The Veveyse District is one of seven districts in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland – French-speaking parts. It cuts across some of the prettier parts of the plateau above Vevey, continuing into some low-lying ski areas. In general, rural.
Châtel-Saint-Denis
Châtel-Saint-Denis is the administrative capital of the Veveyse, a historic pass-through area between Bulle and Vevey. It has a good collection of historic buildings, an interesting church, and a castle – and a very good collection of restaurants we mean to try one of these days.
The **Saint-Denis Church, built circa 1870, is a fairly grand, very well-kept Swiss-style church of the period. It’s worth a quick stop for the surprising stained glass – impressive and dark (in color and subject matter).
The **Châtel is the local administrative office – the Marie, the police, the archives, the marriage hall, etc. I attended a tour and it’s interesting – truly an office, but they’ve invested heavily in restoring (in extremely modern style) the remnants of the original Savoyard tower. I wouldn’t go out of the way to see this, as it’s hard to get tours most of the year.
We rode route 62, from Châtel-St-Denis to Romont. It’s stunning, a lot of up and down, but worth it.
Les Paccots
Les Paccots is a village and a small ski resort between Gruyeres and Vevey. It’s surprisingly charming, a find that feels quite hidden away (despite being very easy to access). It’s likely the closest ski resort to our house, catering to beginners and children, with 20 km of low-angle slopes. We haven’t been in winter (yet).
The village and ski area remind me of the Eastern Sierras – gold country area – of California. The higher mountains (Dent de Lys at 2,014 m and other nearby peaks) take on a much more Alpen, above tree line experience.
We had a lovely hike on **Route 266, Sentier Panoramique des Paccots, in early Spring. It has a steep start and end with a nicely diverse, low angle middle. The four-hour circular walk offers really interesting panoramic views – the Alps, the slopes of the Fribourg Alps, and at the end a vista over Lake Geneva.
We had a perfectly fine lunch at **Hôtel-Restaurant les Rosalys. It’s pretty typical from a food perspective (fondue, croutes, meat, planches), but the servers were friendly and we had nice company at the next table.
