes in from Spiez (with access to the A6 motorway) and Zweisimmen in the Bernese Highlands and goes on to Aigle (with access to the A9 motorway) near the border to Valais. Another smaller road leads into the canton of Fribourg, to Gruyères and Bulle, where you can join the A12 motorway.

Get around

Château-d'Œx is small enough that walking is the easiest and most efficient method of transportation to get anywhere in the village. Château-d'Œx is hilly, however, so any walk may involve a steep hike at one point or another.

See

• 1 Museum of the Pays-d’Enhaut, Grand Rue 107, ☏ +41 26 924 65 20. Tu-Su 14:00-17:00, closed in November. Has permanent exhibits on the life in the village in past times, but also on local art, notably paintings and paper cuts. Fr. 8/4. (updated Jul 2017)
• 2 Balloon Museum, Chemin des Ballons 2, ☏ +41 78 723 78 33, info@espace-ballon.ch. Tu-Su 14:00-17:00. This museum showcases the history of hot-air balloons. A highlight is the capsule Breitling Orbiter used by Bertrand Piccard to circumnavigate the globe in 1999. Fr. 8/5. (updated Jul 2017)

Do

• 1 Hot-air balloon flights (Ballon Château d'Œx), ☏ +41 26 924 22 20, info@ballonchateaudoex.ch. See the Alps from a new perspective - from the basket of a hot-air balloon! Available year-round, weather permitting. Fr. 390/195. (updated Jun 2017)
• Paraglide. There are numerous take-off points and numerous pilots in the area, allowing you to ride the winds no matter their direction.
• Horseback Riding. Numerous bridle paths wind between Rougemont through Château dŒx to Rossinière.
• Climbing wall. Meet at the Les Moulins to take a climb rain or shine. Tel 924 56 53.
• 2 Bowling., Parc des Sports, ☏ +41 26 924 24 54. Head to Bowling du Parc for a good time on the lanes. The centre also offers tennis and ice skating. Fr. 8/7. 
• Hiking. With over 300 km of marked paths, this region offers some great opportunities to experience the great outdoors. A walking map with 15 suggested itineraries, labelled with length and difficult, is available around town.
• Watersports
  • Hydrospeed. A wild adventure on the river Sarine. Strap on your flippers and float down the river with your head bobbing on the water's surface.
  • Canyoning. Suited into an isothermal outfit, you can walk and swim into some of the wildest gorges in the region.
  • Canoe or kayak. Paddle around on the lake.
  • Contact:
    • Rivières et Aventures, ☏ +41 79 434 70 89, fax: +41 26 924 34 23. 
    • H2O Experience, ☏ +41 79 438 74 51. 
    • Swiss Raft, ☏ +41 26 924 43 50. 
• Biking. Marked mountain biking tracks can be found all around the region.
• Swim. The heated, Olympic sized swimming pool at au Berceau is open from mid-May to early September.
• Ski. There are plenty of opportunities for downhill and cross country skiing, even tobogganing.
  • 3 La Braye (29 km in winter, 7 lifts). A rather small ski area right in the village Day pass Fr. 42/32. (updated Jun 2017)

Eat

• 1 Le Chalet, Route de la gare 2, ☏ +41 26 924 66 77, lechalet-fromagerie@bluewin.ch. Sa-Th 08:30–18:00, F 08:30–00:00. Local cuisine in an old house. Has a cheese-making demonstration on some days from 10:30–12:30. (updated Feb 2017)

Drink

• Irish Tavern, ☏ +41 26 924 74 23. An Irish pub that lets people enjoy the nice atmosphere and drinks. 
• le Poulailler, ☏ +41 26 924 57 04. Cabaret. 
• La Bamba, ☏ +41 26 924 52 52. Discotheque. 
• Le Zenith. A performing stage that includes a bar in the building. (updated Jan 2017)

Sleep

Château-d'Œx has various hotels and traditional Swiss châlets for rent.

Budget

• 1 Camping - Au Berceau, Route des Mosses 18, ☏ +41 26 924 62 34, fax: +41 26 924 25 26. (updated Feb 2017)
• 2 Youth hostel (Auberge de Jeunesse), Route des Monnaires 67, ☏ +41 26 924 64 04, fax: +41 26 924 58 43, chateau.d.oex@youthhostel.ch. €20 - 27, Fr. 29-40. 
• 3 Chalet Perce-Neige, 1660 Château d'Oex, ☏ +41 26 924 69 81. €26 - 43, Fr. 39-65. 
• 4 Restoski, Route des Mosses 104, 1660 La Lécherette, ☏ +41 26 924 62 59, fax: +41 26 924 41 63. €27 - 53, Fr. 40-80. 
• 5 Hotel Beau-Sejour, 1660 Château d'Oex, ☏ +41 26 924 74 23, fax: +41 26 924 58 06. A 2-star hotel. €30 - 100, Fr. 45-150. 
• 6 Pension le Vieux Chalet, Route de la Frasse 57, 1660 Château d'Oex, ☏ +41 26 924 68 79, fax: +41 26 924 43 11. €33 - 73, Fr. 50-110. 
• 7 Hotel Valrose, Place de la Gare, Rougemont, ☏ +41 26 923 77 77, welcome@hotelvalrose.ch. A 3-star hotel. €40 - 100, Fr. 65-150. (updated Jan 2017)

Mid-range

• 8 Hotel de Commune, 1659 Rougemont, ☏ +41 26 925 81 42, fax: +41 26 925 86 58. A 3-star hotel. €53 - 120, Fr. 80-180. 
• 9 Hotel de Ville, Grand-Rue 70, 1660 Château d'Oex, ☏ +41 26 924 74 77, fax: +41 26 924 41 21. A 3-star hotel. €57 - 107, Fr. 80-160. 
• 10 Hotel-Lodge Roc et Neige, Route des Monnaires 46, 1660 Château d'Oex, ☏ +41 26 924 33 50, fax: +41 26 924 33 51. A 3-star hotel. €59 - 166, Fr. 85-240. 
• 11 Hotel Rougemont, 1659 Rougemont, ☏ +41 26 925 80 80, fax: +41 26 925 91 85. A 4-star hotel. €65 - 193, Fr. 100-280. 
• 12 Gourmet-Hotel Ermitage, 1660 Château d'Oex, ☏ +41 26 924 60 03, fax: +41 26 924 50 76. A 3-star hotel. €66 - 207, Fr. 100-310. 

Splurge

• 13 Hotel Elite, 1658 Rossinière, ☏ +41 26 924 52 12, fax: +41 26 924 52 34. A 2-star hotel. €80, Fr. 120. 

Mountain huts

• Cabane des Choucas, 1635 meters, tel +41 26 924 79 40.
• Cabane de Ratevel, 1413 meters, tel +41 26 924 78 20.
• Cabane de la Sarouche, 1569 meters, tel +41 26 924 61 40.
• Cabane de la Videmanette, 2120 meters, tel +41 26 924 64 65.
• Les Monts-Chevreuils, 1667 meters, tel +41 26 924 58 61.

Go next

Château-d'Œx is very close to many other popular Swiss cities easily accessible by car, such as Gstaad, Montreux, Lausanne, and Bern.