You may find this question strange, but do you know what Vienna has in common with the Moléson peak for me? We’ve been driving past for so many years, but we never have time to take a turn and stop here. But while I finally managed to visit Vienna last year, I didn’t get to Moléson until this year. Moléson, which rises to 2002 metres, is a peak in the Freiburg Pre-Alps in western Switzerland. You basically can’t miss the sight of it when heading down the A12 highway in the direction of Bern to Montreux. The Moléson offers a stunning 360° panorama, from which you can see Lake Geneva, the vast Swiss plateau and even Mont Blanc on a clear day. I cut my hike from the summit along the Crête de Moléson ridge to the intermediate station at Plan-Francey.
*For those who are reading my blog for the first time: we come from the Czech Republic and several times a year we visit our family and our route goes right past Vienna.
Where is Moléson and how to get here
To get to Moléson, you must first get to the village of Moléson-sur-Gruyères. It is located in the western part of Switzerland in the canton of Fribourg, at the foot of the Moléson peak.
By public transport: The train and bus journey from Bern takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. From Bern Central Station, take the train towards Fribourg and continue to Bulle station. At Bulle, change to the local train to Gruyères, from where direct buses – line 263 – run to Moléson-sur-Gruyères.
By car. From the city, take the A12 motorway towards Lausanne, then take the Bulle/Gruyères exit. Continue along the road following the direction signs to Moléson-sur-Gruyères. There is a large car park right next to the cable car , which is free!
Mountain lifts
And why did I choose Moléson for my hike? Because in November it’s already off-season in most places. This means that the mountain lifts are closed and under maintenance before the winter season kicks into full swing. The lifts on Moléson are open on weekends during November and early December (from 4 November to 8 December 2024), weather permitting.
Funiular: Runs every 20 minutes at ’00, ’20 and ’40.
Cable car: Runs every 20 minutes at times ’10, ’30 and ’50, so they are perfectly synchronized to give you plenty of time to change. The last ride from the top runs at 17:50.
Fares are calculated according to how many sections of the cable car you ride. For my hike, I needed 2 funicular rides and one cable car ride, so 3 sections. I paid 30 CHF for these.
Note: the Children’s Magic Pass includes both lifts for free, but the Half-fare card does not apply here. Family discounts start with three paying people from one household and include a 2 CHF discount per adult.
Moléson Peak
Before I started my hike, I climbed to the very top. This detour is really worth it because, as I wrote in the introduction, you get a beautiful panorama.
Crête de Moléson Ridge
Then I took the narrow rocky path along the ridge.
At the Belles Rayes pass you turn right and here begins a fairly steep descent to the Le Villard signpost.
From Le Villard, the route leads through mountain pastures typical of the region. You will soon reach the Gros Plané mountain restaurant. But it’s closed now.
From here, turn slightly right and follow the forest to the Plan-Francey station.
Summary
- The route is 8 kilometres long and is not suitable for a stroller.
- It is a Bergwanderung, i.e. a mountain trail, so don’t forget sturdy footwear or hiking poles.
- There are two restaurants open on the route in season : one at the Moléson hill station and the aforementioned Gros Plané.
Other activities in the area
Moléson offers year-round activities: hiking, cycling, alpine coaster and rock climbing in summer, skiing and sledding in winter.
 in November: the ridge trail from Le Moléson){kind=link}