We will be in Switzerland in mid-April. We've been twice before but never to Gstaad. We are thinking of doing some walks or hikes in that area. I saw that there is a recommended walk from Reusch to Col. du Pillon. My question is, how does one get to either of these places to begin the walk, from Gstaad rail station? (We'll be there just as a day trip; not sleeping in Gstaad.)

Also, in mid-April, what would you recommend as a cable car ride/hike in the area?

Hi kenav,

You can take a bus to "Reusch Talstation," and it will take about 25 minutes. Looks like there is a bus at 09.07, 10.12, 11.07, & 12.03. I would use the SBB scheduler to make sure there will be a bus returning at the time you anticipate.

I would also check with the tourist office in town (or maybe email them a day before you arrive) and make absolutely sure that the walk is passable -- you never know if there has been a sudden dump of snow or if it is so high that this year's snow is still impeding the route.

Just fyi, if you'd like to see some other options, here is a link to the tourist office's recommended winter hikes:

http://www.gstaad.ch/en/page.cfm/Act.../WinterWalking

You'll see they also show which hikes are open or closed. This one, for instance, looks fabulous:

http://www.gstaad.ch/en/page.cfm/Act...interWalking25

You would get to Col du Pillon by the same bus that goes to Reusch -- the Col is a few stops farther. See if you can download that winter walking map they show.

When I was there in winter, I took the cable car up to the Eggli and adored it. After that, I've been biking the area mostly.

Hope you have fun!

s

FWIW, the Hotel Bernerhof (right next to the Gstaad train station) specializes in hiking. They offer guided hikes as well as encyclopedic knowledge and advice about hiking in the region.
http://www.bernerhof-gstaad.ch/fr/randonnees.html

(I'm going back to Gstaad over the Easter holiday - will let you know how things look)

Hi again,

Well, a lot of the hotels in Gstaad offer guided hiking weeks, both summer and winter. When I was in Gstaad last and staying at the Gstaaderhof, they were holding a hiking week -- that's how I found out about it.

My next trip to Gstaad won't coincide with a hiking week this year, but I did see that these are the hikes they offer for medium-level hikes (about 2-3 hours):

Montag Wanderzeit: ca. 2 h
Enge - Lauenen

Dienstag Wanderzeit: ca. 2 h
Bärg-Zmorge. Anschliessend Wanderung

Mittwoch Wanderzeit: ca. 2 h
Rellerli - Bire und zurück

Donnerstag Wanderzeit: ca. 2½h
Rougemont - Gstaad

Freitag Wanderzeit: ca. 2 h
Wanderung und Pickni

I still would rather pick the brains of the folks at the Tourist Information office rather than at a hotel -- unless I were a guest.

Hope this is all good stuff for your plans!

s

Sorry, Swandav, I didn't mean to step on your turf. I merely passed on the Bergerhof info as an option - my Swiss friends and colleagues who know Gstaad well highly recommended the hotel to us as, in THEIR opinion, the hotel staff were the best at offering hiking advice tailored to individual preferences, even when compared to the tourist office. Again, my apologies for the suggestion.

I do not see a recommended hike from Reusch to Col du Pillon. Not in winter, that is.

Let's wait FoFoBT's report on the trail conditions. Cable cars will be closed in mid April except for the cable car Col du Pillon - Glacier 3000. Saanerslochgrat and Horneggli are in operation until 15 April, but there are no hiking trails from the top stations.

Mid April is a lousy time for hikes up in the mountains. You'll be restricted to the surroundings of the villages in the valleys. Sorry to rain on your parade

So, my recommendation for a day excursion is to walk around a bit in Gstaad (although it will be quite dead), take a bus to Col du Pillon and take the cable car up to the glacier.

I know you asked specifically about Gstaad, but in mid April more rewarding in the area might be Adelboden - the cable car to Engstligenalp is open until early May, the plateau up there is nice for a 1-2 hours hike.

http://www.engstligenalp.ch/3.0.html?&no_cache=1

I.

Only asked about Gstaad because we've never been there. However, we will be staying in Bern, so it's already nearly a 2-hour train ride there and we really won't want to then take a 25 minute bus ride to Reusch. Didn't realize that it would be so far.

Will look at Ingo's link and wait for FOFoBT's report.

FoFoBT

Well, I do so apologize if my post came off as proprietary. I post a lot on Trip Advisor, and we’re always stepping on folks’ toes/posts. I didn’t intend to hog the thread.

I just love posting about Gstaad (and Montreux) and will use any hint or excuse to add information.

Hopefully the OP will get the information needed from all these posts –

s