When you hear someone mention Gstaad, the Swiss village in the canton of Bern, you might first think of luxury shopping or an Alpine retreat for celebrities. However, this region also has much to offer in terms of hiking and outdoor activities. To complement these activities, you’ll find numerous mountain restaurants with delicious local dishes.

If you’re interested in traveling to Gstaad, here’s a list of five mountain restaurants that I’ve visited, as well as the hiking routes that led me there (although, one of them I arrived by chairlift). And, while not always necessary, I recommend making lunch reservations ahead of time at these restaurants, when you can.

1. Restaurant Lauenensee

You can reach Restaurant Lauenensee during your walk around the Lauenen Lake, accessible via car or bus from Gstaad. When I was there, we stopped in for a sweet afternoon snack. I have good memories of this restaurant’s blueberry tart and meringues with whipped cream.

The hikes: My family and I took a bus to the tiny village of Lauenen, and then we walked along this route: W34 Lauenen – Lauenensee – Lauenen (9.1 km). You can also arrive by car and take the W36 Lauenensee circular walk (3.1 km).

2. Geltenhütte SAC

From Lauenensee, you can take a wonderful uphill hike to the Geltenhütte, an Alpine hut maintained by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC). It’s a great place to grab lunch or a snack, and they also offer overnight accommodations. I had a special rösti there, topped with poached pears and gorgonzola cheese.

The hike: W37 Lauenensee – Geltenhütte SAC – Lauenensee (8.2 km). With 681 meters of elevation gain, the difficulty of this hike is rated as “medium.”

3. Huus am Arnensee

Located at 1,542 meters above sea level, the Arnen Lake (Arnensee) can be reached directly by car, after you pay CHF 7 at the gated entrance. Or, you can take a bus to Feutersoey, and then walk for about 6 kilometers to reach the lake.

Arnensee is a popular spot for fishing and canoeing, and the latter you can organize with Alpinzentrum Gstaad. Along the lake sits the Huus am Arnensee restaurant, where you can have a snack or meal. From the terrasse, there is an extraordinary view of the lake. You can order traditional dishes such as fondue or rösti. When I was there, I had a Fitnessteller with a tomme panée, a fried, breaded soft-rinded cheese.

The hike: W39 Arnensee circular route (3.4 km). There are many different hiking paths that lead to the Huus am Arnensee restaurant. During my time there, we took this very pleasant walk around the lake before lunch. It’s a good option if you’re traveling with multiple generations or if you want a relatively easy hike before or after a meal.

4. Hotel Restaurant Hornfluh

My family and I stopped at the Hotel Restaurant Hornfluh during a hike in Gstaad a few years ago. It was located near the end of our hiking trail, and we had an afternoon snack there on the terrasse. I have good memories of the plum tart I ate there with a generous serving of whipped cream.

The hike: 306 Rinderberg – Hornberg – Horneggli (5.9 km). We took the train to Zweisimmen, and then took the gondola up to Rinderberg to start the hike.

5. Bergrestaurant Wasserngrat

When I attended a special lunch at the Bergrestaurant Wasserngrat, I arrived by chairlift, starting from the Gstaad, Wasserngratbahn. On the menu you’ll find hearty Swiss dishes such as Kalbsbratwurst (veal bratwurst) with rösti and Käseschnitten (cheese toasts). The view from the terrasse at this restaurant is exceptional.

The hike: If you would prefer to hike, instead of taking the chairlift like I did, you can follow this trail, Q4 Tiger Trail: Wasserngrat base station – Wasserngrat top station (a moderate hike of 3.1 km with 672 meters of elevation gain).

For more information:

• Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus, Promenade 41, 3780 Gstaad, +41 (0)33 748 81 81, info@gstaad.ch.
• Mountain Restaurants, Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus
• Gstaad, Switzerland Tourism

Please note: I recently visited Geltenhütte SAC and Huus am Arnensee as a guest of Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus. As always, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are purely my own.