One route leads from Montbovon through wooded areas to pastures, while another follows bridges along the Saane towards Lessoc. There is also a circular trail around Lac de Lessoc, historic buildings and traditional crafts. Montbovon offers different perspectives on the landscape and the village’s history—useful when choosing what to explore based on your own interests.
Montbovon between Fribourg and Pays d’Enhaut
Montbovon is a village in the French-speaking part of the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. It lies at the southern tip of the canton; in the Défilé de La Tine gorge, the area borders Pays d’Enhaut. This location provides a setting for excursions through a landscape where forests, pastures, mountains and the Saane feature in the routes described.
Trails with different highlights
The Vias du Fromage Montbovon–Allières route leads from Montbovon along the left bank of the valley, through wooded areas to the pastures of Vers les Jordan. Its course links forest sections with open pastures. If you would particularly like to focus on this sequence of landscapes while hiking, it offers a different starting point from a route whose defining features are bridges and river crossings.
The Montbovon–Bounavau stage of the Grand Tour des Vanils also starts in Montbovon and crosses two bridges over the Saane on the way to Lessoc. One of them has a shingle roof. This gives the stage a distinctive architectural feature in the route description. The two routes can be distinguished by their stated highlights: wooded areas and pastures on one, and two bridges over the river on the way towards Lessoc on the other.
On the shores of Lac de Lessoc
The Tour du Lac de Lessoc circular trail can be reached on foot from Montbovon railway station. It follows the shores of the artificial Lac de Lessoc, which was created when a dam was built on the Saane. Along the way, the trail passes through meadows and forests and offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. The lakeshore, the landscape along the trail and the mountain views are the main highlights here; the lake’s origins are also part of the landscape’s history that you can see on the circular trail.
Bridges, a church and crafts
The historic Montbovon–Allières route passes the Pont du Pontet. Dating from the 17th century, it is one of the oldest bridges in the canton of Fribourg. A chapel already stood in Montbovon in 1515–1517; in 1621, it was replaced by a church dedicated to Saint Grat. This church was rebuilt in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1897. Montbovon is documented as far back as 1255, so the village’s history goes further back than the building phases mentioned here.
Traditional crafts are also still practised in Montbovon and Allières: shingle making, wood engraving and metalworking. These crafts complement the historic routes and buildings with a look at local traditions. You will also encounter a shingle-covered bridge on the Grand Tour des Vanils stage towards Lessoc; the local presence of these crafts and the bridge are two separate aspects.
For a culinary stop, the Laiterie de Montbovon welcomes visitors to its village shop. It sells Gruyère AOP, Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP and other specialities. This means you can include a visit to a local village shop in your explorations, alongside the routes and historic sites.
Discover more destinations: Vuadens, Jaun, Pont-En-Ogoz, Echarlens, Bas-Intyamon, Pringy, Le Pâquier, Haut-Intyamon.
Return to the broader travel overview: Gruyère.
